Country Roads of Portugal

I liked the actual itinerary of the tour. Unfortunately, the 2025 Australian Insight Vacation travel brochure from which I selected the tour has a number of major differences to the actual itinerary on the ground. From discussions with the Tour Director, the itinerary has been this way for several years. Insight needs to update the marketing for the tour to reflect the actual itinerary so that disappointments are avoided. There also appears that the Australian Insight Vacation travel office staff have little understanding of what actually happens on tour - disappointing performance. For instance, I wanted to leave some luggage in Lisbon rather than take it on the bus. I was advised that I could leave it in storage at the hotel we left in Lisbon (Hotel Corinthia) albeit we were returning to a different hotel (Turim Marques Hotel) in Lisbon. On the night before we left Lisbon the tour, Corinthia Hotel advised that I could not store the luggage as we were returning to that hotel. I then had to take a taxi to Turim Marques to store the luggage .

Whilst there was some overlap with my previous tour (Grand Spain & Portugal), the itinerary covered Portugal in greater depth and detail . The Tour Director Helder was excellent and made the trip even better with a secret visit to Nezere a special stop.Teamed with our driver Alfredo they worked to ensure we were given the best opportunities.

The itinerary is fabulous. It covers several areas of the country, north and south. It also allots 2 full days in Porto which is awesome. I would have liked 2 days in Douro Valley as well.

Good introduction to Portugal.

This trip covers a wide selection of town, villages and sites. There are options for interesting excursions curated by the tour director. Our tour director was the gold standard - organized, friendly, and compassionate. Our entire tour group gelled and enjoyed each other's company. The bus time was manageable and enjoyable. Our bus driver was skilled and friendly, and, with the tour director, made a great team. I highly recommend this trip.

Excursion to Royal Portuguese Riviera, Cork Factory visit and Duoro River Cruise should not be optional excursions. Everybody is expected to attend, so just include them in the itinerary. They were great excursions, but should be included.

Great tour for a wonderful overview of a beautiful country! Our travel director was very kind, informative and enthusiastic! Our driver was excellent in negotiating the sometimes extremely narrow streets and the bus was very comfortable. Portugal is a lovely country steeped in history, with beautiful architecture and stunning scenery. From the coastline, to the dry interior and to the bustling ports of Lisbon and Porto, this tour allows one to experience it all.

The itinerary was comprehensive. We could have maybe spent a little more time in some of the beautiful towns, but everything had to run on a schedule. Our tour director was wonderful, & our bus driver was absolutely brilliant. Many thanks Insight Vacations.

For the curious traveller who wants to explore a bit more of Portugal, this itinerary was perfect. The beaches of the south, the plains of the centre, the hills and rivers of the north are all included. The result is an enjoyable time exploring a cultural and historic treasure.

The transfers to and from the Lisbon hotel were efficient and on time. As well, the extra leg room in the well-apppointed coach was welcomed! Great food, wine, lodgings, and experiences. Daniel Ferguson was an experienced guide who not only took us to beautiful sites, but also added a couple of extra side trips and treats. He and our driver Felipe worked extremely well together, and the local guides were all knowledgable and passionate about their subjects.

First of all, the guide Daniel and the driver, Felipe were OUTSTANDING!! they made the journey most enjoyable. Dan was very knowledgeable, kept us informed of the day to day schedule and was always available to assist with any issues that would arise during our trip. I know my fellow travelers felt the same. And we were all amazed how Felipe navigated some of the narrow, twisty roads without even a scratch to the coach.

The itinerary is good. I would like to see more relaxing time; especially at hotels that have great pools in southern Portugal. It was always go, go go! I don’t think two days in Porto are necessary either. I have been on this Insight route twice…just so you know I’ve had time to think about this.

What an absolutely wonderful tour. The tour guide went above and beyond for all tour members, one who needed medical assistance specifically. Each hotel was amazing and top shelf. The optional tours were beautiful and shared so much about each area and the people who live there. The pace was great as well were able to see so many areas of Portugal. I will definitely recommend to others. Portugal is green in beauty and taking care of natural resources. Loved our time there!

Excellent itinerary, tour director and driver. Coach was very comfortable. Hotels were very nice and in great locations. Only good things to say about my experiences.

Fantastic way to experience Portugal and see the diverse terrain. From cosmopolitan to country, hilly cobblestoned streets to winding mountainous pavement, hustle and bustle of larger cities to the quaint quiet villages and vineyards, all offering fantastic scenery, food, friendly people and of course wine! Additionally, the coach was extremely comfortable with plenty of legroom (40 of us on board). Absolutely loved every minute. And if that wasn't enough, we were blessed with the world's greatest tour guide and coach driver - and !

It's very fast paced. Beautiful scenery.

Everything was wonderful except for the choice of the first night venue in Lisbon.

A wonderful way to see the whole of Portugal. We were able to see and explore parts of Portugal that U certainly would never want to drive in. Driving though the countryside you see the olive trees, orange trees and grape vines. Stunning views as you drive through the Duoro Valley. .

Well planned out itinerary. Not too strenuous. Good for seniors

Full and very interesting!

The best way to travel in Portugal. All of the places we visited just added so much more to our experience. We are exceptionally satisfied with our insight vacation.

Was the "right" pace. (and ) were exceptional - made everything easy, fun, and interesting. It's so nice to let them to the hard work and your their to relax, learn, see, and taste!!!

Great way to visit the best cities in Portugal to learn the different cultures, foods and amazing sites. We visited 11 cities in 11 days. It involves a lot of time on the bus and walking on cobblestones, but it allows you to explore as much as possible of this beautiful country in a fast moving trip. My companion and I took advantage of all the extra excursions which were great. Those who didn't had free time to explore on their own. Our tour director, Lana and bus driver, Philip were highly experienced, informative and delightful. I highly recommend the Country Roads of Portugal. Wear comfortable, supportive walking shoes!

The diversity of locations. The country roads tour enabled us to see more of the way of life away from major cities of the Portuguese.

We thoroughly enjoyed our Country Roads of Portugal tour. Our tour director, was wonderful, so accommodating, knowledgeable, engaging and went the extra mile to make sure everyone was well taken care of. Our driver, was incredible. He swiftly problem solved in an unexpected situation and our group always felt safe with his experienced driving skills. The (extra leg room) coach, scenery, extra activities, meals, hotels and local experts were five star in every respect. We would highly recommend this tour, especially for experiencing the less traveled countryside of Portugal. It's a beautiful country!

We chose Country Roads b/c we wanted to see as much as Portugal as we could in the time we had. This tour did not disappoint at all. You get the opportunity to visit big cities, small villages/towns, the ocean side, the douro valley, etc. Also, the perfect amount of time in each location! Have been recommending this to my family and friends!

Good food, good friends, excellent staff and travel director. The locations were amazing and we loved our trip.

You got to see many areas of Portugal including cities and small towns. The trip was awesome!

A very thorough coverage of the country without being too aggressive. The pace was good.

Wonderful itinerary. you were able to major highlights. Enjoy the culture of the company taste the food of the country and have plenty of time to discover the shops or restaurants on our own.

Great views

Was jam pack but very manageable. If you like history and quaint villages and beautiful scenery this is the trip for you. We had a great guide (). He check in on each of us everyday to see if we needed anything or was not please with something he could fix. All the hotel were 5 stars in my opinion. I highly recommend this trip.

We were not rushed at any stop. We saw a smattering of the entire country not just Lisbon/Touro. Some stays were for two nights which enabled us to catch our breath and relax.

Provides a really good taste of some of Portugal’s most beautiful cities, towns and countryside. Thoroughly enjoyed the tour, the hotels were excellent, coach very comfortable and tour director excellent.

Very pleasant.

Overall excellent experience

It gives the first-time visitor to Portugal an excellent overview of the nation, its history and geography, and culture.

Extra time in Algarve, to cover some history of area. Maybe an extra day in Lisbon. We were pushed for time to explore historical area. ( we had extra days on our own seperate to trip which we benefitted from) When left to own dinner choices in smaller towns, maybe some guidance.

I would have liked to see Sintra and 1 more day in the Algarve

Hotels were top notch and everyday was filled with great adventures with an awesome group of people. Our guides and bus driver were the best ever. Loved this trip and will definitely share with others and book again.

It is a very well thought and and timed tour. Busy, but not too busy. It made very good use of the time we had.

Fantastic guide director Incredible food World class accommodation Excellent sight seeing and information

Would have liked to have some more time in towns and cities to check out museums and learn more about the culture. Felt like we spent a lot of time in the bus.

Everything was perfect; 10days, 5 star hotels, and perfect driver. Our guide was well educated in history and communications with a very pleasant personality and humor. I cannot say enough about ? Sylvestri, forgot her first name. She surprised us with a stop at Nazare. I have recommended this tour to everyone.

I initially had some concerns about doing a guided group tour and trying to squeeze in so many places in 11 days, but this trip was absolutely fabulous. First of all, with everything being planned out in advance, the time is used very efficiently, and as a tourist you are never waiting in line to get into see an attraction or trying to figure out what to go see or do. Because of all this advance planning, and the 11 day (really 10 day) itinerary, you get to see so much more of Portugal than most itineraries, and trust me, there is a lot to see. Many of the shorter itineraries we considered focused mainly on Lisbon and Porto, and skipped the Algarve region or Douro Valley. This 11 day tour was extremely comprehensive. It went down the west coast area of Portugal all the way to the Algarve region, then went up the eastern side and to the central region of the country, as well as north to the Douro Valley and then to the west coast again to Porto and some other smaller towns. We really loved every place we visited, (except for Fatima, which was honestly a disappointment, grossly touristy, and a bit creepy in a way with every store and restaurant loaded with religious statues, vestments and chatchki stuff and the shrine of Fatima itself more like visiting the Vatican than a spiritual place.) We really loved the Douro Valley and Porto, these were two of our favorites, as was the Algarve region. I do wish that we had spent more time, just one more night in the Algarve region instead of spending two nights in Evora. For example, it would have been really nice to have offered more time in Cascais, and give people an opportunity to see one of the most unique sights, the sea caves and rock formations that are only available as a boat tour in that area. By allowing a couple more hours just in that location, a whole group of people on our bus could have gotten to do the boat tour. I recommend spending just one night, not two, in Evora, and although it is a very nice town, there is not a lot to do there and it's not as beautiful as the beach areas in the Algarve region. So please add more time in Cascais/Algarve, we all wished we had more time there and I have seen this on other reviews. Our bus was very comfortable; there were 31 people on our June trip, and we had lots of room to spread out. The Insight tour buses have expanded seating with reclining seats, footrests and extra foot room so they are really a pleasure to ride on. The bus has wifi and USB jacks for charging phones, but if you have a USB-C type cord, you will need to bring a converter, as these are the old style of USB jacks. There is a bathroom on the bus but I don't think anyone ever used it as we had plenty of rest room stops. I cannot say enough wonderful things about our Tour Director, and our bus driver, both of whom were amazing. is a 10 out of 10; he made this trip so wonderful for all of us. He is outstanding in every way. He was constantly considering everyone's needs, made sure that at every meal we each got the type of food we asked for, and made sure that frequent bathroom stops were factored in on the road. His knowledge of the country's history, politics, economics, and geography was incredible and in each town he also shared an in depth knowledge of that town's history and highlights. was also a lot of fun, had a great sense of humor, and was terrific in recommending restaurants and sightseeing in various towns. He prepared us with advance insight and expectations for each town and hotel stay, which was much appreciated. He was an incredibly kind and thoughtful person and in every town we visited he gave the entire group thoughtful treats or small souvenir gifts. He also went out of his way to provide extra value by adjusting the itinerary slightly to allow us to spend more or less time as needed in certain places, and he added in some additional surprises along the way that I won't mention here but were very much appreciated by the group. Our driver was amazing too, I have never seen anyone be able to squeeze such a huge bus into such small roads and spaces. His safe and expert driving skills were impressive and very much appreciated, he is truly a pro! Also a 10 out of 10. I would literally go out of my way to have and as my tour team again on a future trip. Finally, the hotels were all very nice and upscale. A few had some minor inconveniences; one in the town of Tomar had insufficient air conditioning, and we had a swarm of bugs get into our bathroom due to a bathroom window the previous occupant had not closed tightly enough. But otherwise, we were very satisfied with the hotels. The meals out with the group were generally nice, not 5 star but very good and satisfying, and being with the group was really the highlight of those meals. We particularly enjoyed the wine lunch in the Douro Valley, group lunch in Porto, and the two group meals in Lisbon. My husband also enjoyed the optional group dinner in the Algarve region, which I did not attend but heard was good. We had a really nice group of people on our tour and definitely enjoyed the group get togethers. I think in terms of food, the only group meal I did not enjoy was the dinner at our Tomar hotel, which was just "ok." Otherwise, we were very happy with the meals and breakfasts that were included. (One should be prepared to eat on the later side in Portugal; many places do not even open until 7 or 8 pm.) A couple of tips regarding packing; you want to bring a small bag like a back pack or weekender bag that you keep your daily necessities and a change of clothes for the next day, as each night you will have to pack and re-pack and you will have to put out your suitcase very early in the morning. So we just kept one outfit for the next day (plus our pj's, swim suits, meds and toiletries) in a backpack which we kept with us on the bus. Then when we got into our hotel, we didn't have to wait for our bags to make it upstairs, and we always had a change of clothes ready when our suitcases were out of our possession. Also recommend bringing a light jacket or sweater, as temps were sometimes cool in the morning even though sweltering by mid day. Finally, if you are considering taking this trip at all, rest assured you will love it. Portugal is such a wonderful country, and the tour is well planned and executed. We would definitely travel again with Insight tours, and I hope I will be lucky enough to get a tour guide as amazing as again, because he was a big part of what made this trip so wonderful.

It covers a large area of Portugal in a short period of time. Travellers should add extra days to cover Lisbon and Porto as there isn’t enough time allocated for these two main sites.

There was too much scheduled for too short of time. The consensus of our group is that is should have been a 14 day trip. Also too many days started too early to be classified as a comfort schedule. You need to keep in mind that those on the trip are on vacation.

So many beautiful things to see—natural beauty as well as wonderful fortresses,, towers, churches, palaces, aqueducts and monasteries. Every day was a cobblestone path leading to history, stories, and wonders. And, with a guide like , it was a perfect trip!

Fantastic trip, great itinerary!

Country Roads of Portugal will be forever in my memory as one of the greatest trips I ever took!

Good mix of 1 and 2 night stays Also blend of structured and free time

Seemed to have "filler" excursions that didn't go to anywhere special. The second half of the tour was much better. I wouldn't go back.

Inept tour director from France. 2 boat excursions with poor quality boats and no narration. Most local guides were not interesting and dragged on to kill time. Too much shopping time in order to kill time before hotel check-in. Worst Insight/Trafalgar tour out of our 11 trips. Didn't see much of the coastline. Spend more time in northern areas of Porto and the Douro Valley. An ocean sailboat excursion would have been a nice optional experience. Maybe a sunset cruise.

Maybe too much in too short of a time... Also, All other tour companies, Iv'e used, and a lot of them, have always used an "in-country" tour guide who knew the county intimately...

Daniel was aces. Phillipe was great... Food was not... Overall a good effort. If insight Gold had been available we would have taken it

The hotels were first class throughout. Be aware that the walking is usually up and down roadways and streets and stairs. The heat in June was intolerable at times. Instead of the time spent in Lisbon, suggest that some island time would improve the tour.

It is an excellent itinerary for covering Southern Italy and Sicily. I also appreciated the day in Rome. I’m glad you changed the original itinerary in Sicily because it looked too rushed. This gave us a better balance in Sicily and more choice of what to do rather than being too rushed. 3 nights in Giardini Naxos was excellent. I couldn’t find many tours that included Puglia and Sicily so for me this was perfect.

Good pace. Loved the meals and drinks. is just the right person to take care of the trip.

Too short a stay in the Algarve. First Lisbon hotel nice but too far from historic area. All hotels except Porto have unsafe bathtubs - very slippery with no handholds. Loved the winery visits. Tour Director was very good.

This is a great way to really see Portugal - so many itineraries focus on Spain and/or Morocco and barely spend any time in Portugal. Portugal's regions are all unique and we were able to visit many of them.

This tour covers a great selection of locations throughout Portugal. Hotel locations are superb, particularly in the heart of Porto. Our guide , contributed enormously to our experience. His dedication, enthusiasm, sense of humour and concern for his "family " of travellers was outstanding. A fantastic holiday in a beautiful country.

The itinerary took us to many interesting places- the main areas of interest (Lisbon, Porto, the Algarve) and many other lesser known areas. It was a great, informative trip, and we stayed in very nice hotels. Many nice extra excursions were offered to the group. The tour guides were very knowledgable, and provided us with lots of information about Portugal, its history and culture. The bus was very comfortable, although 40 was a large group to manage, especially in large dining experiences. An area of interest to tourists is Sintra, which we booked on our own the day before the trip with a private company. It was a worthwhile visit. Be aware that the days can be busy and long - up early, get to hotel late afternoon, often a dinner activity was offered. Most hotel stays are only 1 night; 2 night stays were more enjoyable, and offered more downtime. And, be aware that some stops have walking areas (small towns, castles) that are cobblestone and uneven steps.

It was a complete look into the history of Portugal. Enjoyed the wine tasting and the Cork Factory. Beautiful historical cities were enjoyed.

We have traveled with Insight 6 times now, and Insight never disappoints. The experiences, value for our money, and our tour director were great. Loved the tour.

There were many sights included in the itinerary, but one could always opt out if it was too much.

Itinerary was totally inclusive. is amazing. We saw every one can see in Portugal

Great choise of places to visit, pace of trip enjoyable.

We saw practically the whole of Portugal. I talked to people who have been to Portugal and have enjoyed themselves. However, they had not heard of Braga or Ibidos. They have really missed out. I do wish Sintra was included in one of the options, though.

Wonderful guide, good wine wine no food. Beautiful country.

Great exposure to non-coastal small towns of historic and cultural worth beyond Just Lisbon and Porto.

It’s packed full of beautiful things to see and wonderful things to do. You really get a taste literally and figuratively of the country.

A fabulous itinerary! It’s the perfect introduction to Portugal seeing a lot of key sights in the country.

This journey enables travellers to go beyond the cities of Porto and Lisbon and explore the countryside and towns that most visitors never get to see and appreciate.

We had a great time on this tour. The director was fantastic and the bus and driver were excellent. We really enjoyed virtually all of the itinerary. We thought that the group evening meals could have been better. They were all in noisy crowded restaurants where it was very hard to talk to our group members. The optional experience dinner in the Algarve was a very poor evening, the restaurant was clearly not up to the task and the food was very substandard. Some people received food of different types while others sat for ages receiving nothing. A “seafood” plate consisted of a tired prawn, 2 pippis and nothing else! The hotels were fantastic, however it would’ve been nice on a couple of occasions if we could have arrived a bit earlier in order to enjoy the facilities, ie bars, pool etc. The hotels concerned were in Tomar and the Douro Valley.

Great destinations and hotels

It covers almost all of Portugal and involves quite a bit of walking around the country. Covers all terrains from mountains to beaches and cities to the countryside. The tour director experience and communication skills along with our driver driving helped make it a memorable experience for me.

Nicely planned

It was a very good itinerary however a little more time in Lisbon would have been appreciated to visit some more sights

It was the perfect holiday! We saw everything we had hoped to see.

Comprehensive view of cities and country areas of Portugal. Recommend adding an optional tour of Sintra from Lisbon and adding another day, or a relaxed day, to the time in the Algarve. With three 1 night stays, the trip felt a little pressured at times. Would have preferred a few true relaxed starts to catch up, or combine a few of the mid-country sites to a hub where you stay a couple nights and do day-trips.

A lot of traveling and moving from hotel to hotel but a great way to see the country. We loved it.

Good pace, and terrific overall visit to many special places around the entire country. Other tours are targeted to regions, we got to see a great deal of the total country in the 11 days.

The itinerary is very busy so important you understand no real down time.

It would be better if the itinerary allowed more time to yourself. Might also be better with fewer or no optional experiences.

A magnificent well organized journey through this beautiful country. Our tour director was knowledgable and throughout the tour, guided us with pertinent information, and mini-slide presentations while we were traveling on the super-comfortable Insight coach. Our driver was , who drove us safely throughout the country. We enjoyed all the sites, the hotels, and included meals. I definitely recommend this tour to anyone interested in an indepth experience in beautiful Portugal, where the locals were welcoming, and friendly. We took all the extra tours, and glad we did.

had a great time, experiencing Portugals history and beauty, Tour guide was helpful and knowledgeable, and the local guides were excellent

Very fulsome tour offering a substantial look at this significant European country with its amazing early maritime exploration contribution to discoveries in the New World! Loved the range of small and larger towns & cities we covered as well as coastal versus inland spots. Amazing walled towns as well as the well preserved Roman ruins in Évora! Some good optional tours and meals as well !

There is history and culture to learn about Portugal Picturesque and culinary food is an interesting experience Portuguese people are very friendly and speak English !

Some interesting villages away from major cities. They have history and character.

The tour touched on so much of Portugal's culture, history, agriculture, and architecture, that there was not a minute we weren't totally interested. And the amount of ground we covered was all so interesting and diverse that we really think we couldn't have done more. Our tour director was friendly, knowledgeable, and just a very interesting person. The specialist guides were very good.

Trip provides an excellent overview of the country of Portugal. Excursions are a variety of historical, culture and food/wine. Hotels were in close proximity to areas of interest for free time.

you have to be fit and rested

I would no longer recommend you strictly because you did not abide by my unsubscribe request and you continue to send me your unwanted matriarch

Excellent leader! Very good itinerary

If you like country roads in general, this is the way to tour Portugal! The tour guide will point out specialty restaurants and little tidbits of delectable pastries, wine pairings, and local cuisine. The country's historic treasures are revealed by local experts. And the country vistas are amazing.