Discover Portugal

We enjoyed our Blue-Roads tour of Portugal. The company was great, the accommodation was excellent, except in Lisbon which was very tight, the bus comfortable and most of the locations we visited were really interesting. Some locations were tourist traps which was a bit disappointing especially when we pulled in with half a dozen big cruise busses at the same time. I would have preferred a bit more "back roads". Also, our guide appeared jaded and did not appear to like women very much judging by the way he spoke to us at times, even though around 75% of the tour group were women. I am sure with a different guide, the tour would have been much improved.

A wonderful tour with a great mix of sights and activities. Best features were the lovely and knowledgeable guide, Eddi, and very capable driver, Pedro. Accommodation was varied and interesting. Allowance was made for individual interests and levels of stamina. The whole tour felt more spontaneous that preordained. Love that we visited small local producers and craftspeople with no pressure to buy! Also loved the limited numbers on the tour - 17 in this case - and the fact we rarely travelled more than an hour at a time in the bus. The country roads through small villages were the very best of the daily trips. The rest day in a vineyard was very much appreciated too - although there were still activities for those who wished. Cannot recommend highly enough!

The tour was a very enjoyable one. Reasons being that the range of venues we stayed in were very good and the experiences offered gave us a really great understanding of the country and it's people and their culture and history. One thing we really enjoyed was how it lived up to the 'back roads' label bytaking us to places we wouldn't have found (or thought of!!) by ourselves. Examples being the farm visit to see the wine and olive oil process and tasting (such genuine 'down to earth' people) who shared their history and culture and the sheep cheese visit. That was something different and very interesting. Our guide was knowledgeable and the tour was well organised. Our bus driver was lovely too. We saw a lot of the country and gained some idea of places we might return to in future to explore further.

Great tour with 15 New Zealanders and Australians. Our wonderful tour guide Sonia had a wealth of knowledge and was entertaining as well.

A great tour with a very experienced tour leader and driver.. This was my third Back Road tour.

Our guide Sonia was absolutely amazing, nothing was too much trouble, took us to extra places if time permitted. She was so passionate about Portugal and her love of her country definitely rubbed off on us all. It was a fabulous tour with a bit of everything to please

Very good tour. Comprehensive. Lots of extras.

Apologies for the late review of our June Tour in Portugal. First off - a big shout out to our wonderful Tour leader, Lara. A very understanding young lady who could relate SO well to her 60+ age travel group . Her knowledge of our local was amazing; her ability to help people connect; humor and empathy was excellent - I give her 15* out of 10. AND coupled with Milo our driver - whose driving was so smooth, his empathy for those that were a bit slower to hop back on to the bus and his amazing music play list - together they formed an exceptional team. Our accommodation was varied and amazing, from small to larger establishments. The group dinners were allvery enjoyable. And I was very impressed with the additional specialized Tour leaders who were engaged. All in all, I highly recommend Back Roads Tours and have already booked our your for 2026 in Sicily.

We loved our time in Portugal. Georgina our tour leader was great. The hotels we stayed in were fabulous and all quite different. My gluten free needs were well accommodated, all the meals were lovely. We enjoyed all the locations we visited and the experiences we had. Cooking dinner was fun at the beautiful Nature hotel.

Fabulous tour just loved it.

Great historical information provided by guide Georgia and others. Lots to see in a full packed itinerary. Beautiful and sometimes quirky accommodation. Careful and courtious driver. Would recommend to friends.

Most enjoyable ,except for the long walks and climbing high buildings.Maybe having a rest in between all events will solve all problems.Have regular meetings

Such an excellent itinerary, and well organised support team Every detail was thought through, and we definitely experienced the unexpected.

Was fantastic great guide

Had a great trip, visited all the sights you could have, the tour coach “Edwina” too ensure everyone was enjoying themselves. The use of the WhatsApp group feature made communicating with group easy and factual. She even did meal selections via the app. I’ve been travelling on busses for 43 days and this made making friends so easy

Fabulous trip

I went into this tour quite looking forward to discovering Portugal. I feel that this tour didn't provide the experience I thought I would have. This is my opinion only and you might find that others on the tour can offer a different view. Churches Portugal may have a wealth of churches that are incredibly beautiful and be a deeply religious country, but my hope for this trip was to discover Portugal through its food, its lesser-known villages, and along its picturesque coastline. While I can appreciate the significance of these sites, and visiting a few would have been ok, the itinerary felt dominated by church visits leaving little space for the local experiences that drew me to Portugal in the first place. Food I was disappointed with the cooking lesson that was part of the tour. The 3 course dinner we cooked felt rushed, there wasn't enough space for everyone to participate, and the menu wasn't to my liking. I thought a cooking class for Pastel de nata should have been part of the tour. We did have a couple of wonderful group dinners organised with wonderful menus. Itinerary and stops The allocation of visiting time at each day's stop felt inconsistent and random. Sometimes not enough to truly explore, at other times too much time with little to do and the group would be sitting waiting for the bus anywhere from 45 mins to half an hour early as we’d exhausted all options and walked around the town a couple of times. In villages and towns that I would have loved to have more time to explore, we were rushed out the door too early. Then in other places that I couldn't quite see why we stopped there except for coffee and lunch, we'd have 2 hours which was about an hour too long. Activities and bus travel I would say that this tour was a pretty passive tour. We seemed to be on the bus a lot. Much more than I thought we would be over the 10 days. I would say it doesn't suit an active traveller and is more tailored to an older demographic. Summary Before you sign up, read more into the tour, find out exactly where it goes and ask lots of questions to make sure it suits the style of travelling you would like to do.

Well organized and relaxing way to discover Portugal.

The tour was excellent for the following reasons: We had fun We jelled as a group Our tour leader was professional, gorgeous, funny, caring and a participant in all activities Our driver was safe, professional and fun Destinations were varied and full of interesting detail Food very good organisation outstanding Accom on the whole very good A few surprise events added bonus

From start to finish Discover Portugal was a great 10 days. Our tour leader Sonia allowed our tour to run seamlessly as we moved from the south of Portugal to the north discovering many interesting places, learning the history and the day to day lives of Portuguese families. We visited the large cities which was fun, but I really enjoyed the small villages which were close by our accommodation. The walking tours we did with historians were very interesting as were the walking tours we did with Sonia. Our driver, Pedro was great. Accommodation, breakfast and included dinners were also great. This was my second trip with Back Roads.

Portugal is a beautiful, friendly Country. This Tour was amazing, we had a great group of fellow travellers and an amazing, well organised, passionate Tour Leader - Sonia - who went above and beyond to make this trip through Portugal a very memorable one. Thank you Sonia and thank you Back Roads Touring.

We thoroughly enjoyed our tour. Others on the tour were good company & most importantly our tour guide Lara, and our bus dricer Melo were both great. We especially enjoyed the small group experiences su h as visiting the olive Grove & the cheese tasting

Enjoyed the trip immensely made better by Lara who was warm, friendly, informative, helpful, easygoing, flexible.

Excellent tour. We had an excellent guide and really lovely, helpful driver. We had a number of title side experiences, things I doubt I would get to if I went on my own.

Fantastic tour. I really loved the experiences and the small group size. Lara the tour leader and Melo the driver were fantastic! The accommodation and tour pace were very good.

Fabulous tour showing the real life side of Portugal. Very well organised and accommodation lovely. Lara our guide and Mehlo our driver were exceptional always available to assist in any way. Would definitely recommend Back Road tours.

Fantastic trip - loved every minute of it. Portugal is a beautiful country. My tour guide and driver worked so well together - they both made the tour so special. My tour guide was very informative, kind, friendly and such a professional- he is one in a million. The tour itself was interesting and very well planned out with enough leisure time. Would highly recommend this tour.

The tour was fantastic largely due to Lara the tour guide & driver Merlo, They both brought Portugal to life. Enjoyed every day of the tour

Enjoyed learning about Portugal's history through our learned guide in small group tour. Especially enjoyed the smaller towns with less tourists ....like us...and meeting and sharing the experiences with like-minded travellers. Although a little variable, on the whole, the accommodation was more than adequate for such a tour. Will definitely consider another Blue-Roads tour in the future.

No complaints.

Wonderful experience with the amazing Ana Véran as our informative, caring extremely capable guide. Douro Valley was a highlight with breathtaking views, food & wine. Loved every stop and the accommodation was very comfortable. We are early seventies and coped with a fair amount of walking. Skipped the 600 stairs in Lamego 😂 Would highly recommend!!

Greg and I had the best experience Rosie was amazing We loved the variety of places we stayed the food was amazing. Maybe a little more free time would be the only negative I could say x

This was a fabulous tour with exception tour guide and driver. The accommodation was outstanding, organised meals very special and the cooking class a highlight. My husband & I were totally shocked when a large birthday cake was presented after dinner. We had kept it quiet that our birthdays were a day apart. Our guide and driver travelled to another village to source a cake. Such a kind and considerate gesture. This was our third Back Roads tour.. it was perfect. Thank you Jane & David Brisbane

The tour was a good mix of organised activity and free time. As well as visiting main tourist destinations, the more remote destinations were truly magnificent. Our Guide Helio and Driver Mello, were the best, making an awesome tour.

Lovely hotels. Interesting experiences. We had a great guide too.

it was great

One of the best tours we have been on and a brilliant guide whose name was Edwina Pitcher.

Excellent tour to get a feel for the culture and history of Portugal. Really loved our stay at Quinta da Pacheca. Our tour guide was very friendly and knowledgeable and did a great job “herding” our group. Although we appreciated the smaller touring vehicle (18 passenger bus, I believe), it had some issues. The air conditioning system was very weak towards the back of the bus and there was a problem with the transmission system. The bus was replaced for the last day of our tour.

Excellent tour. The guide was exceptionally good. Professional, caring organised and very informative. Accomodation excellent .

Excellent tour leader - Lara Tour bus suited tour requirements Tour driver did a good job Length of tour, hotels and sites - perfect

I enjoyed the whole journey with the care taken when injury indicated... i.e when inclusion of many stairs was required, we were given an exclusion of this physical activity and had an acceptable alternative.

The guide Edwina Pitcher was fabulous and very informative.

What an amazing tour made even more enjoyable by the excellent tour leader and driver. Blue-Roads never ceases to amaze with their interesting and enjoyable itinerary. This is my fourth tour with Blue-Roads. I look forward to more in the future.

We had an excellent tour guide in Helio whose passion for his job and sharing his knowledge made this trip so enjoyable. We had a lovely group of fellow travellers and Helio went above and beyond to ensure everyone enjoyed themselves. Our driver Mello was a fantastic driver and kept us all very safe, his welcoming smile started the day well. The history and information given gave us a great insight to Portugals history.

All I expected.

Great variety of activities, great knowledge of Portugal from our tour leader (Vitor Luciano), lovely accommodation, small group of 15 people, interesting back roads to interesting sites, and a fun group of people to travel with.

We had a very knowledgeable guide who looked after our group very well

Certainly, value for money. Well constructed tour, length of tour was perfect. Excellent tour leader, Lara. Coach driver was roadwise and courteous.

Very well organised, good pace to it and the guide Ana V? Was first rate. Great communicator and very very knowledgable and she had the humor and comebacks to really get a bunch of aussies and kiwis on board.

We had a fantastic experience with Blue-Roads. Our guide Ana was enthusiastic, knowledgeable and very professional. There was a good range of activities and the pace of travel gave us time to soak up the Portuguese experience with our fellow travellers from Australia and New Zealand. Yes there was a full power outage while we were travelling, but another hotel with a generator was found. We would recommend it to travellers who like a more personalised experience.

The tour was an excellent mix of historical, religious and cultural content. Our esteemed leader, Sonia, knew her subject and delivered it with confidence and humour which engaged all of the participants. Our bus driver, Rui, was also an asset to the tour with his local knowledge and good humour. The small size of the group was also beneficial in that we were all able to be in close contact with whoever was speaking to us.

Our tour was very well organized and we had a wonderful tour leader. Hotels were great as well as the included meals. Our guide was a wealth of information and very helpful. Our van driver was outstanding and we felt secure & safe throughout our journey.

We had a wonderful tour. The locations we visited were interesting and mostly quiet without a lot of tourists. The accommodations were very nice and the meals were top notch . We enjoyed all the experiences from local entertainment, cheese making to wine and olive oil tasting. Our guide was very knowledgeable and a lot of fun. Blue Roads offers very good value and they take good care of you. We are looking forward to our next tour to Ireland in September.

Great guide; great hotels; even pace; great company. Loved the tour.

This tour is well structured to give first time visitors a clear feeling for Portugal and its history. The remarkably long alliance (~800 years) with England has lead to widespread familiarity with English. The experienced leadership also makes the program a lot of fun.

We had not been on an organised tour before and didn’t want to do the usual touristy hot spots. Back Roads Taste of Portugal was a fabulous experience of highlights but lots of interesting small local experiences. The guide, Sonia was exceptionally helpful and knowledgeable plus a lot of fun.Highly recommend the company.

I will leave you what we said in notes to our tour guide and driver on this tour: Dear Sonia, Both of us wish to extend our heartfelt thanks for the unforgettable tour experience you provided. Your depth of knowledge, passion, and enthusiasm truly enhanced our travel experience, making it not only informative but also incredibly enjoyable. From the moment we met, it was clear that you are not just a guide but a storyteller with a profound connection to the places we visited. Your insights into the history, culture, and hidden gems of each location brought everything to life in a way that no guidebook ever could. Your ability to weave facts with engaging anecdotes kept us captivated and eager to learn more. Your patience and attention to detail ensured that every aspect of our trip was seamless and stress free. Whether it was answering our myriad of questions, offering personalised recommendations, or ensuring we were comfortable, your dedication did not go unnoticed. Thanks to you, we not only saw the sights but truly experienced the heart and soul of each place we visited. This journey has left us with cherished memories and a deeper appreciation for the world around us and especially Portugal. Thank you once again for your exceptional guidance and for making our trip an enriching and memorable adventure. Warm regards, Bruce and Jacqui Hayward Dear Mellow, Thank you for your exceptional service during our journey. Your professionalism, skill, and friendly demeanour made our trip not only safe but also incredibly enjoyable. Your punctuality, knowledge of the route, and attention to passenger comfort were greatly appreciated. You went above and beyond to ensure we had a smooth and pleasant experience, and your efforts did not go unnoticed. It's not often we find a driver who truly enhances the travel experience, and for that, we're extremely grateful. Thank you for making our journey memorable and stress-free. Warm regards, Bruce and Jacqui Hayward Caro Mellow, Obrigado pelo seu serviço excecional durante a nossa viagem. Seu profissionalismo, habilidade e comportamento amigável tornaram a nossa viagem não só segura, mas também incrivelmente agradável. Sua pontualidade, conhecimento da rota e atenção ao conforto dos passageiros foram muito apreciados. Você foi acima e além para garantir que tivéssemos uma experiência suave e agradável, e seus esforços não passaram despercebidos. Não é sempre que encontramos um motorista que realmente melhore a experiência de viagem e, por isso, somos extremamente gratos. Obrigado por tornar a nossa viagem memorável e sem stress. Atenciosamente, Bruce e Jacqui Hayward

Informative trip. Good size of group and length of time. Going to places not seen before especially having local guides with great knowledge.

Good trip with an excellent tour leader Sonia Felt probably didn’t need to spend a full free day in Douro Could have left at lunchtime and then more time in Porto

This is a great way to see Portugal. There are fantastic inclusions. I thoroughly enjoyed the excursions, getting out & exploring. Accommodation was outstanding

Excellent tour. Exceeded all my expectations

I have already left a brilliant review Edwina our guide & Melos were superb & air hotels & tours were very good & I would definitely recommend Back Roads Tours Value for money

I enjoyed the tour. Excellent choices of accommodations and interesting places to see and visit. A great history tour for me.

Great hotels..lovely having suitcases collected and delivered. Great activities...always delivered more than promised. Edwina and Melo were absolutely the dream team, friendly, knowledgeable and good communicators. The tour bus was very comfortable and safe. I enjoyed rhe "Blue-Roads"..much nicer than motorways. You found places for me that I would not have discovered on my own.

I thoroughly enjoyed this tour, the accomodation was excellent, both the tour guide & driver outstanding & the included experiences were well worthwhile. However, spending a whole day in the Douro Valley with nothing to do was a real disappointment. I appreciate a driver needs a day off but to be so far from any tourist activities or sights of interest was a waste of a day. I walked to both nearby towns & there was nothing to see or do at either

Enjoyable overall. The day of free to wander in Portal winery was boring, especially when the weather was wet, we took a long walk to Sabrosa and saw Magellan’s birthplace, that was good. The wine tasting in the afternoon should be an included activity since it was advertise in the itinerary. The day in Braga could have included a planned excursion to Bom Jesus Santuary since it is such a magnificent place and we did have time. More free time in Sintra would have been nice. Our guide Edwina and driver Melos are both excellent. Obliging, helpful, and beautiful story teller is Edwina and a very reliable driving skill Melos.

A great trip, you go to out of the way places and stay at some quirky hotels. Overall another great trip from Back Roads

Excellent

Mercedes and Melos were wonderful in leading our tour. Saw so much of Portugal without feeling rushed and stayed at great hotels and enjoyed wonderful food and wines.

Excellent small group tour. Tour director & driver Friendly & helpful. Stay in great hotels in unique towns & even a vineyard. Good included tours & many meals.

Great trip…wonderful driver & tour leader..only glitch was with Goway who we purchased the tour through…they made a mistake when booking our requested extra night at end of tour which ended in Porto where we had tickets for train to next destination…they booked hotel over 100 km away but it said Porto on itinerary…luckily our Blue Roads tour leader told us where it actually was a few nights before…Goway didn’t want to admit their mistake and wanted us to pay for changing…worked out in end after much back & forth …we travel a lot…not sure would use Goway as booking agent again.

Accommodation was wonderful, bus & driver great, tour guide excellent, experiences fabulous. Disappointed on last day finishing in Porto at lunch time, could have been more to see in afternoon and finish with a dinner.

Would like to have seen more wineries, cheese fishing markets etc . Less churches!

loved the size of our bus (16) people tour. Top guide very friendly and caring. everything we visited was great with added touches by the guide Accommodation was tops Bus driver was part of our tour he joined in.

We had a fabulous guide she always went the extra mile and made each day enjoyable she also treated us to a few special treats and generally made the tour a very pleasurable experience. The bus driver was wonderful and it was excellent that we had WiFi on the bus and were able to charge our phones.

This is our 2nd tour with Blue-Roads tour and we loved it. Our guide Rocio was very knowledgeable and easy to get along with. Also our bus driver Milo was great. Couldn’t complain about anything on the trip and would do another one for sure.

Excellent tour with a great variety of experiences. Our guide Rocio, had extensive knowledge. Her warm personality, passion, and enthusiasm made our “Discover Portugal” a truly unforgettable experience.

The tour was fabulous the tour guide Rocio was extremely informative and friendly lots of fun and very kind. It is very nice to have a driver who is such a gentleman and an excellent driver I felt very safe Melo was his name

Discover Portugal was an excellent tour. It was the perfect combination of organized tours and free time. We painted tiles, explored Medieval cities, and tasted wines, olives, cheese and a cherry liquor. We took an extra stop to visit The Boca Inferno, this was a great stop. Our tour guide was fantastic and so was our bus driver. They both told us about non-touristy places to visit and restaurants to best experience the local cuisine. Each hotel was better than the last and we experienced both many of Portugal's large cities and small towns. It was a wonderful trip!

Loved back roads tour through Portugal, we traveled through history. Compared invaders and conquerors influences both positive and brutal. We met producers, that would have been not on our radar and toured sites that held great importance. One warning though if your heading to Portugal with an interest in delving into port it’s not a focus at all, my only real grip!

So much to experience. Although rushed at times, albeit with quiet days as well, we experienced a lot. A lot of variety of visit-sites vs activities, a well curated tour.

The Back Roads Discover Portugal tour was excellent. the destinations great a mixture of cities and smaller places. the small group is ideal, hotels beautiful in fantastic locations. both tour guide and bus driver were professional and caring. i did find it a little surprising that in this world climate of COVID those who tested positive had to leave the tour. I would have been happy with wearing masks and using hand sanitizer as now there are no legal protocols in place as I understand. The minute each of us chose to fly overseas I see it as a risk we were all willing to take. If someone travelled with an underlying condition, they did so at their own peril.

Loved the size of the people and bus

Excellent tour enjoyed Portugal has some picture perfect scenery.