Lisbon has been described as the perfect port city. It is steeped in history and has a civilization older than Rome. Its picturesque, seven-hills setting on the Iberian Peninsula, Moorish ruins, beaches and lively night-life are making it increasingly fashionable.
 
Highlights of Lisbon include: the Jerónimos Monastery which, with the Gothic Tower of Belém, is a Unesco World Heritage Site; C5th Moorish Sao Jorge Castle; the Igreja de Sao Vicente de Fora with its richly- decorated cloisters of early C18th tile panels, some illustrating La Fontaine fables; the Museu Gulbenkian (ancient Chinese porcelain and paintings by Rembrandt, Monet and Van Dyck, Rodin sculpture and Lalique's art nouveau jewellery); The Museu de Design e da Moda, a minimalist space for over 2,000 pieces of haute couture and contemporary design; and The LX Factory - a former factory transformed into an art space packed with quirky boutiques and restaurants and known for its street art.
We will also make two day trips. One to Sintra which is set amid the beautiful natural scenery of national park Parque Natural de Sintra-Cascais. The small town was favoured by Portuguese aristocracy and is rich in Romantic architecture: fairytale palaces, elegant flower gardens and pine woods abound. The other day trip is to the charming Portuguese fishing town of Cascais with its C19th architecture and Paula Rego Museum.
 
Fee includes travel between Lisbon, Sintra and Cascais.
 
Photo: Mauro Rodrigues