Voices in Harmony
Performance Tour
of Portugal
May 23 - June 2, 2024
PORTUGAL
A tour to Portugal is a journey through history that will afford a wonderful opportunity for exploration and discovery. With its fascinating variety of landscapes, from the blue sea and sandy beaches to mountaintops covered with snow, Portugal is unique. It is a country of immaculate white houses, colorful costumes, inviting people, wonderful food, rich culture, and musical traditions perpetuating over eight hundred years!
This performance tour will allow you to explore the many wonders of Porto, known for its narrow, cobbled streets, where you will cruise the Douro River and shop in bustling open-air markets full of local specialties. Here and throughout your travels, you will perform and exchange with local choirs experiencing an interesting array of venues. Next, you will stay in Leira, a medieval city rich in history and packed with visible remnants of a long ago time. Finally, your journey takes you to the stunning capital city of Lisbon where you will experience and learn about the tradition of Fado, a type of Portuguese singing, renowned for its expressive and profoundly melancholic character.
Enjoy a concert tour of Portugal and let yourself be immersed in all that the country has to offer as you share your music with local people and enjoy the incredible sights in this beautiful country.
PROPOSED TOUR ITINERARY
updated on 9/29/23
DAY 1 | Thursday, May 23
The Voices in Harmony Performance Tour of Portugal starts with an overnight flight from Boston to Porto, Portugal. TAP Airlines flight #218 departing Boston at 6:35pm.
Meals, snacks, and refreshments will be served on board. Be sure to read through the great tips and travel information in your Music Contact International tour handbook!
DAY 2 | Friday, May 24
Welcome to Portugal! Arrive in Porto at 9 am after a chance of planes in Lisbon. Your Music Contact International tour manager will be waiting to greet you in the arrivals hall of Porto Airport. Together, board your private motor coach and enjoy your first impressions of greater Porto as you enter the exciting capital of Portugal!
Porto, famous for its stately bridges and port wine, is one of Europe’s oldest cities; its historical core was proclaimed a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1996. Porto is a port city and trading hub, welcoming and active and described by a popular Portuguese saying: “While Porto works, Coimbra studies and Lisbon has fun.”
Arrive at your hotel. Check in and freshen up from the overnight flight. Those interested are welcome to join your tour manager for an orientation walk of the hotel neighborhood.
This evening, kick-off your tour at a welcome dinner of tasty Portuguese cuisine and entertainment at a local restaurant!
DAY 3 | Saturday, May 25
Wake up to your first full day in Porto! Breakfast is served daily in the hotel dining room.
The day begins with a guided panoramic tour of Porto. See the old neighborhoods still intact, a maze of winding streets, superb churches and the placard of multicolor houses set into the seaside. Drive down Avenida dos Aliados, generally regarded as the heart of Porto and the city’s most grandiose avenue, flanked by ornate buildings in a range of architectural styles, from neoclassical to French Beaux-arts. This avenue was built to impress!
Afterwards, enjoy free time for lunch before the next adventure. Later on, take a brief scenic cruise on the Douro River passing underneath Porto’s amazingly beautiful six bridges and admiring the terraced hillsides that line the river.
In the afternoon return to your hotel and prepare for tonight's concert. An afternoon rehearsal can be arranged upon request.
Tonight, the Voices in Harmony is invited to perform a concert with a local choir who will host your concert at a local venue. Enjoy meeting a local choir and performing for an appreciative audience.
The evening is yours to enjoy dinner and entertainment on your own.
DAY 4 | Sunday, May 26
Enjoy breakfast this morning in the hotel dining room before setting out to see some of the sites around Porto independently. Stop at the São Bento Train Station known for its magnificent Azulejos panels depicting scenes from the traditional life of the north. Admire the Stock Exchange Palace and its famous Arab salon, one of Porto’s most impressive buildings built in the mid-19th century in the neo-classical style. Walk through the picturesque Praça da Ribeira, one of Porto’s most beautiful neighborhoods. As one of UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites, the area is filled with winding medieval streets and small cobblestone alleyways. Ribeira is extremely scenic as it sits on the riverfront of the Rio Douro and comes complete with numerous cafes, restaurants, and bars.
DAY 5 | Monday, May 27
Check out of your hotel and prepare to transfer from Porto to Leira. A stop will be made in the famous coastal city of Aveiro, known as the “Venice of Portugal.” Aveiro is full of picturesque canals that crisscross the city, and "Moliceiros", colorful boats with raised bows, can be found transporting people and goods from place to place. Take a memorable boat tour on a “Moliceiro”. Informal singing aboard is encouraged!
Upon returning to the shore, enjoy some free time in Aveiro to walk along the docks and investigate lunch on your own.
Reconvene after lunch to learn how to prepare the local specialty known as "Ovos Moles", a pastry made of egg yolks, flour, and sugar, with a sampling of course!
Visit the Salinas de Aveiro or sea salt pans. At one time, the area had many salt pans, but today there are just a few. Salt pans are very important environmental sites. Many types of waterfowl live in the marshes and surrounding areas. It is said that salt from Ria de Aveiro is "white gold" because of its high quality and taste due to artisan crafting and the weather conditions in the north of the country with less sun and more clouds.
Return to your motor coach and depart for your hotel in Leira, a small medieval city rich in history and packed with visible remnants of a long ago time, some say one of Portugal's secret treasures. Upon arrival, check in and join your tour manager for an orientation walk of the hotel neighborhood.
Tonight, enjoy dinner on your own. Return to the hotel for a good night's rest.
DAY 6 | Tuesday, May 28
This morning takes you on a tour of Leira's surrounding area. The first stop is the town of Nazaré, a colorful fishing village and home to some of the world’s biggest waves. Enjoy time strolling through the winding streets, catch the amazing view over the ocean and marvel at some of the biggest surf in the world and pristine golden sand.
Depart for Alcobaca where you will find one of the most beautiful Cistercian abbeys of Portugal and one of the richest and most powerful in the country. You will discover the church of the monastery and the moving love story of Pedro and Ines.
In the afternoon, visit Fatima, where the Virgin Mary is said to have appeared to three young shepherds in 1917. Since then, the site has become an immense sanctuary with two basilicas and a scenic square where thousands of devotees congregate to commemorate the event. In Fatima*, the Voices in Harmony will have the opportunity to sing sacred selections as part of the daily celebrations that honor the Virgin Mary’s appearance here.
Return to your hotel in Leiria late in the afternoon and enjoy dinner on your own arrangements.
DAY 7 | Wednesday, May 29
This morning. enjoy breakfast in the hotel dining room. Check out of your Leiria hotel and board your motor coach bound for Lisbon, Portugal's capital city famous for its sunny weather, colorful buildings, Fado music and friendly locals.
Along the way stop in Obidos, a great example of a truly traditional Portuguese village, with medieval architecture, narrow, cobblestone streets, a town wall, and quaint whitewashed houses. There will be opportunities for informal singing, small group exploration, lunch and shopping in the quaint town center. While you are there why not walk on top of the old city walls or see the Church of Santa Maria or Obidos Castle. Before you leave have a group tasting of "Ginja de Óbidos", a locally made cherry liqueur served in chocolate cups, and cheers to your travels!
In the afternoon, transfer to Lisbon. Upon arrival check in to your hotel and prepare for tonight's dinner and entertainment.
Tonight, head to a typical “fado” house, where your group will sample traditional Portuguese cuisine with interludes of authentic fado music performed by a fadista accompanied by the Portuguese guitarra, a pear-shaped guitar unique to Portugal. This music is thought to be representative of the Portuguese soul, and the feeling of "Saudade” or nostalgia, characteristic of the Portuguese temperament.
DAY 8 | Thursday, May 30
Enjoy breakfast this morning in the hotel dining room. Today's journey begins with a guided sightseeing tour through the neighborhood of Alfama, the oldest district in the capital. Admire the winding streets and flowered balconies. Perhaps climb to the Belvedere of Santa Luzia where you will find one of the most beautiful panoramic views overlooking the city and the gorgeous seascape below! Walk past the Sao Jorge Castle, the hilltop fortress that dates back to the medieval period of Portuguese history. Continue downhill to Rossio Square, and admire the ornate cobblestones and its resident fountains and monuments also visit the impressive Praça do Comercio plaza, a highlight of the city outfitted with shops and cafes for you to enjoy lunch on your own. In the afternoon, return to the hotel and enjoy an afternoon and evening to discover Lisbon on your own.
DAY 9 | Friday, May 31
Enjoy breakfast at your hotel before heading off for a full-day excursion to some of Portugal’s most beautiful spots!
Board your motor coach and set out for a visit to Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point of the European continent. Perched around 500 feet above the sea, the Cabo de Roca site provides spectacular views over the Serra de Sintra mountain range and the coast. Admire the windswept cliffs and capture some breathtaking photos.
Next stop is Sintra, the picturesque town known for its extravagant palaces and stunning scenery situated within the hills of the Serra de Sintra. Hidden within these pine covered hills are extravagant palaces, opulent mansions, eccentric labyrinthine gardens, and the ruins of a medieval castle. For six centuries, Sintra was the favorite residence of Portugal’s rulers and as a result, many charming "quintas" or elegant palaces can be found there. Tour the colorful Sintra City Palace followed by time for lunch and browsing in the quaint artisan shops and galleries. It is recommended to taste Sintra’s delicious "queijada" or tart, the specialty of the city.
As we return to Lisbon, pass through the charming beach town of Cascais and explore the attractions, picturesque coastline and ornate historic mansions and villas before returning to Lisbon.
Tonight, the Voices in Harmony will perform a friendship concert with a local choir. Sing for each other and a friendly local audience at this special musical encounter.
DAY 10 | Saturday, June 1
Today enjoy free time to explore Lisbon on your own. This will be a great opportunity to see some more sites, shop for souvenirs and take some final photographs.
Perhaps Belém neighborhood, a historic trading center on the banks of the Tagus River. See the Church of the Hieronymite Monastery, a world-renowned repository of Manueline Art (Portuguese late Gothic), and the Tower of Belém, a 16th-century monument that served both as a fortress and as a ceremonial gateway to Lisbon. Sample the "pastel of Belém" a typical pastry found in this part of the city.
Another option is to visit the National Tile Museum piques your interest, an art museum dedicated to the "azulejo", traditional tilework of the former Portuguese Empire. You could participate in a workshop to learn how the traditional tiles were produced under the Portuguese tradition and try your hand at making a decorative tile of your own.
Your Music Contact International tour manager will be happy to offer suggestions and may even join you! Reconvene in the evening. A Portuguese-style farewell dinner brings your tour to a festive close. There will be ample opportunity to recount the many highlights of your tour!
DAY 11| Sunday, June 2
The Voices in Harmony performance tour of Portugal ends with a flight from Lisbon back to Boston. Heartfelt goodbyes are exchanged at the airport and your group is sent off with a fond “Thank you for connecting our world through your music. Until we meet again……!”
Your Tour INCLUDES:
MEALS - varied, flavorful, and highlighting local cuisine
TOUR PACKAGE PRICES you can rely on
LAND ONLY PACKAGE PRICES
Plus $1,526.00 airfare, tax and fuel on TAP Airlines Boston-Lisbon-Porto / Lisbon-Porto.
LAND & ESTIMATED AIR PACKAGE PRICES
TRAVEL PROTECTION is recommended!
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