GRANDE TOUR
PORTUGAL 2023

10 DAY CLASSIC CAR TOURING RALLY 

October 5th to 15th, 2023

Day One – Porto

On the west coast of Portugal lies Porto, Lisbon’s gregarious sister city, buzzing day and night with historical charm, modern living and port wine production. Its distinct narrow cobbled streets, ornate palaces, stately bridges and many cafes are a delight to discover. Porto embodies much of the best of Portuguese culture making it the perfect starting place for the Bespoke Rallies Portuguese Tour. Excellent fish restaurants art galleries, independent shops, wine cellars and landmark buildings all contribute to the city’s charms and of course it is here that the famous and economically important Douro river meets the sandy beaches of the Atlantic coast.

Hotel: Villa Foz
Porto’s upmarket and enchanting district of Foz is our home for the first two nights, at the remarkably stylish 19th century Villa Foz. On the tour’s first evening this state of the art hotel & spa, with its remarkable interior design, will play host to the Bespoke Rallies On The Road Supper, ensuring a sparkling start to our Portuguese adventure.

Day Two – Porto – FREE DAY

With its local wine and produce, sea air and beautiful architecture Porto is a fantastic place to get to know on foot – or even by boat.  Porto is cleaved by the River Douro, the same river which contributes to the success of the Douro wine region. As you will discover on this rally rivers play a huge part in Portuguese life and wine production – and so perhaps consider a river cruise to get to know this stunning city better, as there are plenty to choose from.

Visiting Porto is a great opportunity to taste some of the best wines that Portugal has to offer. Perhaps take an organised wine tasting tour with an experienced Porto guide, or simply visit a few of the port wine cellars you will pass on foot, enjoying Portuguese tapas and charcuterie in the little bars and restaurants along the way.

Live performances of traditional Portuguese Fado at somewhere like the Calem Cellars is surely one of the best ways to pass an evening in this hugely romantic and attractive city.

Hotel: Villa Foz – as before

Day Three – Porto to Canicada
280 km – 5 hrs
Porto – Maia – Barcelos – Valença – Monção – Melgaço – Castro Laboreiro – Pousada Caniçada-Gerês

Today we dive headfirst into the ravishing and unspoiled Northern Portugal with its vast rivers, medieval cobbled Portuguese towns, castles, waterfalls and verdant landscapes. Towns like Barcelos with their iconic bridges and riverside scenes make it easy to feel that you have landed back in Roman times. Valenca, perched on the vast River Minho, has a fortress remarkable for its gothic and baroque military architectural design and is a truly stunning stop-off point on our first day’s drive.

Heading on to Monção and then to Melgaço with its 12th century castle, we are nudging the extreme northwest of Portugal. This mountainous area – the Alto Minho – is breathtakingly beautiful. The Parque Nacional de la Peneda-Gerês plays out for the rest of the day’s drive dotted with boulder-strewn peaks, sweeping valleys, fragrant forests and tiny villages that have changed little since the 12th century. What a day!

Hotel: Pousada Caniçada-Gerês
We come to rest in a gorgeous mountain chalet – the Pousada Caniçada-Gerês – sitting high in the mountains with a vista point over the river Cávado and Cançada Dam. Swim, walk, talk, relax and breath in the glorious mountain air.

Day Four – Canicada to Samodães
228km – 5 hrs

Fervidela – Ribeira de Pena – Cerva – Arco de Baulhe – Rua do Tamega – Cumieira – Peso da Régua – Samodães

We begin Day 4 by winding our way through the rural forests and vineyards of the hills skirting some of north Portugal’s beautiful rivers, including the great Cavado and Rabagao rivers.

Titanic dams along the way guarantee great photographic moments. We pass through the unspoilt, pristine Boticas Park sitting between the harsh mountains of Tras-os-Montes and the lush Minho region. Ribeira de Pena plays host to the calm waters of the Tâmega River. Stone Age man and Romans wandered and settled on these hills, and in among the vineyards and terraced slopes goats and sheep are free to wander here still.  With a stop somewhere for coffee and lunch in some sleepy village inn or town you will otherwise be spending the day driving through a soothing and stunning rural paradise. At Peso da Régua the vines are grown on beautifully terraced slopes leading down to the river where there are stunning views to be enjoyed.

Hotel: Delfim Douro Hotel
We come to rest at the chic and modern Delfim Douro Hotel with its panoramic hilltop views and large outdoor swimming pool. For those who need to stretch their legs, there is plenty of hiking, horse-riding and cycling from the hotel’s door to enjoy.

Day Five – Samodães to Caramulo
179km – 3 hrs

Samodães – São João da Pesqueira – Sernancelhe – Tarouca – Vila Cova à Celheira – Sátão – Caramulo

São João da Pesqueira has ancient oak and chestnut forests playing host to wolves, foxes and boar, but for most people it’s all about the vineyards, so if you’re interested in the wine and port production of the Douro region then the wine museum here is definitely worth a visit.

We pass Sernachelhe, whose red-roofed white-walled buildings have nestled in the wide green expanses next to the River Távora since the 10th century. Sernachelhe’s picturesque old-quarter features a medieval Jewish settlement, a pillory and the town’s ruined castle originally built by the Knights of Malta.

Throughout the afternoon’s drive the steep mountainous slopes give way to the fertile valleys of Vila Cova à Celheira whose river beach is the prettiest place to swim from in the whole Serra da Estrela mountain range. 

We finish in Caramulo, mountain-top home to one of Portugal’s most important classic car museums. The collection includes the armoured Mercedes and Cadillac used by Portuguese dictator Antonio de Oliveira Salazar, a Pegaso Sport given by Franco to President Lopes, and the Bugatti 35B in which Lehrfeld achieved a land speed record of over 200km/h in 1931. A wonderful art collection makes this the rally’s valuable half-way point destination.

Hotel: Inn Hotel Caramulo
The Inn Hotel Carmulo is a mountain-chalet which comes with swimming pool, waterpark, amazing views and some of the world’s purest mountain air. Chic rustic 1950s interiors give off an irresistible Slim Aarons vibe.

Day Six – Caramulo – Marvão
314km – 5 hrs

Loriga – Covilha – Fundão – São Miguel de Acha – Alcains – Castelo Branco – Vila Velha de Ródão – Nisa – Marvão

Today we continue our drive to Marvão passing through the plateaus and mountains of the Serra da Esrtrela mountain range.  We visit Portugal’s highest point, Torre, 1,993 metres (6,359 feet) above sea level, affording fantastic views. We also pass through the medieval town of Covilha, known for the notable Covilha natives who contributed hugely to the great maritime Portuguese Discoveries of the 15th and 16th centuries (the sea route to India, America and Brazil)

Today’s destination is the incredible Marvão – it is certainly one of the prettiest and most remarkable places in Portugal. Marvão sits high up on a mount with huge views across the vast Alentejo plateau and remains one of the most complete medieval towns you can hope to experience. Steeped in history you will wind your way on foot among its cobbled pathways and beautifully manicured gardens.

There is also the ruins of the nearby 1st century Roman town of Ammaia to explore, together with many artefacts and the remains of the Roman spa.

Hotel: The Pousada do Marvão
Perched up high in Marvão this wonderful hotel embodies traditional Portuguese livig, has the best views across the region and prides itself on providing delicious locally-sourced regional food in a happy atmosphere.

Day Seven –  Marvão – FREE DAY

Day Eight – Marvão – Montsaraz
195Km – 3.5 hours

On Day 8 we head out of the higher elevations of the protected Serra de São Mamede national park down into an altogether different landscape… the cork and holm oak strewn plateaus of the Spanish/Portuguese border. It is worth keeping an eye out for the many different birds local to this area including storks, vultures and eagles.

Today’s destination is very special… we will be pulling up at the Montimerso Skyscape Country House, a new and very cool hotel which has been deemed the world’s first UNESCO-listed starlight tourist destination. This state of the art eco-hotel has been designed to enjoy the best of life’s simplest pleasures… swim in the infinity pool, snooze in one of the four-poster beds dotted around in the gardens, mix yourself and friends some drinks from the honesty bar or simply gaze at the wonderful views across the Alqueva (Europe’s largest man-made lake) or the galaxies above.

Hotel: Montimerso Skyscape Country House
The Montimerso is a hotel where traditional values are served chicly, simply and elegantly – whether through the interior design, the ecological surroundings or the food on your plate. After all the past week’s driving the silence and stillness here will be a balm for the soul.

Day Nine – Montsaraz – Portimão
319 km – 5.5 hrs

Today’s drive across the predominantly soft and rolling hills of the Portuguese plains is a  bird-watchers’ delight, thanks to the abundance of lakes and rivers and its geographical location as a stop off point for migrating birds between Africa and northern Europe. On our way down to the coast we’ll be passing through the ancient hilltop town of Serpa with its rambling and much-loved Castelo di Serpa. The castle has handsome towers at the entrance and superb panoramic views from the ramparts. Laidback, stuffed full of history and very pretty, this remote historical town has much to explore. If lunching here do remember that the town is known for its excellent lamb, and also for its pungent and award-winning spicy ‘Serpa’ cheese.

Hotel: The Bela Vista Hotel & Spa, Portimão
If Serpa’s delights don’t blow your skirt up then your first sight of the Bela Vista Hotel & Spa definitely will. Tonight’s luxurious, beautiful and turreted beachside hotel has an Agatha Christie vibe. It opened in 1934 but still retains many of its original features, from chequered floors to palm lined pools. Polish your shoes, splash on your diamonds and ‘put on the ritz’ to feel suitably attired for tonight’s poolside cocktails.

Day Ten – Portimão – Lisbon
257km – 5 hours

Our last day on the road has a totally different feel to it – goodbye hot dusty plains and hello dramatic coastal scenes. We’ll skirt the Portguese coast, driving along one of the most beautiful roads in the world: the South West Alentejo and Vincentine Coast Natural Park. This is one of the finest preserved stretches of European coastline with landscape marked by steep cliffs, and remarkably sculpted by erosion. Zoologists and botanists visit from all over the world for the rare wildlife, and the beaches are among the finest in the country.

Nearing Lisbon we take in the stunning wonders of Arrábida Natural Park whose gentle green hills concede to golden beaches, turquoise waters and emerald lagoons. The final star of this rally is the Vasco da Gama Bridge, stretching for 12km over the Tagus River estuary. Driving over this titan of architecture towards modern Lisbon is a great way to signal our journey’s end around this truly beautiful and ancient country.

Hotel: Atlis Belem Hotel & Spa
We spend our last night at the five star Atlis Belém Hotel & Spa at the side of the Tagus River and close to many of Lisbon’s iconic monuments. Fresh, futuristic and minimalist it has the gourmet Feitoria restaurant and wine bar, and the Mensagem café, both with stunning views across the marina and river. Enjoy the luxurious BSpa by Karin Herzog featuring indoor pool, sauna, gym, hammam and treatment rooms while the rooftop sun deck and pools lets you chill out while you watch the world go by below. 

After winding down and sprucing up, rally founder John Brigden will host everyone for the traditional Bespoke Rallies last night’s champagne dinner to toast a great Portuguese adventure together.