Complete Portugal by Train

Customer Reviews

• KH

  Kathleen

  · October 27th, 2024
  This was a very interesting tour where we covered a lot of ground - literally. Our guide Jorge was very knowledgeable and organized and gave us a lot of information especially on the history of Portugal. Our accommodations were good, and several of the meals provided were memorable due to the lovely locations where we enjoyed them. This was a very busy tour - the pace was fast with a lot of walking.
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  Trip date: October 2024
• RW

  Roberta

  · June 15th, 2024
  First, let me say that our guide João was a gem. Friendly, entertaining, informative, no part of the disorganization could be blamed on him. The fact that it wasn't made clear that Whatsapp was the ONLY way to get updates for the group was misleading, and though I tried to get added, it wasn't allowed for some reason and João said it was out of his hands and up to corporate to add me. Didn't happen. The hotel was nice, breakfasts were great. The long grueling walk to the Mercado do Bolhão was ruined by the fact that the market is closed on Sundays. Why didn't someone know this? The walking to the Port cellar in Gaia was an easier trek, but drinking Port at 10 am seemed early. The trip to the Douro valley was stellar, the winery hosts were lovely, the food was spectacular and the views magnificent. The boat ride was short and sweaty, with no description of where we were. The bathrooms at the train station in Regua were closed because it was after 4 pm which seemed to be a surprise. The antiquated train was not so much charming as hot and uncomfortable, no ac just partially open windows to let the hot diesel fumes in. With so many nice modern trains, this was surprising. When leaving Porto we had to drag our suitcases for over a mile up hills and multiple stairs. This was NOT fun. Aveiro was lovely, walking was more manageable and we had a little more free time. But again, schlepping our luggage over cobblestones to the train station was not fun. Also, I was disappointed to find out that the Art Nouveau museum was closed when we got there, again- poor timing. The Moliceiro boat tour was lovely and relaxing but the boat guide spoke very little English. The hotel in Lisbon was beautiful, but no AC and with the windows open at night we were treated to loud street fights two nights in a row and garbage trucks before 7 am. The walk up many, many,many flights of stairs to go to the Fado show was exhausting, and no drinks were served because we arrived late. It was so tiring that we had to take the next day off to recover. I hated to miss the food market and other highlights for that day, but the tram was down for maintenance, so there was no way I could do that amount of walking again. We had a nice leisurely day of shopping, exploring and tasting local food. The trip to Sintra was filled with gorgeous scenery, and I would have liked to have spent much more time there. Instead, we walked, and walked, and walked to go to the Well of Inspiration, but when we got there the line was going to be over an hour long (why didn't we have advanced tickets?) so we missed it because we had to walk back to the bus to take us to our scheduled lunch. There was no 'wandering around' and sight seeing or shopping. Very disappointing. What we did see was absolutely beautiful and I wish we'd had enough time to take more photos or visit street vendors. The farewell dinner was tasty, and we enjoyed our time with João. All in all I loved Portugal, but felt the tour was poorly planned and not at all as advertised in terms of difficulty. NO 99 year old could begin to do the amount of walking and stair climbing required. I am 70 but in good shape and was walking 3 miles a day at 9,000 ft altitude in the Rockies before we went. I'm glad I went, and so disappointed about everything we missed. We were finally told that this was the very first time that they had done this particular tour and we were the guinea pigs. I hope they improve for the next tours.
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  Trip date: April 2024
• 

  Edelaine

  · May 4th, 2024
  May husband and I had a good time. However there was one days were we couldn't go see some main sites despite it being included in the itenerary. I was sort of disappointed about this but I believe it was partly due to our groups level of inability to do as much walking as was needed to get to places on time. I think Culture Trip needed to better notify their travellers on their fitness level needed on this trip.
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  Culture Trip commented on this review

  Thank you for taking the time to leave your review regarding your recent trip with us and we're pleased to hear you had a good time! We are sorry to hear that you were not able to visit some of the sites due to the group's fitness level, Portugal can... Show more
  Trip date: April 2024
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  Deborah Jean

  · April 27th, 2024
  Loved the small group size and diverse ages on our tour of Portugal. The local guide was fun and accommodating. The boutique hotels and their locations were excellent. Loved that we stayed multiple nights in Porto and Lisbon, although I would definitely recommend adding an additional day or two to the beginning and end of the trip as there is so much to see and do in Porto and Lisbon, and the tour gives you but a small taste of these incredible cities. Loved the trip to the Douro Valley and the visit to the small family-owned vineyard, which including an amazing lunch. Be prepared to walk a lot, much of it uphill on cobblestone pathways, and handle your own luggage. Highly recommend!
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  Culture Trip commented on this review

  Thank you so much for your review! We are glad that you had a great time on our Portugal trip and we hope to see you again soon!
  Trip date: April 2024