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Portugal for Solo...
 

Portugal for Solo Travelers

9 days |  11 days with Lisbon extension
9 days |  11 days with Lisbon extension
Group size1528 travelers
Reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars

137
Physical activity
OverviewItineraryDates & pricesReviewsTraveler photosHotels, flights & FAQ
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Soak up the sun along Portugal’s winding rivers and golden coasts solo—but not alone.

Tucking into Portugal’s signature pastry pastéis de nata is a lot more fun with new friends by your side. A feast for every sense, Portugal beckons you with colorful architecture, crashing waves, mouthwatering cuisine, and the bittersweet sounds of fado. We’ve curated this trip especially for solo travelers with immersive group experiences—like bonding in a hands-on cooking class—and time to recharge on your own. If you’ve been waiting for someone to take the plunge with, we’ve got you covered with a whole lot of friends you just haven’t met yet.

Your tour package includes

  • 7 nights in a private room at handpicked hotels
  • 7 breakfasts
  • 3 dinners with beer or wine
  • 1 cooking class
  • 1 food tasting
Read more

Included highlights

  • Porto’s central market
  • Douro riverfront
  • Stock Exchange Palace
  • Coimbra
  • Évora’s Chapel of Bones
Read more
Start planning today

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Day-by-day itinerary

Print itinerary
Overnight Flight1 night
Day 1: Travel day

Board your overnight flight to Porto today.

Porto2 nights
Day 2: Arrival in Porto
Included meal: Dinner

Welcome to Portugal! After settling into your hotel, get to know your Tour Director and fellow group members at a mixer before enjoying a welcome dinner. Linger over a glass of port wine, swap stories, and get ready to share the trip of a lifetime.  

Day 3: Sightseeing tour of Porto
Included meals: Breakfast, Tasting

Navigate Porto’s narrow streets and old-world architecture like a true tripeiro, or local resident, as you follow your city guide. Keep an eye out for azulejos—the intricately painted tiles that adorn church facades, train stations, and many other delightful nooks and crannies.

  • Pass citywide icons, such as Liberty Square’s ornate neoclassical buildings and Carmelitas Church’s fanciful Baroque and Rococo influences.
  • Make friends with the Baroque-style Clérigos Tower—you’ll be able to spot this soaring steeple as you traverse Porto. Use it as your North Star.
  • Break for coffee and a sweet treat at a local cafe. Whether you gravitate toward another custardy pastéis de nata—a flaky and flavorful custard tart—or the heftier, doughier Portuguese croissant, Porto’s pastries are not to be missed.
  • Peruse the stalls at one of Porto’s bustling markets, where farmers sell fresh produce and flowers and fishmongers peddle the day’s fresh catch.
  • Wander through the tiny, medieval, riverside lanes of the Ribeira district and let your eyes dance across the candy-colored facades of its buildings.
  • Take a scenic drive through waterside neighborhoods and along the Douro riverfront. Watch for fishing boats on the water and churches tucked along the cobblestone streets.

The best views of Porto are from the waters of the Douro. If you opt into this afternoon’s cruise, you’ll drift by hillside villas and under ancient bridges, ending with a guided tour of a port wine cellar (complete with a tasting, of course).

Not joining the cruise? Spend your free afternoon uncovering the architectural and culinary treasures of the Ribeira district and try to hunt down a francesinha. This hearty, tomato sauce-soaked take on the French croque monsieur is a Portuense specialty.

Douro River Cruise & Port Wine Cellar

From $89 per person

Évora1 night
Day 4: Évora via Coimbra
Included meal: Breakfast

Drive south from Porto, stopping to explore Coimbra on a guided walking tour of the city. Home to the country’s first university, this slightly under-the-radar area is the fourth-largest population center in Portugal and dates to pre-Roman times. Monuments that tell the story of Roman and Moorish occupation stand alongside manicured parks and gardens.

Coimbra University houses a flourishing botanical garden and the Joanina Library, filled with tomes that date to the 16th century.

Around the city, narrow medieval streets twist and turn between ochre-colored buildings, virtually untouched by time.

After exploring, head to your hotel in Évora, a town nestled into the thicket of cork groves that dominates the Alentejo Region. Settle into your room and prepare for a day among the walled city’s Roman ruins.

Algarve Region2 nights
Day 5: Sightseeing tour of Évora & transfer to the Algarve Region
Included meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Before making your way to the sun-soaked Algarve, follow a local guide through the streets of UNESCO-recognized Évora, one of Europe’s oldest continuously inhabited cities. Its streets, paved with cobblestones, are culturally protected and cherished by locals. Look all around you for the yellow trim that decorates Évora’s buildings—local lore promises the color offers protection from evil spirits.

  • Take in the region’s whitewashed homes and intricate tilework and make it your mission to uncover as many azulejos as possible. While some are grand displays, others are hidden in plain sight, just waiting to surprise you.
  • Pass the remains of the Roman Temple, its 14 Corinthian columns standing solemnly, their capitals mostly still intact.
  • Prepare for an encounter with the macabre when you enter the Capela dos Ossos—the Chapel of Bones—a 16th-century chapel lined with the skulls and bones of the interred.
  • Learn about cork production with a tour of the Alentejo Cork Factory. Portugal exports more than half of the world’s cork supply, making this product of the cork oak tree essential to Portugal’s economy.

Continue to the beach-lined Algarve Region and sit down for an included dinner, served with beer or wine.

Day 6: Lagos, Sagres & Cape St. Vincent
Included meal: Breakfast

Discover the white-sand beaches framed by dramatic golden coastal cliffs, and small settlements of the Algarve Region, southern Portugal’s beachy haven. You’ll visit the seafaring towns of Lagos and Sagres. Between long stretches of sand, the gentle sway of fishing boats, and jagged rock formations that dot the water, you may find the coastal breeze sweeps you off your feet. Let it.

  • Enter Sagres Fortress and admire windswept views of the water stretching to the horizon. The area was once considered the end of the earth—the last explored point of the ancient world before it plunged into the uncharted Atlantic.
  • Relish the drama of dizzying cliffs that plunge into the Atlantic at Cape St. Vincent, the southwestern most point of mainland Europe. You’re now standing where many explorers stopped, so take a moment and relish in your solo travel boldness.
Lisbon2 nights
Day 7: Transfer to Lisbon & sightseeing tour
Included meal: Breakfast

Get to know the alluring Portuguese capital on a tour with a local guide. Roam historic neighborhoods adorned with pastel buildings while a gentle Atlantic breeze whispers over cobbled streets and plaintive notes of fado music fill the air.

  • Admire views of the city from the green expanse of Eduardo VII Park, then pass through the Praça Marquês de Pombal: a massive plaza and roundabout with a soaring statue noting Lisbon’s reconstruction following a devastating earthquake in 1755.
  • Continue to the Mouraria district—Lisbon’s historic Moorish quarter, brimming with street art and a buzzworthy food scene.
  • Discover the city’s maritime heritage at the Monument to the Discoveries and Belém Tower—paragons of Portuguese Gothic architecture made with local limestone.
  • Walk through the Chiado theater district to neighboring Baixa, passing by its elegant shops and quirky cafes.
  • Ride on one of the city’s cheerful yellow trams—known as remodelados—that have become icons of the city since entering service in 1873.

Discover the meaning of saudade—the crossroads between nostalgia and longing— by adding an evening fado show to your itinerary, featuring Portugal’s traditional music.

Prefer to spend the evening on your own? Ask your Tour Director for a recommendation or grab one of your fellow solo travelers and head to the Graça district for a panoramic view of Lisbon from an uphill perch. You can also begin (or end) your night out with a punchy Lisbon specialty: taking a shot of ginjinha, a sour cherry liqueur.

Fado Show & Dinner

From $105 per person

Day 8: Free day in Lisbon & cooking class
Included meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Vividly hued architecture and impossibly perfect gardens greet you in Sintra should you choose to add this special excursion to the former playground of Portuguese royalty. If you prefer to spend the day setting out on your own, explore the green expanse of Parque Florestal de Monsanto, a massive swath of protected forest right inside the city limits.

This evening, roll up your sleeves to take part in a cooking class, where you’ll learn how to make a traditional Portuguese appetizer, dinner, and dessert. Then, enjoy local wine, paired with the food you made, during a farewell dinner.

Sintra

From $99 per person

Flight Home
Day 9: Departure
Included meal: Breakfast (excluding early morning departures)

Transfer to the airport for your flight home or, if you’re trying to delay feeling the melancholy of saudade yourself, extend your trip and stay in Lisbon for a few more days. Stroll the labyrinthian streets of Alfama, join locals for a home-cooked meal, or join a day trip to a storybook medieval town.

Extension to Lisbon
Whitewashed buildings. Red-clay roofs. Yellow trams crisscrossing the cityscape. In Lisbon, there’s treasure around every corner. Spend a few more days exploring the city at your leisure or add excursions to dive deeper into the culture alongside a local guide.
Lisbon2 nights
Day 9: Free day in Lisbon
Included meal: Breakfast

Today, we’ve curated a pair of activities that dive into pillars of Portuguese culture: religion and cuisine. Opt into the guided tour of Tomar and Fátima to marvel at the fortified 12th century home of the Knights Templar and a famous Christian pilgrimage site.  

For dinner, enjoy Lisboeta hospitality with an option to join a home-hosted meal bursting with authentic flavors.  

If you’re relishing your free day in Lisbon on your own, escape to the terraced lawns of the Jardim do Torel, a hidden garden just calling for a packed picnic lunch. You can also make your way to the maze-like, hillside streets of Alfama, Lisbon’s oldest district.

Religious Heritage of Tomar & Fátima

From $99 per person

Lisbon Home-Hosted Dinner

From $89 per person

Day 10: Free day in Lisbon
Included meal: Breakfast

Lisbon is already the stuff of dreams, but if you’d like to add a fairytale ending to your last full day in Portugal, be sure to add the day trip to Óbidos and Nazaré to your itinerary. These rustic villages are ripped from the pages of a medieval storybook and lie just an hour’s drive from Lisbon.  

If you’re spending your free day choosing your own adventure, consider tram-hopping your way around the city one last time. 

You and your fellow solo travelers have come to the end of your journey—but the beginning of many future friendships. This evening, enjoy a farewell drink as you celebrate your trip with your fellow group members.  

Old World Portugal: Medieval Óbidos and Nazaré

From $139 per person

Flight Home
Day 11: Departure
Included meal: Breakfast (excluding early morning departures)

Transfer to the airport for your flight home.

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Reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars

Overall rating 4.7 out of 5

Based on 137 authentic traveler reviews
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    5 out of 5 stars

    7 Days of Fun
    2/24/24 by 1st-time traveler Jon

    A fun time with 26 other solo travelers. Mariola our tour director was wonderful and made our time together relaxing and entertaining. The chance to take an unscheduled boat trip in Lagos that was arranged by Mariola was truly enjoyed by all. The cooking school dinner we prepared on our last night w...

    Read more +

    5 out of 5 stars

    Portugal-solo👍
    2/24/24 by 2nd-time traveler Larysa

    This tour was fantastic and everything worked out seamlessly! The tours were excellent! Hotel locations were good. Mariola ( our tour director) was outstanding - passionate, informative, engaging and entertaining. I will never forget this trip and I am already planning for another one.

    5 out of 5 stars

    First time with EF Go Ahead
    2/24/24 by 1st-time traveler Andrew

    My first solo tour and it exceeded my expectations! Well paced, comfortable accommodations and great included tours & optional excursions. Of particular note - our tour guide Mariola was superb!!

    Show more reviews

    Traveler photos

    Hotels, flights & FAQ

    Here's the nitty-gritty—where you’ll stay, how you’ll get there, and what to know about your destination before you go.

    Hotels

    We handpick every hotel to strike the balance of comfort, location, and local charm. Specific accommodations will vary based on your departure date, but these are frequently used hotels for this tour and we're confident you'll be satisfied.
    Hotel NH Porto Jardim
    Hotel NH Porto Jardim

    This modern hotel is located in Porto’s Ribeira neighborhood. Guests enjoy a top-floor pool, a gym, and a restaurant. Nearby, you’ll find Ribeira Squa...

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    M’Ar de Ar Muralhas
    M’Ar de Ar Muralhas

    This upscale hotel is located in the historic center of Évora. Guests enjoy a swimming pool, a restaurant, and free Wi-Fi. Nearby, you’ll find Giraldo...

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    Tivoli Marina Portimão Algarve Hotel
    Tivoli Marina Portimão Algarve Hotel

    This coastal hotel is located in Portimão. Guests enjoy a pool, a restaurant, and bar options. Nearby, you’ll find Praia da Rocha, Fortaleza de Santa ...

    Read more +
    HF Fénix Lisboa
    HF Fénix Lisboa

    This chic hotel is located on the central Marquês de Pombal Square in Lisbon. Guests enjoy the sun terrace, an on-site restaurant and bar, and spaciou...

    Read more +

    Flights

    Round-trip flights are one more thing we handle to make your journey as smooth as possible. Our team of travel experts will find the best flight itinerary for you at a competitive rate, thanks to our partnerships with top airlines.
    Add our airfare package and you'll get:
    • Round-trip flight for your tour
    • Airport transfers at your destination
    • A great price locked in today
    • 24/7 support from our dedicated service team
    • Options for arriving early, staying longer, or requesting an upgrade
    • Flexible rebooking options if your tour itinerary changes
    • Find out more about flights

    FAQ

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