[NoHo Arts District, CA] – In this month’s Active World Journeys travel blog, Jack Witt looks back on his “Perfect Portugal” group adventure.
My last group trip of 2025 was a Perfect Portugal group journey designed around culture, history, food, and ease of travel. It was the perfect country for hosting a tour group with lots of World Heritage sights, culture, history, seafood, and wine (and not just Port!). We had perfect weather the entire time in October, and Portugal is a perfect first-timers-to-Europe country as it still retains quite a bit of old-Europe charm. For this reason, Portugal is also a perfect “cherry on top” for experienced travelers who’ve already been to popular European destinations such as Italy, France, Germany, and Spain. Portugal is perfectly affordable compared to other popular European destinations, and her people are perfectly pleasant.
We started our tour in the capital city of Lisbon. The city right away felt comfortable, light, and refreshing. (I know, that sounds like a Cola commercial.) I thought it’s no wonder so many Americans are moving there. The weather was a perfect sunny and 72F, and we very much enjoyed our walking tour of all the historical sights. On our second night in Lisbon, we went to a Fado dinner show. Fado is Lisbon’s melancholic and soulful music with melodies and expressive vocals accompanied by Portuguese guitar, dating back to the early 1800s. It’s an experience like no other; very moody and captivating. The restaurant was dimly lit, small, and quaint – making it all very atmospheric.
@jackewitt We went to a Fado dinner show on our recent show with Active World Journeys. Fado is Lisbon's melancholic and soulful music with melodies and expressive vocals accompanied by Portuguese guitar dating back to the early 1800's. 🎶 It's very moody and captivating I have to say.
♬ original sound – jackwitt
Did you know the Westernmost point of continental Europe is in Portugal? It’s just outside of Lisbon and it’s called Cabo da Roca. We did a nice hike along the sea cliffs there and some of us even hiked down the cliffs to a secluded beach called Praia da Ursa. We felt like we were part of a private European beach club. I was looking for a DJ and a bar, ha ha. Later in the day we also visited Sintra National Palace, a country estate for kings and nobles back in the day.
The next day we travelled to Obidos, one of the best-preserved medieval cities in Europe, with a 14th-century wall. We did a walk around the ramparts and then strolled through the fairy tale-like village, which is known for its cherry liqueur called Ginja de Obidos.
Whether you are Catholic or not, one of the major stops on a Portugal tour is the pilgrimage site of Fatima. For the faithful, it began with a vision witnessed by three shepherd children in the early part of the twentieth century. It has since become one of the key centers for devotion of the Virgin Mary in Portugal. It was extra special for my group to be there in 2025, as it was a Jubilee Year, which, for Catholics, is a spiritual restoration time designated every 25 years. One of my travelers (Dawn) last visited in 1970 with her husband, who has since passed, and it was an honor to be a part of bringing her back. It was an emotional experience for her.
Our next stop was a day in Coimbra, the original capital of Portugal. It has a very prestigious University, which dates back to the 13th century, with a stunning library of 40,000 books that seems right out of a “Harry Potter” movie. After checking out the University, we walked through town and our guide also took us for a nice ramble off the beaten path.
We had a really nice day in central Portugal, combining a visit to Aveiro, “The Venice of Portugal,” with uniquely painted boats and canals with charming bridges and lots of Art Nouveau architecture, and the seaside town of Costa Nova, which had lots of colorfully striped and “Instagram-ready” fishermen’s houses. Both towns were just simply charming and enchanting to explore! In Aveiro, we tried some Ovos Moles de Aveiro, a mixture of egg yolk and sugar in communion wafer shapes, symbolizing the city’s maritime history.
Did you know the Portuguese are the largest consumers of wine in Europe!? For hundreds of years, the wine makers in the Douro area of Portugal have had to adhere to strict guidelines in their craft of wine making. A fantastic way to explore all the UNESCO World Heritage vineyards in this area is by taking a boat ride on the Douro River. It showcases all the lovely wineries and vineyards on both sides as you sail through. The verdict amongst our group was that Portuguese wine is among the best and most underrated in the world. We even discovered a beautiful baroque manor house with vineyards and wine tasting. I caught myself in a daydream that I was a successful Manor House kind of guy….somebody pinch me, I’m dreaming, or spill your glass of wine on me to bring me back to reality…which is what happened!
On our last day, we explored the second-largest city in Portugal – Porto. It’s a hilly city so you get a good workout walking around. The colorful riverside district of Ribeira at night had an energy I’ve never experienced anywhere else in the world. I love happy crowds and excitement and lively affairs, but it was almost too much even for me! We had our farewell meal and said goodbye to our wonderful tour guide, Eugenia, who had been with us during our entire 11 days in Portugal.
This Perfect Portugal group journey packed an incredible range of experiences into just 11 days, and it’s no wonder it’s a top choice for an exciting travel experience. As always, I had a perfectly sized group (12 of us) of young-at-heart travelers to host. I sure hope they thought I was a perfect host. Am I a perfect host? Well, you’ll just have to come on a future tour and decide for yourself.
Cheers,
Jack Witt, MS, CPT
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