Overview
DAY 1 | Cascais – Sintra
Your driver will take you to Cascais. Upon arrival, meet your private Chef and venture on a tour to the local market. Purchase fresh ingredients for your lunch preparation.
The narrow maze of century-old streets opens up onto a splendid space lined with bars, cafés and fish restaurants on either side and market stalls down the center. While you stroll through the market, admire the vivid displays of flowers, candied fruit and seasonal produce.
You will have the privilege of being a guest at one of the noblest houses in Cascais, with the sun and sea always present, it was, originally, an aristocratic residence dating from the XIX Century and now is a charming hotel located by the sea, the Cascais Bay.
Portuguese cuisine is simple, characterized by a rich variety of regional dishes. You will have the opportunity to “get your hands dirty”. Under the guidance of the Chef and with the help of a booklet, you will see yourself preparing a recipe you thought were reserved only for the professionals. After you have prepared your dishes, you’ll be able to eat it, and drink some of our finest wines. Each one will have an apron so you can feel free to cook, without worries and at the end you will receive, further to the recipe a Diploma, proving your new skills. Good Luck!
After class, pamper your taste with lunch (pre-set menu with wines).
Afterwards, meet your expert guide and marvel with the quaint and aristocratic, World Heritage by UNESCO, town of Sintra – where Lord Byron lived and considered it to be “Paradise in Earth”. You’ll see castles, fortresses, forests, and beautiful scenery.
Sintra and its mystical hills dotted with fairytale palaces and extravagant villas have bewitched visitors for centuries. The Romans made it a place of cult moon worshiping and named it “Cynthia” after the goddess of the moon. They were followed by the Moors who also fell in love with the lush vegetation and built a hilltop castle, a palace, and several fountains around the town. Later it became the summer residence of the Portuguese royal family and attracted a number of wealthy aristocrats who built huge mansions and villas.
You’ll visit the 19th century Pena Palace, one of Europe’s most fantastic palaces. It includes a drawbridge, a conglomeration of turrets, ramparts, and domes, and a gargoyle above a Neo-Manueline arch, all washed in an array of pastel shades. The extravagant interior is decorated in late Victorian and Edwardian furnishings, rich ornaments, paintings, and priceless porcelain preserved just as the royal family left them.
End your day with a stop at a wine-cellar and shop, located in Sintra’s historical center, with over 30 years’ history. There, you will have the opportunity to taste Sintra’s famous ‘Queijada’ and local cheese paired with a glass of Port Wine.
- Visit to local market only possible on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Not feasible on Sundays and Mondays.
