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Portugal & Spain:
an exploration of the Iberian Peninsula
Best-Day Adventures & Beyond:
For all adults: singles, couples, solos & beyond!
February 26 - March 11, 2023

Tour Rates & Dates:

This package is currently unavailable. Please check back later or call Ayelet Tours, Ltd. for more information.
*Please note that all rates displayed are based on standard room double occupancy.
All rates above are in US Dollars, and are based on full payment by credit card unless otherwise noted.
If check payment discount is available for this tour, it can be selected after clicking "BOOK" above.
(Deposit can still be paid by credit card). Upgraded room categories may be available to book later in the booking process.
If Land & Air price is displayed, the air portion includes tax and fuel surcharges, which are subject to change until ticketed.

Flight Parameters:

Full Tour:
Arrive in Porto (OPO) Feb. 27, 2023 before 4pm
Depart Seville (SVQ) March 11, 2023 anytime

Portugal Only:
Arrive in Porto (OPO) Feb. 27, 2023 before 4pm
Depart Lisbon (LIS) March 6, 2023 anytime

Spain Only:
Arrive in Lisbon (LIS) March 5, 2023 before 4pm
Depart Seville (SVQ) March 11, 2023 anytime

Single supplement option is available to book during registration process.
 (check pricing)
 Portugal: Single supplement: $649
Spain: Single supplement: $549

Tour Overview:

Download a PDF version:

Choose either, or both destinations!

February 26 - March 6, 2023 - Portugal: Delve into centuries of medieval tales and cities that co-exist with a modern flair, plus fascinating monuments, superbly friendly people and a gastronomic culture enhanced by traditional Fado melodies. Centuries of stories hidden behind secret passages, walls and symbols are just waiting to be discovered. We'll also touch on an almost unknown Jewish history where you'll be amazed by the historic significance.

March 4-11, 2023 - Spain:  The southern region is a land of passion and mystery, where Moorish kings ruled and diverse communities flourished. Artists like Hemingway and Merimée came here to find inspiration and fall in love and travelers continue to do the same. We travel through the undulating olive groves of Sevilla and the whitewashed town of Cordoba, all the way to Granada's Alhambra Palace. We explore a culture where flamenco, tapas, tradition and passion all play a vital role in the cultural fabric we know today.


Your value-added tour package includes:
•Deluxe 4-star accommodations throughout
• Meals:
    o Portugal: 13 meals; 7 breakfasts, 2 lunches, 4 dinners
    o Spain: 10 meals; 6 breakfasts, 1 lunch, 3 dinners
• Daily sightseeing, excursions and entrance fees as listed on the itinerary
• Special performances of Fado and Flamenco
• Private modern air-conditioned motor coach
• “Follow-the-Leader” options during free time
• Services of local English-speaking tour guides
• Travel gifts to all participants
• Hosted and escorted by Best-Day Adventures
• And much more!

What's not included:
• Roundtrip international airfare
• Airport transfers (assistance will be provided)
• Meals not listed above
• Tips to guides, drivers & other service personnel ($20 per person, per day; pre-collected)
• Items of a personal nature
• Any costs associated with testing or related to proof of Covid/vaccine status
• Travel insurance (group policy is available)

*Maximum group size: 30 people

PLEASE NOTE: All guests will be required to show proof of full vaccination against Covid-19 prior to departure.

Tour Itinerary:

Note: This is an active tour. Guests should be in adequate physical condition. Full participation may require periods of standing or walking along even, uneven and occasionally hilly terrain. There may be steps, inclines, & cobblestone surfaces. Participants with physical limitations should take this into account.

Traversing these two incredible countries, travelers will delight in a unique exploration of Portugal and Spain highlighted with an immersion into Jewish life past and present. We will spend time in more than 8 glorious cities, exploring our Jewish heritage, tasting new wines from old world villages, tapping our toes at cultural performances, and sampling the flavors of local cuisine.

Historic places, unspoiled beauty and distinctive tastes are ours to be enjoyed as we savor the essence of Spain and Portugal. Throughout this tour, we'll introduce you to our special brand of touring, and along with a great group of fellow single travelers, every day will be the BEST DAY of your trip…so far!

Sunday, Feb 26, 2023: DEPART FOR PORTUGAL

• We depart home on our overnight flight to Porto, Portugal! Contact Ayelet Tours for flight assistance.

Monday, Feb 27, 2023: ARRIVE PORTO, PORTGUAL

• Welcome to Porto! Upon arrival, transfer on own to our centrally located beautiful downtown hotel.
• Today we offer a casual meet and greet as our group arrives throughout the day.
• Tonight, we join together for our welcome program, followed by a festive welcome dinner offering a variety of delicious local fare.

Overnight in Porto (D)

Tuesday, Feb 28, 2023: PORTO

Please note that today's tour will involve walking levels that are easy-moderate with some cobblestone and mild inclines.

• Breakfast at our hotel.
• We begin our day with a city highlights tour. We begin at the worldwide acclaimed Casa da Musica concert hall, designed by the architect Rem Koolhaas, then continue to the waterfront area where we will see Castelo do Queijo, a fortification situated along the coast built in the 15th century.
• Next, we explore the famous Livraria Lello, one of the oldest bookstores in Portugal and frequently rated among the top bookstores in the world (and an inspiration to Harry Potter author JK Rowling).
• We continue to Torre dos Clerigos, a Baroque church whose tall bell tower can be seen from various points of the city and is one of its most characteristic symbols of Porto. We will also see the S. Bento Railway Station, built in 1916. It houses a unique collection of over 20,000 tiles, representing key moments in the country's history.
• Later, we will head to the riverfront Ribeira, declared a UNESCO World Heritage site for its preservation of local architecture. Here, we will have free time to appreciate this beautiful neighborhood by foot before we head out on a riverboat for a short tour from another perspective.
• Free time for lunch (on own).
• This afternoon, we continue our tour in Vila Nova de Gaia, where we enjoy a tour of the wine cellars, including a Port wine tasting!
• After time to relax and refresh, tonight, we enjoy dinner together at a local restaurant along the waterfront.

Overnight in Porto (B, D)

Wednesday, March 1, 2023: PESO DA REGUA

• Breakfast and check out of our hotel.
• Today, we travel through the Douro Valley wine region on our way to another of Portugal's UNESCO World Heritage treasures, the beautiful vineyards from where the world-famous Port wine is still produced. Driving through Marão Mountain range, we enjoy one of the most wonderful landscapes in the world, with endless rows of vines dotting the slopes along the banks of the Douro River.
• Our next stop is at Quinta do Vallado. Built in 1716, it is one of the oldest and more famous “quintas” (a vineyard estate) in the Douro Valley. We tour the quinta as well as taste some of their most well-known vintages.
• After spending a morning getting to know and understand how this wine comes alive, we will proceed to the city center, Peso da Régua where we will enjoy lunch together.
• This afternoon, we continue to Trancoso where we check into our hotel and enjoy an evening at leisure or choose to “follow the leader” to dinner.

Overnight in Trancoso (B, L)

Thursday, March 2, 2023: TRANCOSO & BELMONTE

Please note that today's tour will involve walking levels that are easy-moderate with some cobblestone and mild inclines.

• Breakfast and check out of our hotel.
• We begin our day with a walking tour of Trancoso, where the Jewish presence is well-documented dating back to 1273. Jewish heritage still lives in the written documents, local traditions and in the buildings that we will see, such as the Gato Preto House and Poço do Mestre. This legacy allowed Isaac Cardoso's Jewish Cultural Center to be built and we will have the opportunity to visit this modern testament to our ancestry.
• This afternoon, we enjoy lunch together followed by a visit The Castle of Belmonte, a Gothic-style medieval 15th century emblematic monument. Later, we discover how the Crypto-Jewish (the secret adherence to Judaism while publicly professing to be of another faith) community lived up until the mid-20th century.
• Next, we visit Bet Eliahu Synagogue, one of only three active Jewish communities in the area. The synagogue opened in 1996, 500 years after the edict expelling the Jews from Portugal. Belmonte most likely had a synagogue in the 13th century and though there are no traces of it, its existence is proven by a stone in the Jewish Museum.
• Enjoy an evening at leisure or choose to “follow the leader” to dinner.

Overnight in Belmonte (B, L)

Friday, March 3, 2023: TOMAR TO LISBON

Please note that today's tour will involve walking levels that are easy-moderate with some cobblestone and mild inclines.

• Breakfast and check out of our hotel.
• Today, we set out on a walking tour of the medieval city of Tomar. Along the way, our guide will give a brief history of the Inquisition in Portugal and touch upon dramatic literary descriptions of those terrible times.
• We explore the recently restored Abraao Zacuto Museum, which served as a synagogue in the 15th century and today is a significant reminder of one of the greatest Sephardic Jewish communities.
• We continue to Convento De Cristo that once served as the headquarters of the Order.
• Later this afternoon, we continue to Lisbon and check into our hotel with time to freshen up.
• This evening, we share a special Shabbat experience with the local community, including a delicious Shabbat dinner.

Overnight in Lisbon (B, D)

Saturday, March 4, 2023: SINTRA & BELÉM

Please note that this morning's tour will involve mostly downhill and stairs with some upstairs and inclines. No elevators are available. There are some cobblestones and unpaved paths on our tour route. Participants must be able to walk for 1 hour without resting. This afternoon's tour will be an easy-moderate level with some cobblestone and mild inclines.

• Breakfast at our hotel.
• Today, we travel to Sintra's breathtaking Pena Palace, an architectural masterpiece perched atop the Sintra Mountains. The castle is yet another UNESCO World Heritage site and is considered one of the 7 Wonders of Portugal. The palace is surrounded by a forest of 500 different tree species gathered from the four corners of the earth.
• This afternoon, we travel to the seaside town of Belem. Following free time for lunch on own, we will provide a special tasty treat of custard tarts from the world-famous Pasteis de Belem coffee house. Sneak a peek inside of this acclaimed institution, whose walls are covered with the well-known blue and white tiles of Portugal.
• We continue our tour with an overview of the fortified Tower of Belém, an old ship's security post that also served as a prison. If time permits, we will visit the Church of Santa Maria de Belém, where lies the tombs of Vasco da Gama, and Manuel I who forcibly converted the Jews of Portugal. This was where Columbus first returned after discovering the New World.
• Enjoy an evening at leisure or choose to “follow the leader” to dinner.

Participants joining for the Spain-only portion of the tour depart home tonight on their overnight flight to Lisbon!

Overnight in Lisbon (B)

Sunday, March 5, 2023: IMMERSIVE LISBON

Please note that this tour is approximately 1 1/4 miles total  of walking with uneven cobblestone declines, inclines and stairs. Guests should be able to walk for 1 hour without resting.

• Breakfast at our hotel.
• This morning, we embark on an extraordinary walking tour with one of the most poignant local guides you'll ever meet. On our walking tour through the heart of Lisbon, we will visit many places of hidden Jewish significance; chief among them is Rossio Square. The National Theatre stands upon the site of the Palace of Estaos, where during the Inquisition, many Jews were tortured and killed as heretics. The adjacent Square of Sao Domingo is the site of the Massacre of 1506, when more than 500 New Christians (Jews who were forced to convert) were tortured and killed. This massacre happened nine years after the forced conversions, nearby at Palácio dos Estaus.
• We walk through the Judaria Grande (Large Jewish Quarter), established in the 13th century under King Dinis. During the Moorish rule, Jews co-existed with Muslims in the neighboring Alfama quarter, the oldest quarter of Lisbon.
• We view the famed Elevador de Santa Justa, a Neo-Gothic tower of merchant transport and stop in the Chiado and Rua Garrett a merchant district with historic retail shops.
• Other sites of interest include the upscale residential district of Príncipe Real with boutiques, gardens, and cafes and the Carmo Ruins, the roofless church of the great earthquake.
• Following the tour, we have time for lunch on own downtown.
• This afternoon, join us for a special baking demonstration, where we will learn how to make the most famous dessert in all of Portugal, pasteis de nata.

NOTE: Participants joining for the Spain-only portion of the tour arrive throughout the day.
o Upon arrival, transfer on own to our centrally located downtown hotel.
o This afternoon, those arriving for the Spain-only portion of the trip will join a short welcome program and introductions at our hotel.

• This evening, we ALL join together for dinner at a local restaurant accompanied by traditional Portuguese Fado music! Tonight, will serve as a welcome event for those who have just arrived, a farewell event for those headed home, or a continuation of the tour for those who are participating in both segments of the tour.

Overnight in Lisbon (B, D)

Monday, March 6, 2023: DEPARTURE / LISBON TO EVORA, PORTUGAL AND CORDOBA, SPAIN

Please note that today's tour will involve walking levels that are easy-moderate with some cobblestone and mild inclines.

• Breakfast and check out of our hotel. Those who depart today will transfer to the airport on own to catch their flight home.
• We head through the heartland of Portugal along a vast sea of cork trees, vineyards and olive trees into the southern province of Alentejo. Along the way, our guide will give a brief presentation regarding the cork industry, wine and olive oil production.
• Upon arrival in the medieval city of Évora, we enjoy walking tour of this 2,000-year-old cultural oasis. We will visit the Diana Temple (Roman construction from 1st century A.D.), the Inquisition Court and the House of the Inquisitor. We will learn more about the importance of the Jewish community and their legacy in Évora, as we visit the main plaza where a memorial was placed on behalf of all the victims from the Portuguese Inquisition.
• Enjoy lunch on own in Évora.
• We continue to Cordoba, Spain, where we check in and then enjoy a group dinner at a local restaurant.

Overnight in Cordoba (B, D)

Tuesday, March 7, 2023: CORDOBA & GRANADA

Please note that today's tour will involve walking levels that are easy-moderate with some cobblestone.

• Breakfast and check out of our hotel.
• We start our day with a walking tour of Cordoba, once considered the largest city in the world. Today, it is quite small and easy to visit in a day. We begin by visiting the Medieval Synagogue (c. 1315) from what was once the Muslim ruled area of the Iberian Peninsula. We visit the Jewish quarter where we come to understand how important the Jewish community of Cordoba was. One of the most recognizable names from the Cordoba Jewish community is Maimonides (buried in Tiberias, Israel). The tour concludes with a visit to the 8th century medieval Great Mosque, the only one in all of Europe.
• We enjoy an included lunch in a traditional Sephardic restaurant before departing for Granada.
• Upon arrival in Granada, enjoy some time to refresh, then join together for dinner at a local restaurant.

Overnight in Granada (B, L, D)

Wednesday, March 8, 2023: GRANADA

Please note that this tour includes approximately 1 1/4 miles total of walking with uneven cobblestone declines, inclines and stairs. Guests should be able to walk for 1 hour without resting.

• Breakfast at our hotel.
• This morning, we explore the famed Alhambra Palace. Among the oldest quarters in the city, the Alhambra rises up like an imposing castle with reddish tones in its ramparts that prevent the outside world from seeing the delicate beauty they enclose. Originally designed as a military area, the Alhambra became the residence of royalty and of the court of Granada in the middle of the thirteenth century. Now a UNESCO World Heritage Ssite, Alhambra is a treasure trove of Moorish architecture.
• This afternoon, we return to the city center for some time on own and an evening at leisure.

Overnight in Granada (B)

Thursday, March 9, 2023: SEVILLE

Please note that today's tour will involve walking levels that are easy-moderate.

• Breakfast, check out of our hotel.
• This morning, we depart for Seville. Upon arrival, we enjoy a sightseeing tour of the city to get in touch with some of the most iconic locations. We see La Real Maestranza Bullring, which was built during the 18th century and is the oldest and the most traditional bullring in Spain. We also view the Torre del Oro - the Golden Tower, a fort built by the river during the Moorish days.
• We continue to the San Telmo Palace before we stop at the Plaza de España, where we still see some of the impressive pavilions created for the 1929 World's Fair Expo held in Seville. The iconic plaza may be familiar to movie fans as well!
• This afternoon, we enjoy a local cuisine food tour in the district of Triana. This neighborhood is known for being the birthplace of soulful flamenco dancers and valiant bullfighters, as well as the site of Seville's famous ceramic industry. Traditionally, it has also been home to an eclectic mix of residents, from sailors and bullfighters to potters and flamenco dancers, all especially proud of their Triana heritage.
• Enjoy the rest of the afternoon and evening at leisure.

Overnight in Seville (B, L)

Friday, March 10, 2023: SEVILLE

Please note that today's tour will involve walking levels that are easy-moderate.

• Breakfast at our hotel.
• We begin by exploring the connection this city has with famous operas such as Carmen. Next to the former tobacco factory where this famous cigar-maker Carmen once worked is the monument of the famous Spanish soldier "El Cid" that in 1961 became a movie starring Sophia Loren and Charlton Heston.
• After, we will stop by Bairro de Santa Cruz, the former Jewish section of the city and nowadays one of the most romantic quarters in Spain thanks to the myth of Don Juan. Our tour concludes at the cathedral where the tomb of Christopher Columbus stands.
• After free time this afternoon, we join together for a short Shabbat Kiddish followed by Shabbat dinner at a local restaurant enhanced by a traditional Flamenco show!

Overnight in Seville (B, D)

Saturday, March 11, 2023: DEPARTURE

• Breakfast and check out of our hotel.
• Transfer to airport on own.
• We arrive home and start making plans for our next Best-Day Adventure!


The Memories Last Forever!!
*Itinerary subject to change