Essential Portugal

Seven nights from Porto to Lisbon, self-guided, by way of the Douro and the Alentejo, staying in boutique hotels.

The shape is north to south down the length of the country, with the car collected at Porto and dropped on the edge of Lisbon, so neither city is driven in, which anyone who has tried either will appreciate.

Porto opens it for two nights at The One Monumental Palace, with a guided walk taking in the tiled walls of Sao Bento station, the Torre dos Clerigos and the Lello bookshop, which is often claimed as the inspiration for a fictional library though the author has never confirmed it, with a tile-making workshop or a port lodge tour available. The Douro follows for two nights at The Vintage House in Pinhao, an eighteenth-century Taylor family wine lodge, with a private Rabelo boat cruise through the terraced vineyards and the pilgrim steps at Lamego nearby. The Alentejo comes next for a night at Torre de Palma, a fourteenth-century mansion among the cork orchards, with a Lusitano ride to a ruined Roman villa available. Lisbon closes it with two nights, reached by Estremoz and Evora.

The hire car for five days including the one-way fee, the accommodation, daily breakfast, all the listed sightseeing, entrance fees and guiding and a 24-hour Lisboa Card are included; flights, most meals and unlisted excursions are not. The price shown is per person sharing. Spring and autumn are the seasons, with the Douro harvest in late September the most atmospheric time of year.