Aveiro and Coimbra - Private Tour
Two cities with a thousand charms. Coimbra is known as the city of students. Aveiro, with the beauty of its canals, is called Portuguese Venice. Someone nicknamed Aveiro as "the Portuguese Venice"! We prefer to call it the Art Nouveau city. Aveiro is a city of singular beauty. It is located by the sea and the river, with its canals and the traditional boats called moliceiros, fills the city with a unique and colorful beauty. The culture and essence of the sea are in every corner. Aveiro has always been linked to maritime trade, fishing and salt production. Coimbra was the first capital of Portugal, which emphasizes its historical importance in the construction and diffusion of Portuguese language and culture, but today it is known as the student city. And, in fact, the University of Coimbra, which is a World Heritage Site, is the oldest university in the country and one of the first universities in Europe.
Options
1 >3 PAX
WATER
SEDAN
Pickup included
What's included in Aveiro and Coimbra - Private Tour
(Subject to Option Inclusions)Itinerary
Basilica de Nossa Senhora do Rosario de FatimaPass-by Only
Sanctuary of Fatima, optional 15-minute stop One of the largest Marian centres in the world. This Marian centre of pilgrimage evokes the apparitions of Our Lady to the three little shepherds Lucia, Francisco and Jacinta, which took place in 1917 and were recognized in 1930. The spot was a rural property called Cova da Iria, and it belonged to the parents of Lucia, who donated it to the Shrine. It was here that five of the six apparitions took place. The Shrine comprises the Chapel of the Apparitions, the Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary of Fatima, the Prayer Area and the Basilica of the Most Holy Trinity. They complement the Shrine, the Retreat Houses of Our Lady of Sorrows and Our Lady of Mount Carmel and the Pastoral Centre of Paul VI. The Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary of Fatima was built according to a project by Dutchman Gerardus van Krieken and continued by architect João Antunes. The first stone was blessed on May 13, 1928 and the church dedicated on October 7, 1953. The following year, it was granted the title of Basilica by Pope Pius XII. The architectural and decorative style is very simple. Inside, there are 14 lateral altars dedicated to the mysteries of the Rosary. The stained glass windows and the paintings that adorn the church are by João de Sousa Araújo; they date from 1967 and represent scenes alluding to the life of Our Lady, the Apparitions and the Message of Fatima. Those in the main chapel, representing the Evangelists, the Apparition of the Angel and scenes of Pilgrimage, were created by the Madrid company Maumejean and Sons. On the right side of the transept, the Gospel, is the tomb of Francisco, who died in 1919. On the left side, the Epistle, is the tomb of Jacinta, who died in 1920; next to her is the tomb of Sister Lucy, who died in 2005. Francisco and Jacinta Marto were canonised in the Shrine of Fatima, on May 13, 2017, on the International Anniversary Pilgrimage of the centennial of the Apparitions, presided over by Pope Francis. Also noteworthy is the Italian-made organ, dated 1952, which consists of 152 stops and about 12,000 pipes. It is one of the most important Marian shrines belonging to the Catholic Church in the world and one of the leading international religious tourism destinations, receiving around six million visitors a year. It was visited by Popes Paul VI (1967), John Paul II (1982, 1991 and 2000), Benedict XVI (2010) and Francis (2017). The annual pilgrimages are celebrated on the 13th of every month from May to October.
Mosteiro de Santa Clara-a-Velha
The Mosteiro de Santa Clara was built in 1314 at the orders of the Queen Saint Isabel of Aragon, replacing a small convent of nuns of the Order of St. Clare, founded in 1286. The building was completed in 1330, having been designed by the architect Domingos Domingues, who had previously worked on the Mosteiro de Alcobaça. This convent is a fine example of the architecture of that period, being notable for the size of the church and cloister and the stone vault that covers the three naves of the church, all of which are of the same size. Because of its location on the banks of the River Mondego, the convent was subjected to frequent floods that led to the building of an upper floor and the abandonment of the almost permanently submerged ground floor. In the 17th century, the king Dom João IV commissioned the building of a new convent at a high point in the city. This new convent was given the name of Santa Clara-a-Nova, and the nuns moved there in 1677. The original convent, which became known as Santa Clara-a-Velha, was abandoned and left to fall into ruins. At the end of the 20th century, the building was subjected to in-depth restoration work, which uncovered the original structures and led to the discovery of a vast and diversified range of treasures. Now open to the public once again, the convent offers its visitors a spacious outdoor leisure area in a tour that includes the church and the restored archaeological structures. At the Visitor Centre, besides the exhibition of the objects that were found here, laid out in accordance with their importance in the life of the convent, audiovisual media are used to present the history of the site and its restoration.
Portugal Dos Pequenitos
Portugal dos Pequenitos (Portugal for the Little Ones), which is considered to have been the first theme park in the country, is a pedagogical playground, where the whole family can spend a pleasant and enjoyable day learning more about the nation´s history. For the children, this is an excellent opportunity to amuse themselves entering and leaving houses and monuments built to their own size. Here we can find only miniature reproductions of the Portuguese architectural heritage, displayed in the form of traditional houses and replicas of National Monuments from the North to the South of the country, such as the Mosteiro dos Jerónimos in Lisbon, the Convento de Cristo in Tomar, the Torre de Belém in Lisbon and Coimbra University. There is also a group of buildings designed to illustrate the ethnography and monuments of the Portuguese-speaking African Countries, Macau, India and Timor, reminding us of the Portuguese ex-colonies and providing us with the context of the project, by situating it in the historical period in which it was built. The park also contains a children´s playground and Costume, Naval and Furniture Museums, also in miniature. The project was devised in 1940 by the doctor Bissaya Barreto (1886-1974) and built by the modernist architect Cassiano Branco (1879-1970). Bissaya Barreto was a teacher at the Faculty of Medicine of Coimbra University and was famous for having carried out a vast amount of social work in the central region of Portugal, providing much help to those in need. He created the Bissaya Barreto Foundation, which was responsible for a series of cultural activities and social work. The building of Portugal dos Pequenitos was an integral part of this project.
Inclusions
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
- Transport by air-conditioned vehicle
- Private tour
- Bottled water
- Driver/escort
- Food and drinks
- Lunch
- Gratuities
- Boat trip
- Specialized infant seats are available
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Children must be accompanied by an adult
- Dress code is smart casual
- Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately
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Pickup and Dropoff
Choose to be picked up from a list of locations
Please arrive at the pick up point 10 minutes before departure time.
Additional Information
Pick-up and Drop-off at your address in the city of Lisbon, if you are outside the city of Lisbon you will have added costs of the transfer or else you will find a meeting point in Lisbon-
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Ticket Redemption
• Dress code is smart casual