May is a delightful month to visit Portugal since the weather is quite temperate and there is little or no rainfall. You may experience a passing shower in Porto, however. Unless traveling inland, the high temperature should not exceed 72 degrees.
Attire should be comfortable and "smart casual" with several interchangeable items. Evening attire, especially for the welcome and farewell receptions and dinners, always garners varied responses on this forum. We like to dress up a bit, others seem to abhor the thought. There is no right or wrong. Do what you feel comfortable with. Dress slacks, fancy tops and/or dresses are good for the women and dress slacks, dress shirts with or without a jacket are fine for the men.
Your first Tauck trip! I bet it won't be your last. Have a marvelous time and please post a review upon your return. Enjoy!
Mallory, you will be dining in some very nice hotels ( that's pretty much the standard for Tauck European tours) but I've found that being able to adjust for the weather is more important than anything else. And weather has gotten incredibly hard to predict. It's not important to worry you'll wear the same outfit in the evening multiple times. As long as it's clean no one else will care or likely notice. Enjoy.
Look forward to your post trip comments since we're taking this trip in October. Been to Lisbon many times so be careful walking around on rainy days. They have lots of tiled walkways that can be slippery. We took our first Tauck trip 22 years ago and trust me, you will be very happy!
Thanks for all your comments. I'll report back after the trip. We did buy good new carry-on luggage and will bring another bag to be able to put our clothes to check-in for the flight home. We look forward to shopping. Hoping for many more trips!
In Lisbon I recommend the Museu Nacional do Azulejo (Tile Museum), quintessentially Portuguese, a short tram ride from the center. Tauck visits the well-known Gulbenkian Collection (which includes Portuguese works in its modern building, still closed for renovation) on this tour; the more unusual and conveniently located Coach Museum is included on the Douro cruise.
MarketArt, we're doing the Douro plus Lisbon and Madrid. I've considered the Tile museum as it's one of the few open on Tue (We arrive very early that day as Our Gift of Time). How is the signage at the museum - English language and explanations of what you are seeing? I love tilework. The Gulbenkian isn't on our official itinerary but I considered it for the afternoon of day 2 since its so close to the hotel. Looking forward to the coach museum. I've wanted to see the one at Versailles but the timing has been off for us.
I do not know about English language signage at the National Museum since I was last there a very long time ago. The exhibits were quite self-explanatory, particularly those related to the manufacturing of the tiles. Hopefully MarketArt will be able to offer more current insight.
The tiles are absolutely beautiful and one needs several hours in order to see and appreciate all floors. If you spend time in the older sections of Lisbon, you will see the azulejos everywhere, on sidewalks, store fronts, homes and buildings. The same holds true for Porto.
The coach museum is very nice, as well as very informative. It does pale, however, to the one in Jerez de la Frontera (apparently no longer a stop on the Spain and Portugal tour).
It's been a few years since my visit, but I don't remember any problem, just beautiful tiles, maybe some English, or as kfnk says, self-explanatory. I usually don't bother with museum audio tours, preferring to read info before and after; less distracting to me while experiencing the art. I was the only one in our group (not Tauck) who chose the Tile Museum during our free afternoon; I remember one guest chewed me out for skipping the Gulbenkian. Two people went to the Oceanário (Aquarium); everyone else blindly followed to the Gulbenkian. I live in a museum-rich city and of course visit museums on my travels, so sweeping millennia of art was of less interest my first time in Lisbon.
UPDATE: The free App of the National Azulejo Museum (MNAz) offers users a guided tour through the history of tiles in Portugal, the most significant pieces of the exhibition and the most interesting spaces in the museum.
Okay, I'm sold. I like fine art museums (paintings, etc) but it's nice to see other art forms as well. And we have the Prado to look forward to.
I am noticing more and more museums are offering apps for your phone instead of audio guides. We toured Versailles last year using theirs and the National Swiss museum with their's. The only thing we learned the hard way was to download the app at home where you have fast, secure wifi.
Now I just have to figure out how a plan for our day. We arrive Lisbon at 8 am so a full day for sightseeing - or at least til jetlag does us in.
Don't forget to leave time for comparative tasting of Pastéis de Nata, those famous Portuguese custard tarts. Hotel Heritage Avenida Liberdade had my favorite, small breakfast ones. The famous place in Belém (with azulejos!) has plenty of competition. Trader Joe's even imported them last year.
I'm not much of a sweet eater but those custard tarts are delicious. Lisbon supposedly has the best. The ones in the hotel are just okay. Typically, Tauck will pass them out while on the first bus excursion in Lisbon. Enjoy.
I've been looking forward to the custard tarts. Have watched several YouTube videos about Portuguese food and there's several items I want to try - cod dishes, pork and beef sandwiches including the Francesinha, piripiri chicken, and more. Though I might have to split the Francesinha with others. Then there are tapas and paella to try in Spain. I hope the Andorinha crew does as good a job of featuring local dishes as the crew on our last river cruise.
We had a demonstration of how to make a traditional francesinha sandwich (several layers of meat) one afternoon on the Andorinha with samples being passed out afterwards. It was the sunny side up egg that got to me. I recall cod one evening, stew another and Portuguese sausage. One afternoon there was a buffet offering of steamed oysters. Delicious!
For the best Portuguese food, the mom and pop cafes in the Alfama district can't be beat. Several fellow travelers enjoyed the fransesinha in Coimbra. My husband and I shared a blood sausage sandwich in Coimbra. Very nice.
Tapas in Spain are best when done with the locals since not all tapas bars are the same. The market in Plaza Mayor, which I have mentioned numerous times, is a great place for sampling small bites. I prefer the pintxos in the Basque area of northern Spain, as well as the paella in that region. Just my opinion. You really can't go wrong with food in either country. And you will not find a proliferation of American "junk food boxes" in either Madrid or Lisbon. There is a Starbuck's adjacent to the Westin Palace Hotel for those who enjoy that. You will pass right in front of it on the walk to the Prado.
Glad to hear the ship tries to introduce passengers to the local cuisines. The food on Tauck tours has generally been excellent but not always reflective of the country you were in. I'd rather have more local that more gourmet.
I was looking for a list of tapas or at least english translations of the menus and came across a website called spanishsabores.com that has proven very useful. It did have a list of 50 tapas along with recipes for them. But the site has loads of other recipes, restaurant recommendations and a whole section on paellas. The woman who runs the site is also a co-founder of Devour Tours (food tours) and they have some good videos (Spain Revealed) that I've been watching.
I always check out the McD's or Burger King menus in European locations to see what additions they have to the menu. Spain and Portugal don't seem to have anything but the standard US menu. I like seeing the unique local adds. We did eat in a Burger King in Zurich and had an excellent burger with gruyere cheese instead of the American "cheese product" we usually get.
Don't forget to try the Iberico ham which is very regulated in Spain. It is very expensive. One way to test its authenticity is to make sure you see the entire leg including the black hoof. Don't be fooled by the Serrano ham that is peddled in some establishments and hotels as Iberico.
MalloryG - So sorry that I have digressed from Portugal to Spain. I hope you are enjoying the posts, however.
Huge digression, but cute story...One of our nephews (husband's side) was in Spain years ago. He ordered three tortillas with his breakfast. The server looked at him incredulously and said, "three"? Wanting to impress her with his Spanish, he said,"Si, tres tortillas." In Spain a tortilla is a large frittata-like meal with eggs and potatoes baked in. We still laugh about that!
I'm definitely enjoying the posts! That Spanish recipe website is amazing as is the website with the Paella controversy. And what a funny story. Thanks for posting!
Comments
May is a delightful month to visit Portugal since the weather is quite temperate and there is little or no rainfall. You may experience a passing shower in Porto, however. Unless traveling inland, the high temperature should not exceed 72 degrees.
Attire should be comfortable and "smart casual" with several interchangeable items. Evening attire, especially for the welcome and farewell receptions and dinners, always garners varied responses on this forum. We like to dress up a bit, others seem to abhor the thought. There is no right or wrong. Do what you feel comfortable with. Dress slacks, fancy tops and/or dresses are good for the women and dress slacks, dress shirts with or without a jacket are fine for the men.
Your first Tauck trip! I bet it won't be your last. Have a marvelous time and please post a review upon your return. Enjoy!
Thanks so much for your response!
Mallory, you will be dining in some very nice hotels ( that's pretty much the standard for Tauck European tours) but I've found that being able to adjust for the weather is more important than anything else. And weather has gotten incredibly hard to predict. It's not important to worry you'll wear the same outfit in the evening multiple times. As long as it's clean no one else will care or likely notice. Enjoy.
Mallory, please post a review of your trip. I will be taking this trip later in May.
Look forward to your post trip comments since we're taking this trip in October. Been to Lisbon many times so be careful walking around on rainy days. They have lots of tiled walkways that can be slippery. We took our first Tauck trip 22 years ago and trust me, you will be very happy!
Thanks for all your comments. I'll report back after the trip. We did buy good new carry-on luggage and will bring another bag to be able to put our clothes to check-in for the flight home. We look forward to shopping. Hoping for many more trips!
In Lisbon I recommend the Museu Nacional do Azulejo (Tile Museum), quintessentially Portuguese, a short tram ride from the center. Tauck visits the well-known Gulbenkian Collection (which includes Portuguese works in its modern building, still closed for renovation) on this tour; the more unusual and conveniently located Coach Museum is included on the Douro cruise.
MarketArt, we're doing the Douro plus Lisbon and Madrid. I've considered the Tile museum as it's one of the few open on Tue (We arrive very early that day as Our Gift of Time). How is the signage at the museum - English language and explanations of what you are seeing? I love tilework. The Gulbenkian isn't on our official itinerary but I considered it for the afternoon of day 2 since its so close to the hotel. Looking forward to the coach museum. I've wanted to see the one at Versailles but the timing has been off for us.
I do not know about English language signage at the National Museum since I was last there a very long time ago. The exhibits were quite self-explanatory, particularly those related to the manufacturing of the tiles. Hopefully MarketArt will be able to offer more current insight.
The tiles are absolutely beautiful and one needs several hours in order to see and appreciate all floors. If you spend time in the older sections of Lisbon, you will see the azulejos everywhere, on sidewalks, store fronts, homes and buildings. The same holds true for Porto.
The coach museum is very nice, as well as very informative. It does pale, however, to the one in Jerez de la Frontera (apparently no longer a stop on the Spain and Portugal tour).
Enjoy.
It's been a few years since my visit, but I don't remember any problem, just beautiful tiles, maybe some English, or as kfnk says, self-explanatory. I usually don't bother with museum audio tours, preferring to read info before and after; less distracting to me while experiencing the art. I was the only one in our group (not Tauck) who chose the Tile Museum during our free afternoon; I remember one guest chewed me out for skipping the Gulbenkian. Two people went to the Oceanário (Aquarium); everyone else blindly followed to the Gulbenkian. I live in a museum-rich city and of course visit museums on my travels, so sweeping millennia of art was of less interest my first time in Lisbon.
UPDATE: The free App of the National Azulejo Museum (MNAz) offers users a guided tour through the history of tiles in Portugal, the most significant pieces of the exhibition and the most interesting spaces in the museum.
Okay, I'm sold. I like fine art museums (paintings, etc) but it's nice to see other art forms as well. And we have the Prado to look forward to.
I am noticing more and more museums are offering apps for your phone instead of audio guides. We toured Versailles last year using theirs and the National Swiss museum with their's. The only thing we learned the hard way was to download the app at home where you have fast, secure wifi.
Now I just have to figure out how a plan for our day. We arrive Lisbon at 8 am so a full day for sightseeing - or at least til jetlag does us in.
Don't forget to leave time for comparative tasting of Pastéis de Nata, those famous Portuguese custard tarts. Hotel Heritage Avenida Liberdade had my favorite, small breakfast ones. The famous place in Belém (with azulejos!) has plenty of competition. Trader Joe's even imported them last year.
Ah, thanks! Great tip. I've never heard of them!
I'm not much of a sweet eater but those custard tarts are delicious. Lisbon supposedly has the best. The ones in the hotel are just okay. Typically, Tauck will pass them out while on the first bus excursion in Lisbon. Enjoy.
I've been looking forward to the custard tarts. Have watched several YouTube videos about Portuguese food and there's several items I want to try - cod dishes, pork and beef sandwiches including the Francesinha, piripiri chicken, and more. Though I might have to split the Francesinha with others. Then there are tapas and paella to try in Spain. I hope the Andorinha crew does as good a job of featuring local dishes as the crew on our last river cruise.
We had a demonstration of how to make a traditional francesinha sandwich (several layers of meat) one afternoon on the Andorinha with samples being passed out afterwards. It was the sunny side up egg that got to me. I recall cod one evening, stew another and Portuguese sausage. One afternoon there was a buffet offering of steamed oysters. Delicious!
For the best Portuguese food, the mom and pop cafes in the Alfama district can't be beat. Several fellow travelers enjoyed the fransesinha in Coimbra. My husband and I shared a blood sausage sandwich in Coimbra. Very nice.
Tapas in Spain are best when done with the locals since not all tapas bars are the same. The market in Plaza Mayor, which I have mentioned numerous times, is a great place for sampling small bites. I prefer the pintxos in the Basque area of northern Spain, as well as the paella in that region. Just my opinion. You really can't go wrong with food in either country. And you will not find a proliferation of American "junk food boxes" in either Madrid or Lisbon. There is a Starbuck's adjacent to the Westin Palace Hotel for those who enjoy that. You will pass right in front of it on the walk to the Prado.
Learned this week that paella, at least according to this Valencian anthropologist, should never include seafood (too bad). Chicken and rabbit are the authentic Valencian recipe; Valencia is considered the home of paella. He also pooh-poohs Jamie Oliver for adding chorizo.
https://www.cbc.ca/radio/asithappens/as-it-happens-the-tuesday-edition-1.6393439/do-you-put-seafood-in-your-paella-you-re-doing-it-wrong-researchers-say-1.6393444
I believe traditional Spanish paella has chicken and shrimp. Personally, I don't think it matters. Eat what you enjoy!
Glad to hear the ship tries to introduce passengers to the local cuisines. The food on Tauck tours has generally been excellent but not always reflective of the country you were in. I'd rather have more local that more gourmet.
I was looking for a list of tapas or at least english translations of the menus and came across a website called spanishsabores.com that has proven very useful. It did have a list of 50 tapas along with recipes for them. But the site has loads of other recipes, restaurant recommendations and a whole section on paellas. The woman who runs the site is also a co-founder of Devour Tours (food tours) and they have some good videos (Spain Revealed) that I've been watching.
I always check out the McD's or Burger King menus in European locations to see what additions they have to the menu. Spain and Portugal don't seem to have anything but the standard US menu. I like seeing the unique local adds. We did eat in a Burger King in Zurich and had an excellent burger with gruyere cheese instead of the American "cheese product" we usually get.
Some forty plus years ago, the paella I had in Spain was Chicken and shrimp!
Don't forget to try the Iberico ham which is very regulated in Spain. It is very expensive. One way to test its authenticity is to make sure you see the entire leg including the black hoof. Don't be fooled by the Serrano ham that is peddled in some establishments and hotels as Iberico.
MalloryG - So sorry that I have digressed from Portugal to Spain. I hope you are enjoying the posts, however.
Huge digression, but cute story...One of our nephews (husband's side) was in Spain years ago. He ordered three tortillas with his breakfast. The server looked at him incredulously and said, "three"? Wanting to impress her with his Spanish, he said,"Si, tres tortillas." In Spain a tortilla is a large frittata-like meal with eggs and potatoes baked in. We still laugh about that!
I'm definitely enjoying the posts! That Spanish recipe website is amazing as is the website with the Paella controversy. And what a funny story. Thanks for posting!