Aldeia Típica José Franco

First stop will be Azenhas do Mar, a scenic village on the coast built in the "Portuguese Soft Style". Continue along the coast, passing by steep cliffs and wild beaches. Arrive in Ericeira, a village known for its blue and white buildings, as well as its lively food scene. Enjoy free time to explore the village at your own pace and have lunch. After lunch, head to Jose Franco, a working village and open-air museum that showcases the traditional culture and handicrafts of the área. End your tour with a visit to the magnificent Palace of Mafra, a masterpiece from the eighteenth century and one of the most important buildings in the Portuguese Baroque style. The palace is home to 92 bells, 1200 rooms, and over 4,700 doors and windows. It also hosts the oldest library in Portugal with about 36,000 volumes. Enjoy a tour of the site with your dedicated guide, who will share interesting facts and stories about the monument.

Take the road to Mafra, a historic town known for the impressive Royal Palace and Convent of Mafra (closed on Tuesdays). This colossal architectural complex is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Admire its beautiful library with over 36,000 books dating back several centuries. The library is known for its unique Rococo style and the famous colonies of bats that protect the books from insects. Drive all the way to Ericeira, a charming coastal town and a popular surfing destination. Ericeira offers scenic coastal walks along the cliffs, providing panoramic views of the sandy beaches. Ericeira is internationally recognized as one of the best surfing destinations in Europe. Be amazed inside and outside the National Palace of Queluz, a masterpiece of 18th-century portuguese architecture. The palace served as a royal residence for various monarchs. Walk through its opulent rooms, see intricate tilework, and luxurious furnishings. Once outside, feel the atmosphere of the extensive gardens featuring fountains, statues, geometric patterns, and ornate pavilions, providing a serene and picturesque setting.

In a quiet environment a few minutes from the capital, explore a great selection of the best villages near Sintra. The fact that these villages continue to have unusual life habits, they recreate the way of life of Portugal's ancestors, preserved through smells, colors, and traditions. Visit the charming Azenhas do Mar, a village that has become one of the most famous Portuguese tourist spots. Discover the village of Penedo, perched high on a hillside still home to traditional houses. Walk along its steep and winding streets and alleys. It is a treasure of the traditional architecture of the saloia region. Visit secret villages where you will feel like you are in an open-air museum, where the way of life of Portugal's ancestors is preserved. Travel back in time in the village of José Franco. Get to know a local man's dream that recreated a village of ethnographic character, a testimony to the way of life of the ancient local people.

We will start our journey from Lisbon, it will take around 45 minutes to reach our destination. You will the Palace of Mafra, also known as the Palace-Convent of Mafra, and the Royal Building of Mafra, is a monumental Baroque and Neoclassical palace monastery located in Mafra, Portugal, some 28 kilometers from Lisbon. Construction began in 1717 under King John V of Portugal and was completely concluded in 1755. The palace was classified as a National Monument in 1910 and was also a finalist in the Seven Wonders of Portugal. On 7 July 2019, the Royal Building of Mafra – Palace, Basilica, Convent, Cerco Garden, and Hunting Park (Tapada) was inscribed as a Unesco World Heritage Site. The palace was not occupied permanently by the royalty, who considered the rooms too gloomy. Nonetheless, it was a popular destination for the members of the royal family who enjoyed hunting in the nearby game preserve, the Tapada Nacional de Mafra. Then we will head towards our second destination which is the Typical Village of José Franco, the Typical Village of Sobreiro, or simply Aldeia Saloia. It will take around ten minutes to reach our destination. The history of the small village dates back to the birth of potter José Franco, in 1920. In the early 1960s, José Franco gave wings to a dream, of recreating an ethnographic village, a replica of the old workshops and stores, of lived spaces, decorated and equipped with real objects, where the customs and work activities intrinsic to his childhood and peasant life in the Mafra region were reproduced; At the same time, the village includes a recreational area, dedicated to children, full of miniature houses and inhabitants that portrayed the activities carried out at the time: field work, carpentry, windmills, chapels, grocery stores, schools, wine cellars, peasants and even a reproduction of the fishing village of Ericeira. And, in addition to the exhibition of figures, in the museum dedicated to him, visitors will find human-scale replicas of castle walls, windmills, a children's playground, a small wine cellar where you can taste the region's wine, or even the bakery, where you can buy the famous bread with chorizo, among others. Great place with super history! Then we will visit São Lourenço Beach, an Oceanic Beach located on the coast of Portugal — Iberian Peninsula — in the municipality of Mafra, bathed by the Atlantic Ocean. It has a long and very wide sandy area. The sea is rough and suitable for water sports. The beach belongs to the Ericeira World Surfing Reserve. At a distance of 7km from Ericeira and very close to the town of Ribamar, Located in a sheltered bay, it has good support infrastructure and excellent conditions for surfing. Then we will head back to Lisbon, after enjoying a refreshing day.