Gardens of Lisbon and the Azores
23 – 30 April
4 – 11 June
20 – 27 August 2016
from £1995.00
Portugal’s warm and sunny climate, tempered by rain from the Atlantic, has long been appreciated
by gardeners in the region, while the Azores archipelago, a thousand nautical miles from anywhere,
benefits from rich volcanic soil. The verdant hills, enchanting lakes and stunning gardens have a
tranquil and timeless atmosphere.
Our tour starts with three nights in Lisbon, from where we will explore some of mainland Portugal’s
finest gardens. Quinta da Bacalhoa is a classic Renaissance garden that once belonged to the
great mariner and viceroy of India, Afonso de Albuquerque. His stylish villa on a peninsula south of
Lisbon and the private gardens of Quinta das Torres in Setubal make for a wonderful introduction
to Portuguese gardening style.
The lush wooded heights of Sintra are home to two fine gardens. Quinta de Monserrate is an
English-influenced park dating back to the late eighteenth century. Later additions of Mexican and
Japanese gardens enhance our visit. The UNESCO World Heritage site of Quinta da Regaleira is
on the grand scale with gardens containing fountains, terraces, lakes and grottoes resembling
something from the Harry Potter stories.
From Lisbon we will fly to São Miguel in the Azores and commence our garden visits at the José do
Canto Garden and the Garden and Palacio de Sant’Ana before relaxing in our comfortable hotel,
the Royal Garden in Ponta Delgada. Over the next two days we have included visits to the best
gardens and most interesting sights in the Azores, undoubted highlights being the Terra Nostra
Botanical Garden and the António Borges Garden. As we tour around the island we will enjoy
stunning scenery with hot springs, tea plantations and basalt architecture. The waters around the
Azores are world-renowned for observing whales, which we will spend a morning doing. In addition
we will have some free time for independent sightseeing and shopping.
For further background information you may like to look at the following websites:
Lisbon:
http://www.gardenvisit.com/garden/quinta_da_bacalhoa
http://www.visitsetubal.com.pt/en/quinta-das-torres/
http://www.gardenvisit.com/garden/quinta_de_monserrate
http://www.portugalvirtual.pt/_tourism/costadelisboa/sintra/regaleira.html
Azores:
http://www.jardimjosedocanto.com/en/
http://www.azores-islands.info/uk/places/sao-miguel/palace-park.html
http://www.parqueterranostra.com/
http://www.visitazores.com/en/the-azores/places-to-visit/gardens-and-parks/sao-miguel/antonioborges-garden
http://www.visitazores.com/en/experience-the-azores/whale
Itinerary
Day 1 - Saturday
We depart on a direct flight from London to Lisbon. On arrival we transfer by coach to our hotel in
central Lisbon, the five-star Altis Grand Hotel. A welcome drink followed by dinner is included this
evening.
Day 2 - Sunday
After breakfast we depart for a visit to the Quinta da Bacalhoa, a classic Renaissance garden with
a Portuguese flavour. The son of Afonso de Albuquerque, who had been a great mariner and
viceroy of India, also liked travelling. He journeyed to Italy, became a connoisseur of Italian art and
admired their gardens which inspired him to make a villa on a peninsula south of Lisbon. It has
loggias and patios for outdoor living and philosophical discourse. A great tank garden is flanked by
a hall with three pavilions and is decorated with glazed tiles (azulejo) and terracotta busts.
In the afternoon we visit the private gardens of the Quinta das Torres in Setubal, which are set
around a beautiful Renaissance palace dating from 1560.
Day 3 - Monday
After breakfast this morning we head out of Lisbon to the lush wooded heights of Sintra, where we
visit two fine gardens. The Quinta de Monserrate is an English-influenced mixed style park which
was started by William Beckford in the late eighteenth century. Beckford was an exceedingly rich
man, famous for his Fonthill estate in England. The waterfall survives from this period. Sir Francis
Cook added an exotic Moorish palace in 1856 and he employed James Burt to make a series of
place-related gardens, which include a Mexican and a Japanese garden.
In the afternoon we visit the garden of the Quinta da Regaleira, which has been designated a
UNESCO World Heritage. It was owned by Antonio Augusto Carvalho Monteira (1848-1920) and
designed by the Italian theatre set designer Luigi Manini (1848-1936). They aimed to fuse
Portuguese mythology, a number of artistic ideas (Gothic, Renaissance, Rococo, Manueline) and
glorify everything sacred. The gardens contain fountains, terraces, lakes and grottoes. The Initiation
Well, inspired by the initiation rites of the Knights Templars and Freemasons, has a moss-strewn
spiral stairway descending into the ground which resembles something from the Harry Potter
stories.
Day 4 - Tuesday
After breakfast we check out of the hotel and transfer to Lisbon Airport for our flight to Ponta
Delgada on São Miguel in the Azores. On arrival we transfer to the José do Canto Garden. José
do Canto was the leading gardener of the 19th century, with ambitions to create large parks and
gardens in various parts of São Miguel. His six hectare garden in Ponta Delgada was designed and
laid out by English practitioners and over time he put together the most extraordinary collection of
plants in the whole of Portugal, over 6000 species. He was corresponding and obtaining plants from
many countries, and even kept a long list of the plants he did not want to introduce! Today, our
inheritance is his surviving trees, of which there are magnificent specimens. Some are labelled while
others revel in challenging a gardener’s identification skills. Still owned by the original family, it is
slowly being restored.
Next door is the Garden and Palacio de Sant’Ana. This 19th century building is the official house of
the President of the Government of the Azores (not open to the public, but a visit may be organized
if available, subject to confirmation by the Government).
We then transfer to the four-star Hotel Royal Garden in Ponta Delgada. Evening at leisure.
Day 5 - Wednesday
Breakfast at the hotel. We depart this morning on a full day excursion beginning with a visit to
Lagoa das Furnas to see the hot springs and enjoy the local speciality meal known as Cozido, a
hearty stew which is cooked using the heat from the springs.
In the afternoon we have a guided tour around the Terra Nostra Botanical Garden, the most
important and arguably the most beautiful of all the Azores heritage gardens. Begun in 1770 as a
summer residence, the original simple wooden house was replaced in the mid-1800s by the present
much grander Casa do Parque. The new owners, the Viscondes da Praia, enlarged the estate, built
grottoes, laid out lakes and canals, and planted many trees. In the 1930s and again in the 1990s the
garden was restored by the present family owners. Today the 13 hectare garden, with more than
2000 trees, avenues of palms, viewpoints, serpentine canals, waterlilies, mossy paths, camellias
and tropical rhododendrons, has a special ambience.
We round off today with a visit to the Gorreana Tea Plantation where we have some free time to
see the plantation itself, visit the factory, the oldest in Europe, and taste the tea produced here.
Evening at leisure.
Day 6 - Thursday
Following breakfast, we depart for Lagoa do Fogo and Ribeira Grande, famous for its basalt
architecture. Before the impressive Town Hall lies the main square with its flower beds and giant
Metrosideros trees; begun in the early 1860s on the site of the old market place, it has been a place
for public gatherings and celebration ever since. Immediately adjacent and lining the banks of the
mouth of the Ribeira Grande are the Paradise Gardens. These winding paths and flowers beds
were built in the1930s, to replace old watermills and poor housing prone to flooding.
We then return to Ponta Delgada and visit the António Borges Garden. Constructed between
1858 and 1861, the three hectare garden reflects the picturesque style of 19th century Romanticism
and was designed to take advantage of the site’s natural topography. With a sophisticated irrigation
system to manage the waterways and ponds, there are grottoes, tunnels and belvederes. Exotic
plants were introduced from European nurseries, along with rare trees from around the world. Early
in the 20th century the owner gave greater emphasis to the gardens use as a public recreational
area and in 1957 they were acquired by the Municipality. In the past couple of years they have
undergone a major restoration. Lunch is included today.
Evening at leisure.
Day 7 - Friday
Following breakfast we head out to sea on a three-hour Whale Watching excursion. The Azores
are world-renowned as a centre for observing cetaceans in their natural habitat and the species
most frequently see are sperm and pilot whales, beaked whales and false killer whales, together
with bottlenose, common, spotted, Risso’s and striped dolphin.
The afternoon is free to relax in the hotel or do some independent sight-seeing in Ponta Delgado. In
the evening we will have a farewell group dinner.
Day 8 - Saturday
After breakfast we depart for the transfer to the airport and our flight back to the UK.
Included in the price:
 Seven nights’ bed and breakfast: three nights at the five-star Altis Grand Hotel in Lisbon;
four nights at the four-star Hotel Royal Garden in Ponta Delgada, São Miguel, Azores
 Dinner and welcome drink on first evening, two lunches and farewell dinner
 Flights from London to Lisbon, Lisbon to the Azores and the Azores back to London (other
airports on request)
 Visits to the Quintas da Bacalhoa, das Torres, de Monserrate and da Regaleira; the gardens
of José do Canto; Palacio de Sant’Ana, Terra Nostra and António Borges; whale watching
boat trip
 Services of a professional tour manager
On our August departure we will be joined by John Hughes as RHS tour host
Not included (per person)
 Single room supplement
£280.00
 Insurance
£39.50 (under 65); £79.00 (65-74); £118.50 (75-90)
 Post-tour extensions to other Azorean islands are available on request