Program is subject to change. Connect with our Customer Care Team by calling: (888) 230-6008 Mon.-Thur. from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) or email [email protected]
YOUR journey
Join your PAS sisters, mothers, and daughters, with Rabbi Lori Koffman, Cantor Mira Davis, Valerie Russo and Rabbi Shayna Zauzmer, and trip chairs Carol Becker, Stacie Schapiro, and Vicki Warner, for a Women’s Trip to Portugal.
J² crafts experiential Jewish journeys to Israel and around the world that are both emotional and educational. We are guided by a simple but powerful concept. No two journeys are the same. Each experience should be personal, meaningful, and backed by exemplary service.
Travel is not just about the places you visit but the discoveries you make along the way.
By clicking on the “show more” button below the program outline you will be able to view the detailed program.
*Registration is now closed and the journey is full. We encourage you to call J²’s customer care team and add yourself to the waitlist.
Art & Culture 
Food & Wine 
Heritage 
Local Specialists 
Special Access - Expert Scholar
THE EXPERT
Program Itinerary
DAY 1
DEPARTURE
Sat. Apr 15, 2023
- Depart the USA.
Overnight: Flight
DAY 2
THE START OF A SPECIAL JOURNEY
Sun. Apr 16, 2023
- Arrive at Lisbon International Airport. Our representative will be on hand to assist with all formalities and ensure your journey has the smoothest of starts.
- Check-in at the hotel is at 3:00 p.m. (early check-in is subject to availability).
- 12:30 p.m. Welcome from your PAS team and a brief orientation with your tour educator who will accompany you on this journey.
- Experience Lisbon’s breathtaking scenery and beauty with a panoramic tour while hearing all about the history and culture of this stunning city.
- Explore the Belem district of Lisbon, located on the Tagus River, from where many of the great Portuguese explorers embarked on their momentous voyages.
- Stop at the Monument to the Discoveries to pay tribute to the Portuguese Age of Discovery in the 15th and 16th centuries.
- Pass by the impressive Jerónimos Monastery. Built in the 16th century (and taking almost 100 years to build), this UNESCO World Heritage Site’s magnificent architecture and decoration reflect the prosperity of the Portuguese empire at the time.
- Return to the hotel to freshen-up for dinner.
- Portugal – Small Country, Great Nation: Welcome cocktail reception at the Lisbon City Hall hosted by the Mayor of Lisbon, Carlos Moedas, and with cultural philanthropist and diplomat Hon. Amb. Randi Charno Levine, the United States Ambassador to Portugal. We will also be joined by, Hon. Amb. Dor Shapira, Israel’s Ambassador to Portugal and David Botelho, President of the Jewish Community of Lisbon (CIL). Followed by dinner and conversation.
Overnight: Lisbon, Portugal
Meals: Cocktails & Dinner
DAY 3
THE MAGIC OF SINTRA
Mon. Apr 17, 2023
- Start the day with a bounteous private buffet breakfast at the hotel and enjoy a presentation by Henrique Cymerman: How did Portugal end up being considered the “cool country”?
- 9:00 a.m. Depart for the city of Sintra, the resort town of Portugal kings, perched high in the mountains. The town’s picturesque romantic monuments and mountainous vistas serve as the backdrop for unparalleled architectural and natural beauty.
- Visit the Pena Palace and its surrounding Pena Park. Pena Palace is a unique architectural structure built in the mid-19th century on the site of a former monastery by the Portuguese King-Consort Dom Fernando II as a summer palace for the royal family.
- Where the Sidewalk Ends: Depart Sintra and stop at Cabo da Roca. Overlooking the deep blue of the Atlantic Ocean, stand at the western-most extent of mainland Portugal and continental Europe.
- Lunch at a seaside restaurant overlooking the Atlantic ocean.
- Return to the hotel to freshen up.
- Take a tour in the Alfama Quarter including a short service at the site of the Lisbon massacre of 1506. Explore the steep winding alleys, hidden landmark churches, and breathtaking views of the Tagus River – all while hearing about the tension between tradition and modernity.
- Welcome remarks by Joana Sousa Monteiro the Director of the Lisbon Museum over cocktails followed by an introduction to the hottest Portuguese fashion designers at a private trendy venue. Dinner and conversation with expert journalist in culture and fashion Maria Joao Martins and guests.
Overnight: Lisbon, Portugal
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Cocktails & Dinner
DAY 4
JUDAISM IN BELMONTE
Tue. Apr 18, 2023
- Check out of the hotel. Depart Lisbon, and drive to Belmonte.
- Lunch at a restaurant.
- Hear from José Levy Domingues, as he narrates one of the most exciting stories in Jewish history: how Jews managed to keep their faith for 500 years despite persecution.
- Explore the Jewish Museum, which showcases the history of the Belmonte Jewish community since the Middle Ages.
- Discover the synagogue in Belmonte for a conversation on the Anussim of Portugal.
- Dinner at a restaurant en route to Porto.
- Late check-in to the hotel.
Overnight: Porto, Portugal
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
DAY 5
JEWISH ROOTS
Wed. Apr 19, 2023
- Discover the Kadoorie Mekor Haim Synagogue, the largest synagogue in the Iberian Peninsula.
- Presentation by Henrique Cymerman at the Porto synagogue, one of the most beautiful in Europe: Hear “My story: how I discovered my identity, through learning about the Marranos who wanted to return to Judaism. The tragedy of Captain Barros Basto.”
- Meet with Isabel Lopes, the granddaughter of Captain Barros Basto, the Portuguese Dreyfus, and the current vice president of Kadoorie Mekor Haim Synagogue.
- Walk across the street and pop in to the the small Jewish museum to learn about the Jewish community of Porto.
- Lunch at a restaurant.
- Return to your hotel to freshen up.
- Free time (kinda) to stroll through the trendy art gallery district around Rua De Miguel Bombarda for a refreshing and lively insight into Porto’s contemporary art scene.
- Visit one of the port cellars in Vila Nova de Gaia, where famous port wines are stored and aged. Enjoy port wine tasting and private dinner at Taylor's.
Overnight: Porto, Portugal
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
DAY 6
PORTUGAL’S MEDIEVAL CAPITAL
Thu. Apr 20, 2023
- In High Heels and a Suitcase: Conversation and update with Dr. Nirit Ofir – “from Portugal to the Persian Gulf and North Africa”.
- Romanesque to Romanticism: View the main sites of the city, including: Avenida dos Aliados, Clérigos Tower, which is known as the symbol of the city, São Bento railway station, decorated with 20,000 tiles depicting the history of Portugal, and the Ribeira neighborhood near the riverfront, which has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
- Visit the Crystal Palace Gardens for fantastic views overlooking the Douro River.
- Return to your hotel to freshen-up and some free time or participate in a ceramic workshop, you will learn about this important Portuguese heritage and paint Porto tiles yourself using traditional techniques.
- Closing PAS ritual: Reflecting on our experiences.
- A Festive Farewell dinner at the Palácio da Bolsa, the former Stock Exchange house, located in the Infante D. Henrique Square in the historical center of Porto. Farewell message and a personal story shared by Rui de Carvalho de Araújo Moreira, the Mayor of Porto.
Overnight: Porto, Portugal
Meals: Breakfast, Cocktails & Dinner
DAY 7
UNTIL WE MEET AGAIN
Fri. Apr 21, 2023
- Check out of the hotel.
- Transfer to Lisbon airport for those who have pre-purchased transportation and to Porto Airport for everyone else and check in for your return flight to the USA.
Meals: Breakfast
RATES & LODGING
Cost p/p in double room
$7,655
Cost p/p in single room
$9,205
Lisbon: Four Seasons Ritz
- Nights: 2
- Hotel Website
Porto: The Yeatman
- Nights: 3
- Hotel Website
What to expect
- 5 nights' accommodations.
- 5 days of touring with a tour educator and local guides, 5 days of touring in a luxury, air-conditioned bus.
- Field representative throughout.
- Individual arrival/departure transfer.
- Daily breakfast, 3 lunches & 5 dinners.
- Water and snacks on the bus.
- Gratuities: tour educators, local guides, bus drivers & field representative.
- Porterage at the hotels.
- All site entrance fees & program fees (inclusive of all honorariums) as per your final program.
- Flights to & from Portugal.
- COVID-related expenses, including tests.
- Amendments to the program: In the event that any sites, programs, or meals etc. are added to the program, an additional fee may be required.
- Personal extras: Items of personal nature such as laundry, wines, mineral water, beverages, coffee, tea, food other than the table d’hotel menu, passport and visa fees, insurance, and foreign port taxes, unless otherwise specified.
- US and foreign airport taxes, Q fuel surcharge and border taxes when applicable.
- Please review separate attachment or request that we send you our full T&C’s. Until you do that, here is the small print, and other stuff you may want to know:
- Rates: Rates are per person based on double occupancy and a minimum number of 70 full-paying participants. Should the number of participants drop below the minimum listed, the cost of the trip will be adjusted to reflect the additional expense of operating the program.
- Currency: Tour prices are per person in US dollars. All hotel accommodations, motor coach transportation, special dinners, sightseeing, admissions, luggage handling and the services of local guides, drivers, and the tour guide/educator are included.
- Payment policy: The following payment policy has been instituted in order to reflect current realities. J² Adventures reserves the right to adjust its terms of payment, including cancelation policies and initial deposits. Notification of any changes will be made explicitly to the participants where relevant. An initial deposit of $1000 per person, non-transferable is due by July 29, 2022, and is non-refundable as of September 23, 2022. Final payment is due by December 16th, 2022.
- Cancellation policy: All cancellations need to be made in writing. If your cancellation is made more than 120 days prior to departure all your monies will be refunded less the deposit of $1000. Cancellations received less than 120 days prior to departure are fully non-refundable. If your J² travel program is cancelled at any time you will receive a full refund less of supplier costs.
- Travel insurance: We strongly recommend that you purchase your own travel insurance. Please discuss land, air, and health insurance options with your insurance provider. Some insurance programs provide more comprehensive coverage when the policy is purchased in close proximity to the initial trip deposit. We, therefore, recommend that you secure insurance within 14 days of your initial deposit payment date.
- Protect your investment for $495 p/p: Should you cancel your trip up to 5 days before your departure for any reason, our POM program offers you a trip refund. Call 888-230-6008 or e-mail: [email protected]
- Please click here to view our full terms (T&C’s). These T&C’s apply to all reservations created within J2 Adventures.
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