Private Full-Day Arrábida and Azeitão Wine Tour: Fonseca Cellars and Azulejo Workshop

The Serra da Arrábida is an hour south of Lisbon and falls straight into the Atlantic. Azeitão, at its foot, has made wine since 1834 in the cellars of José Maria da Fonseca, the oldest table-wine company in Portugal. The day opens on the ridge road of Arrábida Natural Park, with stops at viewpoints above the blue bays, away from the Sintra crowds. In Azeitão a guided visit goes through the Fonseca cellars, where casks of Moscatel de Setúbal have aged for generations, and ends with a tasting of the house wines. A working azulejo workshop comes next. Painters still decorate tiles by hand there, and visitors can paint one of their own. The last stop is for Azeitão sheep's cheese and the local tortas. From roughly early June to mid September, the access roads to the Arrábida beaches are closed to private cars for most of the day. The guide knows the rules and plans the route around them, so the day does not end at a barrier.