Made By Hand: Portugal

A ceramics trip through the places Portugal's best-known tiles and pottery still come from. Along the way, the group paints, molds, and throws their own pieces with the artists and potters who keep these traditions going. Tile painting, pottery, and studio visits, from Lisbon's azulejo workshops to a potters' village in the Alentejo.

Portugal

6 Days

Lisbon -> Caldas da Rainha -> Alentejo

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Day 1

Arrival in Lisbon

Your home in Lisbon is a boutique hotel taken over entirely by your group. Late in the day, a stroll through the old neighborhoods trains the eye on the tiled facades that define the city, ending with a first dinner at a traditional tasca. Many of these facades date from the 19th century, when tiles became a practical way to protect buildings from rain and heat.

Day 2

The Art of the Azulejo

The National Tile Museum, housed in a former convent, traces five centuries of Portuguese tile making. After lunch, a local tile artist leads a workshop where everyone paints an azulejo using traditional techniques. The tiles are fired and shipped home after the trip. The museum's highlight is a long panorama of Lisbon made in tile before the 1755 earthquake, a rare look at the city as it once was.

Day 3

Caldas da Rainha and Óbidos

Head north to Caldas da Rainha, home of Bordallo Pinheiro, the factory behind Portugal's famous cabbage-leaf pottery, to see pieces molded and glazed. Then on to the walled village of Óbidos, where ginja, the local cherry liqueur, is poured into small chocolate cups. Rafael Bordallo Pinheiro founded the factory in 1884, and his playful designs, from cabbage-leaf bowls to swallows, are still made today.

Day 4

To the Alentejo

Drive east into the Alentejo to a country house near the hilltop village of Monsaraz, again all to yourselves. Later, visit São Pedro do Corval, among Portugal's largest pottery centers, where workshops line the streets and potters work at their wheels. Monsaraz is a walled village on a hill above the Alqueva lake, and the views from its castle stretch toward Spain.

Day 5

At the Wheel

A full day at the wheel with a local potter, learning to throw and shape pieces and decorate them in the region's traditional painted style. That night, everyone shows what they've made over dinner, with Alentejo wine and the plains stretching out below Monsaraz. Alentejo pottery is famous for its bright, hand-painted flowers and birds, and the potter shows how each design is laid on by brush.

Day 6

Departure

A quiet last morning in the countryside, then the two-hour drive back to Lisbon for flights home. Pieces that need firing are shipped to follow you. If there's time, a stop at a roadside pottery workshop on the way out is easy to arrange.

blue and white painted houses on the cliff

Ready to bring this journey to life?

Our sample itineraries are just the beginning. Every Adler Marlow trip is designed around you, your pace, your passions, your people. Let us tailor something extraordinary around Portugal's craft traditions.

blue and white painted houses on the cliff

Ready to bring this journey to life?

Our sample itineraries are just the beginning. Every Adler Marlow trip is designed around you, your pace, your passions, your people. Let us tailor something extraordinary around Portugal's craft traditions.

blue and white painted houses on the cliff

Ready to bring this journey to life?

Our sample itineraries are just the beginning. Every Adler Marlow trip is designed around you, your pace, your passions, your people. Let us tailor something extraordinary around Portugal's craft traditions.

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Day 1

Arrival in Lisbon

Your home in Lisbon is a boutique hotel taken over entirely by your group. Late in the day, a stroll through the old neighborhoods trains the eye on the tiled facades that define the city, ending with a first dinner at a traditional tasca. Many of these facades date from the 19th century, when tiles became a practical way to protect buildings from rain and heat.

Day 1

Arrival in Lisbon

Your home in Lisbon is a boutique hotel taken over entirely by your group. Late in the day, a stroll through the old neighborhoods trains the eye on the tiled facades that define the city, ending with a first dinner at a traditional tasca. Many of these facades date from the 19th century, when tiles became a practical way to protect buildings from rain and heat.

Day 2

The Art of the Azulejo

The National Tile Museum, housed in a former convent, traces five centuries of Portuguese tile making. After lunch, a local tile artist leads a workshop where everyone paints an azulejo using traditional techniques. The tiles are fired and shipped home after the trip. The museum's highlight is a long panorama of Lisbon made in tile before the 1755 earthquake, a rare look at the city as it once was.

Day 2

The Art of the Azulejo

The National Tile Museum, housed in a former convent, traces five centuries of Portuguese tile making. After lunch, a local tile artist leads a workshop where everyone paints an azulejo using traditional techniques. The tiles are fired and shipped home after the trip. The museum's highlight is a long panorama of Lisbon made in tile before the 1755 earthquake, a rare look at the city as it once was.

Day 3

Caldas da Rainha and Óbidos

Head north to Caldas da Rainha, home of Bordallo Pinheiro, the factory behind Portugal's famous cabbage-leaf pottery, to see pieces molded and glazed. Then on to the walled village of Óbidos, where ginja, the local cherry liqueur, is poured into small chocolate cups. Rafael Bordallo Pinheiro founded the factory in 1884, and his playful designs, from cabbage-leaf bowls to swallows, are still made today.

Day 3

Caldas da Rainha and Óbidos

Head north to Caldas da Rainha, home of Bordallo Pinheiro, the factory behind Portugal's famous cabbage-leaf pottery, to see pieces molded and glazed. Then on to the walled village of Óbidos, where ginja, the local cherry liqueur, is poured into small chocolate cups. Rafael Bordallo Pinheiro founded the factory in 1884, and his playful designs, from cabbage-leaf bowls to swallows, are still made today.

Day 4

To the Alentejo

Drive east into the Alentejo to a country house near the hilltop village of Monsaraz, again all to yourselves. Later, visit São Pedro do Corval, among Portugal's largest pottery centers, where workshops line the streets and potters work at their wheels. Monsaraz is a walled village on a hill above the Alqueva lake, and the views from its castle stretch toward Spain.

Day 4

To the Alentejo

Drive east into the Alentejo to a country house near the hilltop village of Monsaraz, again all to yourselves. Later, visit São Pedro do Corval, among Portugal's largest pottery centers, where workshops line the streets and potters work at their wheels. Monsaraz is a walled village on a hill above the Alqueva lake, and the views from its castle stretch toward Spain.

Day 5

At the Wheel

A full day at the wheel with a local potter, learning to throw and shape pieces and decorate them in the region's traditional painted style. That night, everyone shows what they've made over dinner, with Alentejo wine and the plains stretching out below Monsaraz. Alentejo pottery is famous for its bright, hand-painted flowers and birds, and the potter shows how each design is laid on by brush.

Day 5

At the Wheel

A full day at the wheel with a local potter, learning to throw and shape pieces and decorate them in the region's traditional painted style. That night, everyone shows what they've made over dinner, with Alentejo wine and the plains stretching out below Monsaraz. Alentejo pottery is famous for its bright, hand-painted flowers and birds, and the potter shows how each design is laid on by brush.

Day 6

Departure

A quiet last morning in the countryside, then the two-hour drive back to Lisbon for flights home. Pieces that need firing are shipped to follow you. If there's time, a stop at a roadside pottery workshop on the way out is easy to arrange.

Day 6

Departure

A quiet last morning in the countryside, then the two-hour drive back to Lisbon for flights home. Pieces that need firing are shipped to follow you. If there's time, a stop at a roadside pottery workshop on the way out is easy to arrange.

BACK TO ALL