Exploring the Peninsular War sites and the french influence in Portugal

Exploring the Peninsular War sites and the french influence in Portugal

In 1807 Napoleon sent his armies to invade Portugal as punishment for the country not having joined his Continental Blockade.

With the English help, a joint force of British and Portuguese commanded by the future Duke of Wellington was created to tackle the situation.

Anticipating the third and last invasion the duke built two impregnable defensive lines north of Lisbon, fortifying all the surrounding hills.

In this tour we will visit three of the main forts of the Torres Vedras Defensive Lines which connect the Tagus to the Atlantic: the Alhandra Memorial Fort, the Zambujal Fort in Mafra and the Torres Vedras Castle Fort. In Mafra we'll visit the magnificent baroque complex Palace/Convent/Basilica, built with the large amounts of gold brought from Brazil.

On this trip we will talk about the history of this period and the importance of the influence of French revolutionary ideas on the future of Portugal.

A highlight of the tour is the beautiful scenery of the places we will visit.

Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product

Stop At: Monumento a Hercules e aos Defensores das Linhas de Torres Vedras, Estrada do Miradouro, Alhandra 2600-462 Portugal

Visit to the monument and the Fort. Admire the sights over the Tagus river and the plains of Ribatejo

Duration: 30 minutes

Stop At: Lines of Torres Vedras, Torres Vedras Portugal

Visit to the Fort of Zambujal in Mafra

Duration: 40 minutes

Stop At: Lines of Torres Vedras, Torres Vedras Portugal

Visit to the Fort of Torres Vedras Castle

Duration: 40 minutes

Stop At: Castelo de Torres Vedras, Rua da Paz Largo Cel. Morais Sarmento, Torres Vedras Portugal

Visit to the Castle of Torres Vedras

Duration: 20 minutes

Stop At: Palacio Nacional de Mafra, Terreiro Dom Joao v, Mafra 2640-492 Portugal

Visit to the palace

Duration: 1 hour