Atlantic Grand Private Journey from Portugal to Morocco

Touch down in Lisbon — one of Europe's most beautiful, characterful and underrated capitals — where your private driver will transfer you to your hotel in the historic Alfama district. The oldest neighbourhood in the city, Alfama tumbles down towards the Tagus River in a cascade of pastel buildings, cobbled lanes and sun-warmed terraces that have barely changed in centuries. This afternoon is for settling in and orienting yourself — ride the legendary Tram 28 through the steep streets, discover Praça do Comércio on the waterfront and the elegant Rossio Square at the city's heart. This evening, find a restaurant in Bairro Alto for a traditional Portuguese dinner accompanied by Fado — the haunting, soulful music that is the emotional heartbeat of Lisbon.

A full day exploring Lisbon with your private guide, beginning in the magnificent riverside district of Belém — where Portugal's Age of Discovery was launched and where the country's greatest monuments stand as testament to one of history's most extraordinary periods of exploration. The Jerónimos Monastery is among the finest examples of Manueline architecture in the world — an extraordinary fusion of Gothic stonework and maritime motifs carved in golden limestone. The Belém Tower stands sentinel at the river's edge, and the famous Pastéis de Belém bakery has been producing its legendary custard tarts to the same secret recipe since 1837. The afternoon brings the creative energy of LX Factory and the sweeping city panoramas from São Jorge Castle.

After breakfast, a short train journey west brings you to Sintra — a UNESCO World Heritage town of extraordinary romantic beauty set among forested hills above the Atlantic. The Pena Palace crowns the highest peak in a blaze of colour — its ochre towers, crimson battlements and azulejo tilework creating one of the most fantastical royal residences in Europe. The mysterious Quinta da Regaleira rewards exploration with its secret tunnels, subterranean wells and gardens layered with esoteric symbolism. Returning towards Lisbon in the late afternoon, stop at Cabo da Roca — the westernmost point of continental Europe — where the cliffs drop to the Atlantic and the ocean stretches unbroken to the horizon.

Travel north to Porto — Portugal's second city and one of the most beautiful urban riverscapes in all of Europe. Check into your hotel in the Ribeira district, the medieval waterfront quarter whose colourful tiled facades and narrow alleys cascading down to the Douro earned it UNESCO World Heritage status. Cross the iconic Dom Luís I Bridge on foot for extraordinary views across the city before visiting the Livraria Lello — one of the most beautiful bookshops in the world, its neo-Gothic interior and sweeping staircase a destination in their own right. The afternoon belongs to Vila Nova de Gaia across the river, where the great port wine lodges line the waterfront and private tastings reveal why Porto's most famous export conquered the world.

A full day in the Douro Valley — one of the most breathtaking wine regions on earth and the oldest demarcated wine region in the world, established in 1756. Your private driver heads east from Porto into a landscape of almost impossible beauty — terraced vineyards stepped into granite hillsides above the winding river, ancient quintas clinging to the slopes, small villages unchanged for generations. Visit a family-owned quinta for a private tour of the winery and a tasting lunch of regional wines paired with traditional Portuguese dishes. The late afternoon light on the terraced hillsides is something no photograph fully captures. Return to Porto as evening falls for a final riverside dinner in the Ribeira.

After breakfast, your private driver transfers you to the airport for your flight to Marrakech — a journey of barely two hours that crosses a continent and an entire civilisation. Upon arrival at Marrakech Menara Airport, your private driver and guide are waiting to transfer you to your riad in the heart of the medina. Checking into a traditional Moroccan riad — a private courtyard house of fountain, mosaic tilework and carved cedarwood — is itself an immersion into a world of extraordinary beauty and hospitality. This evening, head to Jemaa el-Fnaa as the sun sets over the Koutoubia Mosque — the square comes alive at dusk with musicians, storytellers, food stalls and the warm, intoxicating energy of Moroccan street life.

A full day with your private guide exploring the architectural and cultural treasures of Marrakech. Begin at the Bahia Palace — its name means The Brilliant — with its extraordinary sequence of painted ceilings, zellij tile floors and orange-blossom courtyards. Continue to the haunting ruins of El Badi Palace, once encrusted with gold and marble looted from across the known world, before discovering the Saadian Tombs — concealed behind a palace wall for three centuries and only rediscovered in 1917 — whose intricate carved stucco and cedar ceilings rank among the finest Moorish decorative work anywhere. The vivid cobalt blues of the Majorelle Garden offer a moment of calm before the day closes with a traditional hammam — steam, scrub and renewal in the great Moroccan tradition.

Leave the city behind and venture into the extraordinary landscapes that begin just an hour from Marrakech. Your private driver heads into the High Atlas — through Berber villages of pink-washed stone clinging to terraced hillsides, past walnut groves and rushing mountain streams, with panoramic views across valleys of breathtaking scale and beauty. A traditional Moroccan lunch in a mountain guesthouse provides the midpoint before the return journey brings you to the edge of the Agafay Desert — the rocky, otherworldly plateau of rolling desert dunes that stretches towards the distant Atlas peaks. A sunset camel ride or quad-bike excursion, followed by dinner at a desert camp under the stars, brings one of the most memorable days of the journey to a close.

Dedicate this penultimate day in Morocco to the sensory pleasures of the medina. The souks of Marrakech are among the most extraordinary in the Islamic world — each alleyway its own specialist quarter of handwoven rugs, brass lanterns, argan oil, saffron, hand-stitched babouches and carved cedarwood. The Spice Square fills the air with the aromatic blends that define Moroccan cuisine, while Le Jardin Secret — a beautifully restored 19th-century riad garden hidden behind ancient medina walls — offers a moment of extraordinary tranquillity. The evening brings a Moroccan cooking class — learning to coax the deep, complex flavours of tagine and pastilla from traditional clay pots — followed by a final rooftop dinner above the glowing medina.

Your private driver transfers you north to Casablanca — Morocco's great modern metropolis and commercial capital, a city of wide Art Deco boulevards, a glamorous Corniche and one of the most spectacular mosques in the world. The Hassan II Mosque stands at the very edge of the Atlantic Ocean — its 210-metre minaret the tallest religious structure on earth, its interior capable of holding 25,000 worshippers, its floor of transparent glass revealing the ocean beneath. It is one of the great buildings of the modern world and an unmissable final act in a journey defined by extraordinary architecture. The afternoon is for the Corniche — its seafront cafés, ocean breezes and chic restaurants providing a elegant, unhurried finale to ten magnificent days.