New Year Yoga Holiday in Sintra, Portugal
Enjoy a 4-night adventure over the New Year in Portugal, exploring the magical region of Sintra and vibrant Lisbon while staying within a stunning family historic estate surrounded by nature. Our Portugal yoga holiday includes a guided hike, a Lisbon city trip, time to explore Sintra’s UNESCO-protected Natural Park, New Year setting intentions workshop and of course, daily yoga. Reset after a busy year and leave feeling refreshed and ready for 2026.
Join us on our four-night New Year yoga holiday in Sintra, Portugal for an active wellness escape, to reset before the New Year. Enjoy a hike through the stunning Sintra mountain range and a day trip to Lisbon. Immerse yourself in yoga twice a day, allowing you to return home feeling reset. Discover the historic and lush landscapes of Portugal while still leaving space to relax.
You will stay in the heart of the Sintra UNESCO World Heritage National Park at a beautiful and serene retreat venue made up of two adjoining Quintas, a 16th-century former monastic retreat, and a spacious villa surrounded by ten acres of private gardens. These historic homes offer two swimming pools (unheated), where you could take a winter cold dip, extensive outdoor terraces, and calming views of forested hills. The yoga studio is located in a peaceful cottage. There are also plenty of living spaces to cosy up with a book.
On this Portugal yoga holiday, your days will be full yet relaxed. Each day begins and ends with rejuvenating yoga sessions. The morning practice will energise you for a day of exploration, while evening sessions are more restorative. Included in the price is a hike with a local guide in Sintra, famous for its forested terrain and pastel-coloured villas. Lisbon, only a 30-minute drive away, offers charming old neighbourhoods, colourful architecture, and, of course, delicious pastel de nata! We will provide transfers for a day trip to this vibrant city.
As it is a New Year yoga holiday with us, we share with you a setting intentions workshop, to get clear on your goals for 2026.
On your rest day you can do as you please. The beaches are easily accessible by taxi, where you can do a coastal walk. Whether you’re craving tranquility or exhilaration, this yoga retreat in Portugal offers the perfect balance of activity and relaxation.
In Decemeber, Sintra has a moderately chilly fresh climate ranging from 11-16 degrees. This makes it an ideal time for hiking and exploring without the heat or crowds of summer. The retreat spaces are thoughtfully restored, blending traditional Portuguese architecture with modern comfort. Enjoy peaceful mornings in the gardens and beautiful views from the terraces.
Join us for an unforgettable experience where you can reconnect with nature, explore rich cultural heritage, feel energised by being active and revitalised with yoga. Begin 2026 with exhilaration and rejuvenation on our New Year yoga holiday in Sintra, Portugal.
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Location
Sintra, Portugal -
Season
Spring, autumn, Winter -
Duration
4 nights -
Group size
12 -
Accommodation
Traditional Quintas -
Meeting Point
Lisbon Airport -
Yoga level
All levels -
Activity level
All Levels -
Food
Veggie/Plant-Based
PLEASE READ BEFORE BOOKING:
Pay in instalments
Email to find out more
Twin/ Double Rooms – On all of our retreats, twin or double rooms mean two people sharing. If you book one space, you will share it with another guest.
TRAVEL INSURANCE: Please buy a travel insurance policy that works in case of any unforeseen circumstances
Dates & Prices
29th December - 2nd January 2026
Retreat Information
Quinta Sao Bento & Quinta de Matalva
Single Occupancy room and en-suite bathroom: £1799
Single Occupancy room and shared bathroom (with one other room): £1699
Twin Sharing room with two single beds and en-suite bathroom: £1499pp
Twin Sharing room with two single beds, shared bathroom (with one other room): £1399pp
Cottage Room:
Single Occupancy room with queen bed and shared bathroom (with one other room): £1699
A twin room is two single beds shared with one other yogi.
Instalment payments are available. Please contact us to find out more.
See what is included in your New Year yoga holiday in Portugal with us!
What's included
16th century converted Quinta with lots of outdoor space and room options
Gardens and pools (non-heated for a cold winter dip)
Exclusive access to the venue
Energising morning yoga classes
Restorative evening yoga classes
Delicious plant based brunch after yoga with our AY chef
Delicious plant based evening meal after yoga with our AY chef
Lunch if staying at the venue
A Guided hike with qualified guides in Sintra and packed lunches
Transfer to Lisbon for a day trip
Yoga mats
New Year celebratory dinner
Setting intentions workshop
Amazing AY team to look after your every need
After booking, you will receive access to 'My Retreat Hub' which has been created for you to find all information about your retreat with us in one place; packing list, itinerary, timings, payments, invoices, extras and more
What's not included
- Flights, travel insurance
- Lunch when in Lisbon
- Extra taxis outside of arranged trips
- Extra activities
Your days on your 4-night hiking yoga holiday in Portugal will be the perfect blend of adventure and relaxation.
Check-in is from 3 pm and check-out is at 12.00pm on the last day.
Daily Itinerary
8.00 - 9.30am
Morning Yoga
9.30am
Delicious vegan/veggie brunch to fuel the days adventures
10:30am - 5:00pm
A variety of activities, visit to Lisbon, hike to Sintra, New Year celebrations or relax in the gardens
5pm – 6.30pm
Evening yoga
7pm
Time to Dine
Accommodation in Portugal
Your accommodation in Portugal is a peaceful haven made up of two beautifully restored Quintas nestled in 10 acres of private gardens in the heart of the Sintra UNESCO Natural Park. The venue has a calm and tranquil atmosphere, with traditional design, staying true to it’s history blending in Portuguese tiles and stone. At this venue you have the pleasure of making use of two outdoor swimming pools (unheated) and beautiful lush green gardens.
Accommodation is divided across ten individually styled bedrooms, named after historic visitors to Sintra. There are six double rooms and three twin rooms, with a mix of ensuite and shared bathrooms to suit a variety of preferences. Both houses feel private yet connected, with large terraces for al fresco dining and relaxing, two swimming pools, and extensive gardens to explore. The yoga space is a peaceful studio located in Matalva Cottage, opening onto a flower-filled courtyard. Outdoor yoga is also an option, with a large grass lawn offering stunning views.
The entire venue will be exclusively reserved for our group, giving you complete freedom to relax and explore.
About the Yoga
The yoga classes on your yoga holiday in Portugal will be suitable for all levels and abilities.
We have a beautiful indoor yoga space perfect for dynamic, restorative and meditation sessions.
Our morning yoga classes will blend grounding Hatha and Vinyasa, strong flows, and creative movements to energise you for the day ahead. Evening sessions will be a blissful end to the day with restorative, yin, meditation and yoga nidra.
Yoga mats, bolsters, blankets and cushions are provided on this yoga holiday.
If you use any other equipment, please bring it with you. For restorative yoga, we recommend bringing a light shawl.
Highlights
Exclusive use of venue with stunning gardens
Breakfast, some lunches and dinner by our amazing local chef
New Year Setting Intentions Workshop
Twice daily yoga classes
Guided hike with a local guide in Sintra
Day trip to Lisbon
About the Food
We are a Vegetarian / plant-based company and take great pride in creating incredible food on our retreats.
Our breakfasts are a mixture of savoury and sweet, with eggs, yoghurt, bread and butter, milk, coffee/tea, and warm and cold plant-based options.
Lunches will be at the venue apart from on your day trip to Lisbon where you will buy your lunch. Dinner is more plant-based. Our chefs create diverse and imaginative menus that highlight local produce’s seasonality. We can cater to all dietary requirements. On New Year’s eve our chef will create a special dinner to celebrate.
We include transfers from Portugal at the times listed below. If you choose to fly outside these times or to a different airport, the transfer will not be included.
Flights
Arrive at Lisbon airport no later than 13:30, so you have time to clear customs and baggage reclaim. The shared transfer will depart at 14:15.
Depart from Lisbon airport after 14:45. Our shared transfer will leave the venue at 12:00pm to arrive back at the airport at 12:45pm. This will give you enough time for travel and check-in.
Transfers: The transfer to the venue is included in the price if you either catch the recommended flights or book flights with similar arrival and departure times so you can meet at the airport for the group transfer.
The transfer takes around 30-40 minutes. If you can’t make the group free transfer we can help arrange a private transfer at an extra cost.
Sustainability
We are working towards reducing our carbon footprint, and here are some ways we, as a company, are doing this.
We are a 88% vegan company, 10% vegetarian and 2% fish or meat (only when staying in boutique hotels that offer these options). This makes up a huge percentage of carbon emissions that we avoid so easily because our food is still delicious, balanced and even more creative. So, thanks to you all for enjoying our healthy (mostly) plant-based meals.
The difference: Most travel companies struggle to reduce their travellers’ meat and dairy consumption, which accounts for a large portion of their carbon emissions.
We stay primarily in one location for the duration of the retreat. We have started staying in a few locations on our long haul, but it is limited to 2 or 3 locations over an 8 – 10 night period. Staying in one place means low carbon emissions because we aren’t burning fuel to get around.
The difference: Other adventure travel companies move around every two days, using alot of petrol in vehicles for sometimes only 1 or 2 people.
Our activities are low-impact—yoga, hiking, surfing, skiing/boarding, whitewater rafting, SUP, and kayaking are all very low-carbon activities, in fact, zero-carbon (except skiing/snowboarding due to the ski lifts, which is also low). These activities are included in the price we measure. The carbon may increase with travel to and from these activities in vehicles.
The difference: Other travel companies can include high-carbon activities in the price, such as jet skiing, quad biking, and jeep driving, which increases their carbon footprint.
We run more than half of our retreats and holidays in the UK; these are very low-carbon holidays.
We currently don’t measure our guests’ travel as part of our carbon output because our guests don’t only come from the UK, so it is hard for us to predict this. We also don’t include travel in the holiday price, which is not part of our calculations. We know that we provide these holidays, so we are looking to include this carbon measurement in the future so we are investigating how we can reduce this.
The carbon measurements at the top of the page with the icons are per person for the whole retreat.
Ultra-low-carbon holidays
These holidays are below 200 kg per person, and our UK retreats are below 100 or even 70 kg, so these are great adventures for low carbon breaks.
Ski holidays are actually low in carbon!
In France, many ski resorts are turning to green energy to power the lifts. If you eat low in meat and dairy while you’re there and hire your ski equipment, this makes your trip as low-carbon as possible.
How can you help?
There are ways that you can help reduce your carbon when coming on our retreats and holidays:
Travel by train, try slow travel across Europe and the UK.
If travelling abroad to Europe or further afield, choose carbon capture schemes, check out Ecologi. Offsetting is not the best thing to do these days, but try carbon capture where you pay for carbon to be absorbed into the environment.
Car share UK – we recommend when guests travel by train to arrive and depart at the same time to taxi share – which helps keep costs and carbon emissions down. Why not consider car share, too? Most guests who drive come alone or with a friend; we have WhatsApp groups that, if you like, you can see who is driving from your area and enjoy getting to know each other on the way to the retreats, and save on your carbon emissions at the same time!
We are by no means saints when it comes to producing carbon, as a travel company we know this is very difficult to reduce. We are working to reduce our carbon output each year by measuring it and then creating plans to reduce it. We are reviewing all our venues and asking them how they can improve their carbon reduction as we don’t own any of our venues but we would like to work with them to help in any way we can. We want to be transparent with this, so please get in touch for more information. As we change things, we will update the website.
- Hat, back pack, water bottle, sunglasses
- Warmer layers for the cooler early mornings and evenings
- Comfy clothes for yoga and lounging around the gardens
- Swim suit for swimming in the pool if you fancy a cold dip
- A good book
Reviews
Beautiful Portugal
Portugal is a region rich in stunning landscapes. From vibrant city life to serene coastal views and lush mountains, this area is perfect whether you’re looking to be at one with nature, or explore city culture.
On our yoga holiday in Portugal, we will explore the unique landscape of Sintra. Sintra has it’s own microclimate and boasts picturesque hills and historical sites. The town offers a range of trails that wind through its lush forests and past its historic palaces, such as the colorful Pena Palace and the Moorish Castle. On another day we include a trip to Lisbon, which is known for it’s historic architecture, charming trams and delicious food.
This yoga retreat is a great adventure holiday as Portugal has something for everyone and with yoga twice a day you will leave feeling both energised and relaxed.
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