starting at €438 total, not per person

•  4-hour private driving & walking tour     

•  skip-the-line entry ticket fees excluded.

•  our guides take you inside the monuments

•  reservations required

the west side sights of lisbon and famous pastries

An authorized Portuguese guide will take you inside Lisbon's most important UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Discover exuberant Neo-Manueline architecture unique to Portugal, with famous tombs, and the stories of explorers, authors, warriors, and rebels.

The Belém Tower was built in 1515 as a gateway to Lisbon and as part of a defensive entrance to the Tagus River. Once inside we reveal secrets, mysterious symbols, and strange stories on each level of the tower before reaching the views from the terrace.

A short walk away is the Discoveries Monument, built in 1960 to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the death of Prince Henry the Navigator and the location where Vasco da Gama would have departed.

Then we visit the magnificent S. Jerónimos Monastery (Mosteiro dos Jerónimos), one of Lisbon's most prominent monuments. Besides housing the tombs of numerous historical figures, such as Vasco da Gama, Maria of Aragon, Queen Catherine of Habsburg, and poet Luís de Camões, this vast Manueline-style structure also houses the National Archaeological and Maritime Museums, with world-class exhibitions.

At the end of the tour, we skip the line at Lisbon's famous pastry shop "Pastéis de Belém", to have freshly baked custard pastries that are world-renowned.

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why do we use a dedicated driver and a separate guide?

We provide a luxury modern vehicle with heat and air conditioning, a driver, and an official guide who can take guests inside the monuments of Belem. Unlike budget tour operators, our guides won’t leave you to wander the interior of the vast Monastery on your own with no explanations of what you are seeing. Many budget tours of Belem have the guide double duty as the driver. This is something we would never do, and you will have a dedicated driver for 3 reasons.

1. We don't want guests to wait for a guide to find a parking place before they lead guests inside the monuments. Parking can be hectic, and waits are common during the high season.

2. We don’t want our licensed and insured drivers to be distracted by conversation. Portugal has one of the highest accident fatality ratios per capita in the EU. We must keep our guests safe on the narrow roads while our guides explain the sights, culture, and landscape.

3. The weather conditions in the Atlantic mountains make a very unpredictable micro-climate. The temps can change very quickly with rain, wind, fog, or hail. We like our guests to have the convenience of leaving their unused personal items, packs, coats, or umbrellas inside the vehicle with the driver monitoring it at all times. Vehicle burglaries are common in the parking lots of monuments in Portugal.

major highlights

closures

Sundays 9am to 2pm

Mondays

January 1

Easter Sunday

April 25

May 1

December 25 and 31

start and end points

Starting at:

Hotel, apartment, or ship dock

Ending at:

Hotel, apartment, or ship dock

important details

Beware of budget tours

We use authorized guides, and you will go to the front of ticket lines. Many budget tour operators do not take their guests inside the palaces of Sintra, because they do not have authorization to speak inside as guides, and they cannot skip the ticket lines. They will simply park outside and wait while guests wonder the inside of the palaces and gardens on their own.

We will always be able to skip the ticket lines, but it is impossible for any guide to move head of the crowds passing through the palace chambers.

         ADD SERVICES

A tasting of Ginjinha, a cherry liquor of Portugal.

A stop at the famous Cafe Periquita for a Sintra Travesseiro pastry, (puff pastry filled with egg cream and almond paste).

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         INCLUDED

Skip the ticket lines with an official tour guide.

Round-trip transfer in a luxury vehicle with a dedicated driver at all times.

Authorization to enter sights.

VAT tax.

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        WALKING LEVEL

90% downhill and stairs with upstairs and inclines. 10% in vehicle.  No elevators available. Some cobblestones and unpaved paths on tour route. Must be able to walk for 1-hour without resting.

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          INFORMATION

Wear comfortable athletic shoes. Bring windbreakers or umbrellas.

There are stops for clean restrooms, and food & beverage breaks if needed.

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        MEETING POINT

Hotel, apartment, or ship dock.

Meetings at hotels or apartments located outside of Lisbon can effect tour price because of fuel and time expenses.

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         START TIMES

Tuesday to Saturday, year round at 9:am, 9:30am, or 2:pm

Sundays at 2:00pm

Custom start times subject to guide availability.

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            TICKET FEES

Entry fees vary by season and age, but average a total of €20 per adult for all the sights we visit. There are senior and student ticket discounts as you enter. Children under 6 years have no ticket fee.

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          EXCLUDED

Ticket fees are additional.

Audio headsets when required in palaces for parties of 6 more more. Price €1.50 per person.

Food and beverages.

S. Jerónimos Monastery:

Exuberant Portuguese, “Manueline-style” architecture.

Church of Santa Maria:

A stunning ceiling, over the tomb of Vasco da Gama and kings.

(The church is closed for services on Sunday mornings. Opens at 2:00pm).

Belém Tower:

Closed or restorations in April 2025, and will not reopen in April 2026. We will

compensate for this closure by inclduing a scenic walk along the Tejo river to the

MATT, a unique modern museum in the shape of an enormous undulating wave,

covered by 15,000 ceramic tiles.

Discoveries Monument:

Departure point to explore and trade with India and the Orient.

Pastéis de Belém:

World famous custard tarts warm from the oven...we skip the line.

Much more:

Hidden places full of adventure and secrets that we don’t like to advertise.

tours for the culturally curious traveler

Lisbon Explorer

• Tiered pricing at a flat fee

• Customizable

• Meets where you like

• Luxury vehicles and drivers

• Multi-lingual guides

• Flexible cancellation policy