starting at €701 total, not per person

•  8-hour private driving & walking tour     

•  skip-the-line entry ticket fees excluded.

•  our guides take you inside the monuments

•  reservations required

explore the most rustic, ancient and mysterious region of portugal

Evora is the capital of the largest and most scenic of Portugal’s regions. On our way from Lisbon, you will pass over the breathtaking Vasco da Gama Bridge, spanning 17 kilometers across the Tejo River. On the other side awaits the Alentejo region, famous for its gently rolling hills of wheat and wildflowers, dotted with majestic cork oak trees, vineyards, and sheep grazing in unfenced pastures. This region also boasts some of Europe's most exotic birds, which migrate from North Africa in the spring.

At the UNESCO-protected village of Evora, the capital of the Alentejo Region, we walk the well-preserved historic center. Evora was a critical junction on routes that sustained the Roman Empire, and Julius Caesar named it Liberalitas Julia (Julian Generosity). The city's present character is defined by Moorish influence, which reigned for over 400 years and produced some of the most notable poets, statesmen, and scientists of the period. In the 14th century, Evora experienced a revival under several Portuguese kings and became a major center of the humanities, attracting notable artists, composers, and playwrights from all over Europe.

Today, Evora hosts fascinating monuments, including a 2nd-century Roman temple and the 16th-century Chapel of the Bones, which is decorated from floor to ceiling with carefully arranged bones and skulls of over 5,000 monks and residents. During our visit, you will also explore important cathedrals and estates of former kings and nobles who enjoyed Evora as a country retreat.

Along the way, we detour to visit a cork forest, called a "Montado". Native to the Alentejo region of Portugal and is one of the most important tree species in the Iberian Peninsula. Discover this unique, symbiotic ecosystem that links humankind with nature through one of the world's oldest renewable resources. This stop includes a visit to a cork workshop where artisanal cork items are produced and sold, from bark to bottle.

The tour includes time for a 1-hour lunch break at an authentic, local restaurant at the expense of each guest. Our guides are happy to make suggestions during the tour for a variety of restaurants that suit your tastes, budget, and interests.

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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 Evora. Unlike budget tour operators, our guides won’t leave you to wander the interior of the sights on your own with no explanations of what you are seeing. Many budget tours of Evora 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

Mondays

January 1

Easter Sunday

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 skip-the-line entry ticket fees excluded.. Many budget tour operators do not take their guests inside the monuments, because they do not have authorization as guides, and they cannot skip the ticket lines. They will simply park outside and wait while guests wonder the inside the sights on their own.

Evora Center:

  Praca do Giraldo, burnings & beheadings, today hosts fountains and cafes.

Chapel of the Bones:

  A macabre chapel decorated with human skeletons.

Se Cathedral of Evora:

  Birthplace of the region’s hypnotic polyphonic singing style.

Church S. Francisco:

  Gothic, Moorish, Manueline, Renaissance, and Baroque architecture.

Roman Temple:

  A 2nd-century Roman Temple likely dedicated to Diana.

Cork Forest, (Montado) & Cork Workshop:

  One of the richest ecosystems in the world with important customs,

  traditions, and enviromental heritage for millennia.

         ADD SERVICES

We are happy to make sure guests have an opportunity to visit Evora's famous Pastelaria Conventual Pão De Ral, or to stop at a wine tasting room if this is requested.

         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

80% level ground with few upstairs and inclines. 20% in vehicle. No elevators. Cobblestones and unpaved paths on tour route. Must be able to walk at casual pace for at least 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

7-days a week, year round.

Morning: 9:00am,  9:30am, or 10:00am

No additional start times available.

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            TICKET FEES

Entry fees vary by season and age, but average a total of €8 per person for all the sights that we visit.

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          EXCLUDED

Ticket fees are additional.

Lunch is additional.

Audio headsets when required for parties of 12 or more. Headsets are €3.00 per person.

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