starting at €2119 total, not per person

•  2-days, 1-night private driving & walking tour     

•  skip-the-line entry ticket fees excluded.

•  our guides take you inside the monuments

•  reservations required

discover portugal’s most important judaic sights in 2-days

The entire country of Portugal still has remnants of the Jewish community that became the largest in the world in one kingdom after 1492. Today, the customs and influences of the Jewish people are still deeply infused in Portuguese culture. On our journey between Lisbon and Porto, we visit the most well-preserved and important Jewish heritage sites. Along the way, there are picturesque stone villages, cultural diversions, and time to enjoy local foodstuffs while meeting locals and members of these remote Jewish communities who've managed to survive over the centuries in secret.

Day 1: 

Departing from Lisbon, we arrive at the village of Tomar to discover the best-preserved medieval Synagogue and Mikvah of Portugal. Constructed in 1430 for the thriving Jewish community that once existed here. Inside, we find an eclectic museum and ingenious ancient acoustic engineering. Our next stop is the riverfront town of Coimbra and the country's former capital. Here we explore the narrow old streets of the former medieval Jewish quarter and the historic University of Coimbra. The university, founded in 1290 by King Dinis, is among the oldest in the world. Here you will learn about famous Portuguese Jewish scholars whose contributions helped shape the empire. The university is also renowned for its baroque library, the Biblioteca Joanina, which can be toured instead of the former Jewish quarter. After a lunch break, we arrive in Porto for a visit to the largest Synagogue in the Iberian Peninsula. Its construction was made possible by the heroic Captain de Barros Basto (often described as "The Dreyfuss of Portugal"), who was recently depicted in the historical drama film "Sefarad".

Day 2:

From Porto, we dive into the remote village of Trancoso, which is famous for its walls and doors festooned with stone carvings of New Christians, "Cristãos-novos" (forced converts after 1498). Nowadays, Trancoso’s Jewish and New Christian Heritage still lives on in preserved documents, local traditions, and architecture, such as the Casa de Gato Preto (Black Cat House), Poço do Mestre (Master’s Well), and many other dwellings. Inside the recently constructed Isaac Cardoso Jewish Cultural Center and Bandarra House, we discover the shoemaker, poet, and Portuguese Nostradamus who inspired Messianic thinking in Portuguese culture. We have a lunch break before exploring the famous village of Belmonte. A Jewish community that survived in secrecy for centuries by maintaining a tradition of endogamy and hiding all external signs of their faith until they were discovered in the 20th century. Belmonte's Jewish community has a new synagogue and Jewish museum, Judaica shops, and kosher food items that have won gastronomy awards.

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

Museu Luso-Hebraico de Abraão Zacuto:

The Tomar Synagogue and Mikvah museum.

Tomar Jewish Quarter:

Walk the cobbled streets of Tomar's former Jewish quarter.

Coimbra Biblioteca, or Jewish Quarter:

Choose a visit to The Biblioteca Joanina, or a walk through the medieval

Jewish quarter.

Porto Jewish Quarter:

A walk through the remains of Porto's small Jewish

quarter.

Kadoorie, Mekor H’aim- Fountain of Life Synagogue:

The largest Synagogue in Iberia, with stunning decorative tiles.

Trancoso:

Walk the remote stone village with secret stone carvings of the Jews who were forced to convert.

Beit Mayim Hayim - House of Living Waters:

A modern synagogue housed inside the Isaac Cardoso Center for Jewish Interpretation.

Belmonte Jewish Quarter:

Visit old streets where the surviving Jewish community resides today.

Beit Eliahu Synagogue:

Built in 1998  for the surviving Jewish community of Belmonte.

Museu Judaico, Centro de Estudos Judaicos Adriano Vasco Rodrigues:

The small but important Belmonte Jewish Museum.

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.

start and end points

Starting at:

Hotel, apartment, or ship dock

Ending at:

Hotel, apartment, or ship dock

Make your hotel reservations in advance.

Upon completion of your reservation, we will be happy to provide suggestions for accommodations in Porto that will meet your budget.

For lunches and dinners, and your guide will suggest authentic, local places depending on your tastes, and budget. For upscale dining, we are also happy to suggest restaurants via email in case you want to make advance dinner reservations.

Synagogues are not available for tours during holy days.

Mondays

January 1

April 25

May 1

December 24 and 25

Good Friday

Easter Sunday.

closures

         ADD SERVICES

We are happy to make arrangements for Challah and Kosher wine with travelers who will end their tour on Fridays. There is an additional fee, and advance notice is required.  

         INCLUDED

• Skip the ticket lines with an

  official tour guide.

• Round-trip transfer in a luxury

  vehicle with a dedicated driver,

  and separate guide.

• Authorization to enter sights.

• VAT tax.

.

        WALKING LEVEL

85% level ground with few upstairs and inclines. 30% of time in vehicle. No elevators. Some cobblestones on tour route. Must be able to walk at casual pace for at least 30 minutes without resting.

.

          INFORMATION

Kosher meals are only available for parties of 10 or more. For smaller parties there are restaurants with vegetarian and vegan options available if needed.

.

        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.

.

         START TIMES

Tuesday to Sunday, year round.

Morning: 9:00am,  9:30am, or 10:00am

No additional start times available.

.

            TICKET FEES

Entry fees vary by season and age, but average a total of €20 per person for all the sights that we visit.

Plus, a requested tzedakah at two synagogues.

.

          EXCLUDED

Entry ticket fees are additional.

Meals and hotels are additional.

Guests must make their own hotel reservations in advance. A timetable is provided upon confirmation of reservation.

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