Full-Day Private Tour in Lisbon

3 Reviews | Lisbon, Portugal

8 hours (Approx.)

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Overview

Visit Lisbon's top attractions in the comfort of your own private, chauffeur-driven vehicle with this half-day tour of the city. You'll visit the UNESCO World Heritage Jeronimos Monastery, the grand Belém Tower, and the charming viewpoints and squares in town.

Description

Stop At: Miradouro da Senhora do Monte, Largo do Monte, Lisbon 1170

The “Viewpoint of the Lady of the Mount” is at the top of Lisbon’s tallest hill. The name derives from a glass-encased image of the Virgin that stands in front of a charming white chapel dedicated to St. Gens, a bishop martyred in Roman times.

At this stop you'll have the opportunity to take some beautiful pictures.

Duration: 20 minutes

Pass By: Igreja de Sao Vicente de Fora, Largo Sao Vicente, Lisbon 1100

This monastery dedicated to St. Vincent dates from 1582, and has the world’s most extensive collection of baroque tiles in its richly-decorated cloisters. It includes a series of 38 panels illustrating the fables of La Fontaine, created by master Policarpo de Oliveira Bernardes between 1740 and 1750. Other panels depict scenes from the history of Portugal, including the siege of Lisbon in 1147.

Stop At: Alfama, Lisbon

Village-like Alfama is one of Europe’s oldest neighborhoods. It was settled as far back as the Iron Age, and later occupied by the Romans, Visigoths and other Germanic tribes, before becoming the heart of Moorish Lisbon. With the conquest of the city by Portugal’s first king in 1147, the Moors were either killed in the siege or segregated in Mouraria, and Alfama became home to the upper classes. It was also the Jewish quarter, until the Jews were expelled (together with all other non-Christians who didn’t convert) in 1497. As Lisbon expanded, the wealthy residents moved west, leaving Alfama to the fishing community.

At this stop you'll have the opportunity to walk under the narrow streets.

Duration: 10 minutes

Stop At: Lisbon Cathedral, Largo da Se, Lisbon 1100

Lisbon’s cathedral (or the Church of Santa Maria Maior) is one of the city’s oldest and most robust monuments. It dates back to 1147, and survived battles and the devastating earthquake of 1755. It suffered countless alterations over the centuries, and ended up with a mix of the Romanesque, Gothic, and Baroque styles.

At this stop you'll have the opportunity to visit the cathedral and take some beautiful pictures.

Duration: 20 minutes

Stop At: Miradouro das Portas do Sol, Largo das Portas do Sol, Alfama, Lisbon 1100

This viewpoint is essentially one huge balcony above the ancient Alfama neighborhood. Its panoramic view has illustrated countless postcards, showing what looks like a colorful Mediterranean village cascading down to the waterfront. It’s a mandatory stop for anyone who wants to take the best photos of old Lisbon, with the towers of the Monastery of St. Vincent and the dome of the National Pantheon standing out in the skyline.

At this stop you'll have the opportunity to take some beautiful pictures.

Duration: 20 minutes

Stop At: Rua Augusta, Rua Augusta, Satna Maria Maior, Lisbon

Lisbon's liveliest pedestrian street is paved with Portugal’s traditional cobblestone designs, and links the city's two main squares (Rossio and Praça do Comércio). It's a shopping street where international brands coexist with age-old shops, many of them with wonderful decades-old signs.

At this stop you'll have the opportunity to walk around and take some beautiful pictures.

Duration: 20 minutes

Stop At: Praca do Comercio (Terreiro do Paco), Avenida Infante Dom Henrique 1C, Lisbon 1100

Lisbon’s “Market Square” is still often called “Terreiro do Paço” (“Palace Square”) by locals, although there hasn’t been a palace here since 1755, when a devastating earthquake destroyed the royal residence and all the buildings around it. Luckily, the royal family wasn’t in town that day, and moved to a new palace up on a hill above Belém.

At this stop you'll have the opportunity to walk around and take some beautiful pictures.

Duration: 20 minutes

Stop At: Santuario Nacional de Cristo Rei, Praceta do Cristo Rei 27A, Não é localizado em Lisboa e sim em Almada, Almada 2800

Inspired by the iconic statue of Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro, the Catholic Church in Portugal decided to have its own monument to Christ in Lisbon. Named Cristo Rei (“Christ the King”), the gigantic statue also has its arms opening to the city. The idea came soon after WWII, when Lisbon remained neutral and escaped the bombings that destroyed other European capitals. It was a way for Catholics to thank God for what they interpreted to be a blessing, and after several years of planning and construction, the monument was finally unveiled in 1959. That was seven years before the inauguration of 25 de Abril Bridge, which can be seen right below it.

At this stop you'll have the opportunity to visit the monument (optional) and take some beautiful pictures.

Duration: 1 hour

Stop At: Torre de Belem, Avenida Brasilia - Belem, Lisbon 1400

It looks like a small fairytale castle rising from the river, but this tower was built in 1515 as a beacon and fortress to guard the entrance to Lisbon’s harbor. It also served as a prison, and as the departure point for many of the “voyages of discovery” that took Portugal’s navigators to previously uncharted territories.
The discovery of Brazil, global trade, and the colonization of parts of Africa and Asia, gave the king an unprecedented wealth, so the monument was eventually embellished with motifs glorifying the age. Carved into the stone are twisted ropes, knots, crosses, and armillary spheres, plus a rhinoceros that inspired a famous drawing by Durer, which is now in London’s British Museum. Apparently an Indian king offered the beast to the Portuguese king in 1513, and upon its arrival in Lisbon it caused great curiosity and fascination all over Europe.

At this stop you'll have the opportunity to visit the monument (optional) and take some beautiful pictures.

Duration: 30 minutes

Stop At: Padrao dos Descobrimentos, Padrao dos Descobrimentos Avenida Brasilia, Belem, Lisbon 1400

Originally a temporary structure honoring Prince Henry the Navigator (who died exactly 500 years earlier) and glorifying the feats of Portuguese explorers for the propagandistic 1940 “Portuguese World Exhibition,” this monument was rebuilt in concrete and limestone in 1960 to stand as a reminder of the “Age of Discovery.”

At this stop you'll have the opportunity to visit the monument (optional) and take some beautiful pictures.

Duration: 30 minutes

Stop At: Mosteiro dos Jeronimos, Praca do Imperio, Belém, Lisbon 1400

One of the first monuments in Europe to be listed as a World Heritage Site , this monastery was built in the 1500s and is Lisbon’s must-see marvel. It was paid for with the profits made in the spice trade with the East, and was home to the monks of the Order of Saint Jerome (the “Jerónimos” or Hieronymites). These monks were supposed to pray for the king’s soul, and responsible for the recipe of the famous custard tarts (the “pastéis de Belém” or “pastéis de nata”), that are sold at a pastry shop down the street and now available all over Portugal and the world.

At this stop you'll have the opportunity to visit the monument (optional) and take some beautiful pictures.

Duration: 1 hour

Stop At: Pastéis de Belém, R. de Belém 84 92, 1300-085 Lisboa, Portugal

One of the top attractions, however, is a pastry shop. You’ll see people line up outside Antiga Confeitaria de Belém, which is better known as “Pastéis de Belém” (“Belém pastries”), to savor the famous custard tarts that originated here in 1837, using a recipe that remains secret. Tourists and locals have a few in the tiled interior, while others buy a dozen to enjoy at the park across the street.

At this stop you'll have the opportunity to taste the famous custard pastries.

Duration: 1 hour

Stop At: Parque das Nacoes, Avenida Dom Joao II 13B, Lisbon 1990

Eastern Lisbon used to be an ugly industrial area, until it was chosen as the site to host the last World Fair of the 20th century, Expo 98. Now called Parque das Nações, this part of the city is still often referred to as “Expo” by some locals. Since the fair, it has been reborn into a futuristic glass-and-steel district, home to some striking examples of contemporary architecture. Many are structures left behind by the event, while others are more recent constructions that kept the oceanic theme, like the twin towers São Gabriel and São Rafael (built between 2000 and 2004), which resemble ships and are named after two of Vasco da Gama's vessels.

At this stop you'll have the opportunity to walk around this beautiful neighborhood with some magnificent modern architecture buildings.

Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes

Pass By: Rossio Square, Praca Dom Pedro IV, Lisbon 1100

The official name is Dom Pedro IV Square, but everyone knows it as Rossio. It marks the very center of the city, a lively place at any time of the day, with a wave-patterned pavement originally created in 1848, which has been reproduced throughout Portugal, in Rio de Janeiro and Macau.

Pass By: Rossio Train Station, Praca D. Pedro IV, Lisbon

The neo-Manueline (Portuguese Gothic Revival) architecture of this station makes it one of Lisbon’s most striking monuments. It faces the northwest corner of Rossio Square, which it was named after, and is the station for the suburban trains to Sintra. That historic town is the most popular day trip from Lisbon, so this is the station most used by tourists. The Lisbon-Sintra line also stops in the suburb of Queluz, which is home to one of Portugal’s most beautiful royal palaces.

Stop At: Parque Eduardo VII, Av. Sidonio Pais, Lisbon 1070

Lisbon's central park was named as a tribute to the English monarch Edward VII, who visited Lisbon in 1903, five centuries after the Anglo-Portuguese Alliance. It ascends one of the city's hills and provides a wonderful view from the top. It's made up of symmetrical box hedging and a variety of plants, most of them found inside a cool and heated greenhouse from the 1930s, which is filled with exotic species from tropical climates. This greenhouse is one of the most important green spaces in Lisbon, considered an authentic living museum, with its small lakes and waterfalls, statuary, and hundreds of species of plants.

At this stop you'll have the opportunity to see one of the most important avenues of Lisbon.

Duration: 20 minutes