This tour is designed for travelers that enjoy history but want to see something different to the usual tourist spots in Lisbon and Sintra. This private 7-hour tour to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Évora will show you another side of Portugal’s rich history.
At your hotel, airbnb or cruise port
This tour is designed for history lovers, showing you the city’s varied collection of historic landmarks. After relaxing on the trip (1 hour 30 minutes) from Lisbon, you reach Évora, a UNESCO World Heritage city. You’ll be transported back to Roman times, the Moorish occupations and all the way through the middle ages, until today’s Portugal.
You’ll discover the history of the Roman Temple, often incorrectly referred to as the Temple of Diana. You will also enter the famous Sé Cathedral, the largest medieval cathedral of Portugal. It was built between 1186 and 1204 and was only finished to its final beauty in 1250. Your guide will show you the cloister, basilica and then you will go all the way up to the rooftop to have a fantastic birds-eye-view over the whole city.
You will explore the “creepy” Bone Chapel, with its carefully arranged skulls and bones of about 5000 people that cover the walls and columns. It is supposed to make visitors reflect on the inevitable facts of life and death. Make sure you look up at the inscription on the entrance, which reads: “We bones that here are, await for yours.”
As well as the above sites, you’ll also have the chance to stroll along the city’s main Giraldo Square. Also discovering other historic details of this city and the local way of life. Not to forget, you should try some of the simple local gastronomic specialties if you get hungry. At the end of the tour, you’ll be driven back to Lisbon.
At your hotel, airbnb or cruise port
Pick-up and drop off at a hotel or cruise port in Lisbon;
Entrance fees to the Bone Chapel;
Entrance fees to the Évora Cathedral;
Private guide for your group, who will accompany you inside the monuments and locations;
Transportation by air-conditioned car or van.
Lunch and any other items not mentioned in the description.
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Not available Sundays!
It will be a 1 hour and 15 minutes’ drive from Lisbon to Évora. The journey back takes the same time;
Be sure to bring comfortable shoes, sunscreen, and a camera;
National monuments close on public holidays or on special occasions, without notice;
The sequence of the mentioned places can change according to your wishes or due to weather conditions.
I work with Joao to develop a 2 day tour for my group - 6 senior women age 71 - 81. Joao and I talked about the physical abilities of our "band of sisters" - his suggestions were thoughtful and we ended with a trip that synched well with our varied interests and strengths. Maia was our guide for both days and she was wonderful - full of history, stories, and much love for her country. My personal favorite place was Cascais, a perfect beach town situated between Lisbon and Sintra - I could easily spend a week exploring, using Cascais as my base. Thank you Joao and Maia for giving us so many memories - safe to say we will all be back!
Thank you so very much for your review, dear Lynn. It was a joy building and making the tour for you. Our guide Maia also loved her “Golden Girls” group… :-) Glad you enjoyed your stay in Lisbon! Hope to have you back soon to our Portugal Warmest Regards, Joao Dickmann
Joao was so helpful and accommodating in helping me create a custom private Sintra sightseeing tour for me and my husband. He gave us great recommendations on the best time to go to each place we wanted to visit. Rodrigo, our guide for the day, was also wonderful. He was incredibly friendly and extremely knowledgable on the history of Portugal. We had a wonderful tour and were so appreciative of his time. We would highly recommend Joao and his team for your sightseeing tour.
Thank you very much for taking some time to write a review, dear Jessica. It is always important for us to know how we are doing. Glad that our guide Rodrigo gave you a good time in our beautiful Lisbon and Sintra. Hope to have you back soon to explore other locations and experiences. Warmest Regards, Joao Dickmann
... then explore Sintra with Joao. We could not have immersed in the beauties and the history of the places we visited if we tried to do it ourselves. With our fantastic private guide, Joao, we learned a lot about the places. Absolute flexible guide, excellent speaker, you won't miss a word. Definitely recommended.
First of all, thank you very much dear Csaba for taking some time to write a review! I´m glad that you enjoyed your visit to our lovely Sintra. It was a pleasure making the tour for you, and hope to have you back in the near future. Warmest Regards and stay safe, Joao Dickmann
Joao was friendly and very knowledgeable. We really got a good understanding of Portugal's history, as he was born and raised there and had some great insight. The drive to Sintra was beautiful with a stop along the way to a castle. Overall, it was a perfect day and we learned a lot. Would highly recommend Joao for any tour in or out of Portugal.
Thank you very much for your review of our day together, dear Ann. It was our pleasure to be able to show you our unique Sintra with its history, and natural beauty (as it is one of our main national parks). Waiting for you here in Portugal for your next visit... Warmest Regards, Joao Dickmann