Tours from Lisbon

[Bruin Steve]

Our April Transatlantic Infinity cruise disembark in Lisbon...We've booked three nights post-cruise there at the Hotel da Baixa--(before flying out to Barcelona to pick up another cruise!)...

 

Last time we visited Lisbon (on a one-day port stop), we took a tour to Sintra/Cascais.  This time, we were thinking of using the disembarkation day and one of our full days to tour Lisbon on our own...and to take the "middle" of the three days to do a tour somewhere outside of town...

 

Looking at available options, there seems to be a lot of tours to Fátima, Batalha, Nazaré, and Óbidos...

Obidos looks very interesting to us (We tend to really love historical/Medeival sites)...I am guessing the others might be interesting as well...We are NOT Catholic, so Fatima doesn't quite have the significance for us that it might have for religious Catholics.  For those who have visited, will it be of any interest to us "nonbelievers"?

Is this a tour worth doing?

I see very similar 8-9 hour small group (8 persons max) tours offered by different providers--Inside Lisbon, Go2Lisbon, Lisbon Riders, Around Lisbon, more...Anyone have any information/opinions on any of these?  Or any other recommended tour companies?  How about any alternative suggestions on sights/tours?

 

Thanks... 

[Hlitner]

All that you mention is good for a day trip from Lisbon.  We do not get involved with the religious aspects but enjoy the history.  There are many tour providers and we have no clue as to which is best.  When we decided to spend a day exploring that part of Portugal, we simply rented a car in Lisbon and drove ourselves.  

 

You have already been to Sintra (a place to which we have returned a few times) and there is also the usual Esteril and Cascais which can easily be accessed by train (from Lisbon).  You might also want to consider an evening at a Fado club.  Our "go to" place is Senor Vinho, but there are other options.  We have not been to Senor Vinho in about 5 years but that restaurant/club was actually owned by Fado folks and the music was certainly interesting.  Or course you will not understand a work of lyrics, but the music is unique.

 

Hank

[cruisemom42]

Another interesting (and different) daytrip from Lisbon is to Evora, about an hour and a half (at most) by bus from Lisbon's main bus depot. The buses are long distance not local and are quite nice. 

 

Evora was originally a Roman outpost in what was (to them) "further Spain".  There are some beautiful remains of a temple to Diana in the center of the old town as well as a nice museum and also one of those medieval "bone chapels" created by using the bones of the monks in the monastery there. The city has photogenic medieval streets and buildings as well.

 

Well worth the trip. 

 

https://www.saltinourhair.com/portugal/evora/

 

[edinburgher]

Fátima, Batalha, Nazaré, and Óbidos...

 

Cannot say anything about the other locations on your list as of these, we have only visited Obidos.

 

It is easy to get there without a tour or a rental car as there is an express bus/coach from Lisbon which takes around an hour each way. Do not consider the train which takes at least double that time.You could internet search for the specifics. Car and bus/coach  parks are on the edge of the village near the viaduct  along with Tourist info, public toilets etc so only a few steps from the village which is pedestrians only.

 

Unfortunately Obidos is super touristy with large crowds to be expected, but it is really pretty with lots of photo ops in the narrow streets. For a tiny place it packs quite a punch as you will see from online images, especially if you go onto some of the back streets off the main street which runs through the heart of the village and where some of the churches are to be found. Do go in if only for a quick peek as one has a tiled interior, another a painted ceiling.

And try Ginja, the cherry liqueur which is sold in small tasting size shots in just about every other store, often from an open window. And wander up by the castle for the views across the village.

 

Despite the crowds we enjoyed our day there.

Edited November 29, 2022 by edinburgher

[welshfamily]

We have also booked the Hotel de baxia for August. We would be very interested in your opinion of the hotel on your return. Also what you decided to do in Lisbon …. And enjoyed.

thanks in advance.

[genealogyfan]

I would suggest looking at the tour company "We Hate Tourism Tours", I used them for a tour to Sintra and other places and it was great and very interesting. https://www.wehatetourismtours.com/lisbon-tours/

[Bruin Steve]

On 4/30/2023 at 1:44 AM, welshfamily said:

We have also booked the Hotel de baxia for August. We would be very interested in your opinion of the hotel on your return. Also what you decided to do in Lisbon …. And enjoyed.

thanks in advance.

Just got home Monday night...We LOVED the Hotel da Baixa...Our room was very nice and fairly spacious for an older European hotel.  Free minibar.  Good breakfast (and we got there early the first day after disembarking Infinity and they told us to go ahead and be seated for breakfast/coffee while we waited for room availability--which we had fairly early).  Front desk personnel were WONDERFUL.  There was an issue with taxis/Uber getting to the hotel as the street in front was closed for repairs and Uber drivers didn't understand that the street in rear was open in the morning until all the restaurant tables went out.  Front desk guy texted in Portugese with Uber driver, then brought our luggage a block and a half to the new meeting point for us and waited with us for Uber.  Hotel location was incredibly convenient.  Restaurants with outdoor seating ALL over surrounding streets.  Easy walk to our tour pick-up spot and public squares with lots of available other tours.

 

We did our Fatima/Nazarre/Obidos tour with "Lisbon Riders" one day for full day. Our guide, Tania, was my wife's favorite tour guide of the many we had on this month-long trip--Delightful, friendly, informative.  8 people on tour in van...in English.  I could have done with less time in Fatima (I guess you have to be a believing Catholic to love it--I'm not.  The main church is nice, the others are modern monstrosities.  Nazarre, however, was really cool.   (Look it up--largest waves in world).  Great grilled fish (entire fish--too much to eat--we should have shared one...and would still have leftovers) lunch on cliff-top with forever views.  Walk down to old fort.  Obidos was incredible--Medeival walled city...We really wish we had more time there.

 

Next day, we just walked to the largest tour start point area and just booked a city tour on the spot.  Lots of choices from big buses to mini-buses to "Tuk-Tuks"--small open-air tour vehicles.  City is on lots of high hills, so a tour is nice to get you around to various areas.

[gfkcruiser]

On 5/10/2023 at 7:50 PM, Bruin Steve said:

Just got home Monday night...We LOVED the Hotel da Baixa...Our room was very nice and fairly spacious for an older European hotel.  Free minibar.  Good breakfast (and we got there early the first day after disembarking Infinity and they told us to go ahead and be seated for breakfast/coffee while we waited for room availability--which we had fairly early).  Front desk personnel were WONDERFUL.  There was an issue with taxis/Uber getting to the hotel as the street in front was closed for repairs and Uber drivers didn't understand that the street in rear was open in the morning until all the restaurant tables went out.  Front desk guy texted in Portugese with Uber driver, then brought our luggage a block and a half to the new meeting point for us and waited with us for Uber.  Hotel location was incredibly convenient.  Restaurants with outdoor seating ALL over surrounding streets.  Easy walk to our tour pick-up spot and public squares with lots of available other tours.

 

We did our Fatima/Nazarre/Obidos tour with "Lisbon Riders" one day for full day. Our guide, Tania, was my wife's favorite tour guide of the many we had on this month-long trip--Delightful, friendly, informative.  8 people on tour in van...in English.  I could have done with less time in Fatima (I guess you have to be a believing Catholic to love it--I'm not.  The main church is nice, the others are modern monstrosities.  Nazarre, however, was really cool.   (Look it up--largest waves in world).  Great grilled fish (entire fish--too much to eat--we should have shared one...and would still have leftovers) lunch on cliff-top with forever views.  Walk down to old fort.  Obidos was incredible--Medeival walled city...We really wish we had more time there.

 

Next day, we just walked to the largest tour start point area and just booked a city tour on the spot.  Lots of choices from big buses to mini-buses to "Tuk-Tuks"--small open-air tour vehicles.  City is on lots of high hills, so a tour is nice to get you around to various areas.

We have a TA booked for April 2024 that ends in Lisbon.  Have been there a few times with Cruises.  Good info from you to look into and wonder if you have other things of interest in and around Lisbon.  

[lynncarol]

My husband I did a day trip on our own to Sintra while in Lisbon. Famous for Pena Palace as well as other important sites.   Easy to get there, just leave from Lisbon's Rossio train station which has a direct line to Sintra. Bus station is just around the corner from where you get off at Sintra and you can purchase shuttle service (bus 434) to access the sites. Just be sure to purchase admission tickets in advance. 

[gfkcruiser]

4 minutes ago, lynncarol said:

My husband I did a day trip on our own to Sintra while in Lisbon. Famous for Pena Palace as well as other important sites.   Easy to get there, just leave from Lisbon's Rossio train station which has a direct line to Sintra. Bus station is just around the corner from where you get off at Sintra and you can purchase shuttle service (bus 434) to access the sites. Just be sure to purchase admission tickets in advance. 

We did that a few years back on a cruise stop in Lisbon with Spain Day Tours.  

[lynncarol]

1 minute ago, gfkcruiser said:

We did that a few years back on a cruise stop in Lisbon with Spain Day Tours.  

Doing it on your own is much cheaper however and you can chose how long you want to spend at each attraction.  For example, we absolutely loved the forest and fauna that surround Pena Castle and spent a lot of time exploring that area which I am sure is not a highlight of a regular tour.

[gfkcruiser]

Thanks.  Will look into that!

[welshfamily]

Thank you for the info on the hotel de Baxia. Good to know as we have never stayed in Lisbon although we have been there twice before on a cruise.

We are not church people either. Enjoy brief visits to look at architecture etc but not in depth unless the building is unique. However will still look into your day trip.