The Quintessential Lisbon Experience

We present the sights, the vibes, the special colors of the Portuguese capital. We love to walk and talk about issues like architecture and street art, but also like to discuss styles of living and politics of urban renewal. We are Lisbon Art & Soul and we have a dozen private tours to help you discover one of the most dazzling cities in Europe.

I. LISBON OFF THE BEATEN TRACK - DEEP IN THE HEART OF THE OLD CITY

Looking for a fresh approach to the Portuguese capital, preferably somewhere between tradition, street vibes and contemporary culture? if so this tour is tailor-made for you.

From Alfama to the Docklands you'll get to know the main attractions, but also the Portuguese capital off the beaten track. First we wander around a string of amazing hilltop terraces over the city and the river, before we dive into the picturesque neighborhoods of the Castle hill, following as guidelines the meandering Moorish Walls. We visit monuments like the Roman Theater, The Sé Cathedral and St. Anthony Church but also quiet backstreets, remote courtyards and puzzling alleyways. Next we get to the monumental riverside and explore Renaissance Palaces, late Gothic Churches and the neoclassical Commercial Square, open to the Ocean and the World. Art and architecture, history and city trends will certainly be on top of the menu in this walk made to measure every Lisbon lover. 

Duration: 4h

Timetable: 10h-14h and 15h-19h

Point of departure: Portas do Sol Square by S. Vincent statue (38.712274, -9.130216)

Groups: 2 at least, no more than 20

Suggestion: this is a four hours walking tour, so you’ll need comfortable shoes and a hat too

Contact: +351 93 3389473

Ticket prices: 4 or less: 35€ each; 5 to 12: 25€ each; 13 to 20: 20€ each; free under 12 

II. FADO - A STORY OF THUGS, PROSTITUTES & URBAN POETRY

Fado is Lisbon Song of choice, the most international of Portuguese music styles. But when and where was it born? And does the actual hits have anything to do with early fado?

To answer these questions and try to solve so many riddles concerning this amazing music tradition we’ll stroll around the lower half of Mouraria. We’ll find plenty of old candid images and romantic memories engraved in the walls of this enclave, which doubles as an open air museum. Plus, at the end of the tour, we´ll present you with a fado playlist that, hopefully, will work as as portrait of Fado, a portrait of Mouraria and a souvenir of a unique musical tour.

Duration: 2h-2h 30

Timetable: 10h-13h and 15h-18h

Point of departure: Rua da Mouraria / Escadinhas da Saúde https://www.google.pt/maps/place/38.71554,-9.1359997,19

Groups: 2 at least, no more than 20

Suggestion: we are going to climb up and down the old town, so you’ll need comfortable shoes

Contact: +351 93 3389473

Ticket prices: 4 or less: 25€ each; 5 to 12: 20€ each; 13 to 20: 15€ each; free under 12

III. LISBON ALL SAINTS TOUR: ON FAITH, DEVOTION AND MIRACLES

The Route of the Saints is an itinerary of beliefs, passions and visions that crosses the historic neighborhoods of Alfama, Mouraria and Graça, winding between staggering events, blissful miracles and prodigious legends.

The first patron saint of Lisbon named by the Church was Saint Crispin, a shoemaker martyred in Soissons. Lisbon had never heard of him and instead favored Vincent of Zaragoza, a deacon who supposedly sailed to the south of Portugal more than four hundred years after being martyred. Saint Vincent ended up, however, overshadowed by Saint Anthony, the miracle preacher who died and was sanctified in Padova, but who was born and grew up in Lisbon - where he supposedly returned after falling asleep, in a spectacular miracle of bilocation.

Even today there are few residents who know who is the official patron of Lisbon, but the mysticism of the saints continues to hover over the culture and popular imagination of this city at once so blissful and so unholy.

Duration: 3h-3h 30

Timetable: 10h-13h and 15h-18h

Point of departure: São Vicente de Fora church main entrance (38.714739,-9.1284289)

Groups: 2 at least, no more than 20

Suggestion: we are going to climb up and down the old town, so you’ll need comfortable shoes

Contact: +351 93 3389473

Ticket prices: 4 or less: 25€ each; 5 to 12: 20€ each;13 to 20: 15€ each; free under 12

IV. ALFAMA - THE KALEIDOSCOPIC DISTRICT

Alfama is where it all started, the oldest and most picturesque district of Lisbon. The core of the old town was built and enlarged, then shaken and destroyed, reborn and rebuilt again, only to start all over again, for more than two thousand years.

That’s why we propose an unusual tour, with a good deal of improvisation and a handful of dazzling discoveries. All-time favorites include a restaurant framed by Roman walls, public restrooms six feet below -with a residential building inside-, a majestic royal palace converted into a dark prison, or a collection of decorative tiles that no one knows (not even thieves) whether they are cheap replicas or precious originals. By the way, does anyone still live in what increasingly resembles an amusement park for tourists? 

Timetable: 10h-13h and 15h-18h

Point of departure: Portas do Sol Square by S. Vicente statue (38.712274, -9.130216)

Groups: 2 at least, no more than 20

Suggestion: we are going to climb up and down the old town, so you’ll need comfortable shoes

Contact: +351 93 3389473

Ticket prices: 4 or less: 25€ each; 5 to 12: 20€ each;13 to 20: 15€ each; free under 12.

V. MOURARIA - THE MULTICULTURAL HEART OF LISBON

'Mouraria' comes from 'Moors', the Portuguese name for the fearsome tribes of North Africa who invaded the peninsula in 711. It is also the name of one of the most intriguing and stunning neighborhoods in Lisbon - where the Moors have long since gone, but the perfume of otherness is now more intense than ever.

Long vilified as a ghetto for migrants and the marginalized, Mouraria has become more recently a vibrant multicultural enclave - a neighborhood that is a fast-moving social and civilizational puzzle. On the one hand, it is still a very parochial enclave of the Old Town, a kind of showcase of Lisbon that elsewhere no longer returns. On the other hand, it is a kind of oasis where people from all over the world come looking for an opportunity to start over.

This tour is an urban adventure through an incredible neighborhood of narrow streets, dark alleys, but also old mansions and romantic squares. It is a constant serpentine between the poetry of abandonment and the policies of urban renewal, between the memories of fado and the latest street art, between the picturesque of the old inhabitants and the incredible mix of newcomers.

Timetable: 10h-13h and 15h-18h

Point of departure: Entrada do elevador para o Castelo, 174 - 178 Fanqueiros street (entrance of the Castle’s Escalator, 38.7112958,-9.1361495)

Groups: 2 at least, no more than 20

Suggestion: we are going to climb up and down the old town, so you’ll need comfortable shoes

Contact: +351 93 3389473

Ticket prices: 4 or less: 25€ each; 5 to 12: 20€ each; 13 to 20: 15€ each; free under 12.

VI. LISBON - FROM THE 1755 TSUNAMI TO THE AGE OF TOURISM

This tour offers a perfect introduction to the "infamous" 1755 earthquake - a time machine style of ride that will make you zig zag through the memories of a city stuck by a dreadful natural disaster. This is not virtual reality, but the true intimate experience of a city where everything is before or after 1755.

The Portuguese capital was the most stunning city in Europe during the Maritime Discoveries era, which started in the early 15th century. However, on November 1, 1755 this cosmopolitan city was ravaged by a hideous earthquake, followed by a tsunami - the first such event fully documented in modern European history. The city lost no time looking back and just a couple of years later started the herculean task of its own resurrection, rebuilding from scratch the Downtown and the surrounding area. In this tour we explore and compare a selection of amazing Medieval buildings that miraculously survived with the majestic Rational city planned and rebuilt after the tragedy.

Timetable: 10h-13h and 15h-18h

Point of departure: Entrance of Terreiro do Paço Underground Station (38.7075306,-9.1357102)

Groups: 2 at least, no more than 20

Suggestion: this is a walking tour, most probably under the sun, so you’ll need comfortable shoes and a hat too

Contact: +351 93 3389473

Ticket prices: 4 or less: 25 € each; 5 to 12: 20€ each; 13 to 20: 15€ each; free under 12

VII. LISBON TRENDY DOWNTOWN - FROM ROMANTIC CHIC TO POSTMODERN GLAMOUR

Sooner or later while visiting Lisbon you’ll end up strolling in the Baixa and Chiado area, the vibrant Downtown of the Portuguese capital. For more than two centuries that’s where everything has happened including political conspiracies, religious processions, intellectual get-togethers and outrageous art performances. After a ravaging fire 30 years ago, Baixa and Chiado experienced a striking renaissance and are now again a lively and cosmopolitan area - the area with the greater concentration of fancy shops, innovative coffee shops and cool restaurants. Through this comprehensive walking tour you’ll explore some of the most original and exclusive addresses in Lisbon, while you get acquainted with amazing and insightful stories of this unique urban niche.  

Duration: 3h-3h 30

Timetable: 10h-13h and 15h-18h

Point of departure: Entrance of Terreiro do Paço Underground Station (38.7075306,-9.1357102)

Groups: 2 at least, no more than 20

Suggestion: this is a walking tour, most probably under the sun, so you’ll need comfortable shoes and a hat too

Contact: +351 93 3389473

Ticket prices: 4 or less: 25€ each; 5 to 12: 20€ each; 13 to 20: 15€ each; free under 12

VIII. LIBERDADE - SO FRENCHY SO CHIC

This tour explores Lisbon’s infatuation with Europe - and especially with France - in the last quarter of the 19th century. The opening of a majestic train station in Downtown with a direct connection to Paris became a clear sign of progress, as well as a dream come true to the wanderlust upper classes. But equally or more important was to recreate in Lisbon the culture, the elegance and the cosmopolitan magic of the City of Light.

This urge for the so-called Civilization meant, on more pragmatic grounds, producing a replica of a French Boulevard in the heart of the Portuguese capital. This implied building a constellation of imposing buildings decorated with lush greenery, public art and street furniture, including novelties like electric light, wooden benches and artistic sidewalk. It was a stunning achievement and a launching into action of the city’s expansion towards the north outskirts. During its one and a half century of development “The greatest avenue of Portugal” has gone through many twists and turns that summarize the dilemas the city has faced ever since. Today the Liberty Avenue area has the highest concentration of upmarket shops, luxury hotels and large companies offices in Lisbon. However, many locals never got accustomed to this Paris transplanted to Lisbon and even today the city inhabitants have a nonlinear relationship with its main avenue.

Duration: 3h-3h 30

Timetable: 10h-13h and 15h-18h

Point of departure: Entrada do Teatro D. Maria, Largo do Regedor (38.7148005,-9.1399243)

Groups: 2 at least, no more than 20

Suggestion: this is a walking tour, most probably under the sun, so you’ll need comfortable shoes and a hat too

Contact: +351 93 3389473

Ticket prices: 4 or less: 25€ each; 5 to 12: 20€ each ; 13 to 20: 15€ each; free under 12

IX. CAMPO DE OURIQUE - LISBON COOLEST QUARTER

Campo de Ourique is one of the most original and vibrant neighborhoods in Lisbon. It’s a densely populated borough, where the prevailing demography is middle-class with a strong emphasis on liberal professions. By today’s standards it’s probably the most sought after quarter to inhabit and enjoy a high standard of living in the Portuguese capital. New spaces and business opportunities emerge all the time. Nevertheless traditional retail is still very much alive. Campo de Ourique remains a village in the heart of the city, but it’s also becoming a very cosmopolitan and trendy neighborhood - the kind of unique combination the entire Lisbon would like to have in the 21st century.

Duration: 3h-3h 30

Timetable: 10h-13h and 15h-18h

Point of departure: entrada Amoreiras Plaza, R. Carlos Alberto da Mota Pinto 9 (38.722756,-9.1611525)

Groups: 2 at least, no more than 20

Suggestion: this is a walking tour, most probably under the sun, so you’ll need comfortable shoes and a hat too

Contact: +351 93 3389473

Ticket prices: 4 or less: 25€ each; 5 to 12: 20€ each; 13 to 20: 15€ each; free under 12

X. BELÉM DISTRICT OR THE DICTATORSHIP AS A TOURIST ATTRACTION

Embark on an insightful and exciting tour that rewinds Portugal into the 20th century, a century in which the country became one of the first republics in Europe, then was ruled by the ruthless dictator Salazar and only in 1974 regained freedom and democracy. We give the word to Belém quarter and its monuments, sculptures and unique places that have played and continue to play a crucial role in the country’s destinies.

Belém (Bethlehem) was the name given to the anchorage from which the ships of the Portuguese Maritime Discoveries departed. This legendary stretch of riverside was chosen for the construction of the Jerónimos Monastery and the Belém Tower, the major monuments of that period, and is now a World Heritage site. A hundred years ago, however, this was a grim industrial area, full of factories and warehouses. The turning point came with the Portuguese World Exhibition of 1940, a nationalist celebration not usually documented in touristic guides. This walk explores Belém taking the controversial event as the cornerstone of its transformation into what it is today, the cultural and monumental district of the Portuguese capital. We will approach the main attractions from a different angle and also focus on places usually off the beaten track. More info.

Duration: 3h-3h 30

Timetable: 17h-20h from 1 Abril to 1 November (16h-19h rest of the year)

Point of departure: Belém Maritime Station[North entrance] (38°41'42.2"N 9°11'55.2"W)

Groups: 2 at least, no more than 20

Suggestion: this is a walking tour, most probably under the sun, so you’ll need comfortable shoes and a hat too

Contact: +351 93 3389473

Ticket prices: 4 or less: 25€ each; 5 to 12: 20€ each; 13 to 20: 15€ each; free under 12

XI. LISBON BY THE RIVER - SAILORS, DOCKS AND PIPE DREAMS

Ticket prices: 4 or less: 25€ each; 5 to 12: 20€ each ; 13 to 20: 15€ each; free under 12 (+one ticket valid for local transport)

XII. CASCAIS: GLAMOUR, LUXURY AND DECAY BY THE LISBON COASTLINE

Cascais is a seaside town 30 km west of Lisbon with a sunny and relaxed climate, always combined with a certain hedonism and a hint of sophistication. Would you call it "hippie chic"?

You can go to the beach half of the year, run, bike or surf all year round. Or get involved in a gastronomic marathon eating grilled fish, caught right there in the sea, But you can simply take the train to enjoy an ice cream at Santini, one of the best delicacies in Cascais. That said, the capital of the Sun Coast is also a perfect place to do nothing all day… except to contemplate the sea while you exercise your right to see and be seen. All that glitter and glamour, it is also important to remember, were not always there, quite the opposite. 150 years ago, Cascais was an abandoned and ghost town, which by an extraordinary turn - almost like a magic trick - became a noble haven. The purpose of this tour is to shed some light on these amazing and still remarkable changes in the Portuguese Riviera.

Duration: 3h-3h 30

Timetable: 10h-13h and 15h-18h

Point of departure: Cascais Train Station, Largo da Estação de Cascais (38.7004571,-9.4186102)

Groups: 2 at least, no more than 20

Suggestion: this is a walking tour, most probably under the sun, so you’ll need comfortable shoes and a hat too

Contact: +351 93 3389473

Ticket prices: 4 or less: 30€ each; 5 to 12: 25€ each ; 13 to 20: 15€ each; free under 12 (+one ticket valid for local transport)

XIII. FROM CASCAIS TO ESTORIL - SECRETS AND CHARMS OF THE PORTUGUESE RIVIERA

This tour follows the main promenade of Cascais, winding along an incredibly beautiful stretch of coastline that has become one of the most attractive areas of the greater Lisbon. The story begins in the last quarter of the 19th century, when the royal family and their entourage settled for a couple of summer weeks in the fishing village of Cascais, transforming it into a charming - albeit parochial - court haven. Cascais still lives on the memory of this aristocratic heritage, but trendy tourism has long since moved to neighboring Estoril - taking precisely the same direction as our journey of discovery.

First, at the turn of the 19th century, the bucolic Monte Estoril was colonized by the upper classes and developed according to an English romantic project. It gave rise to the most extraordinary concentration of sophisticated summer villas in the country, some of which are still standing and waiting to be rediscovered. However, a more ambitious plan was developed in neighboring Vale de Santo António during the 1920s and 1930s. Estoril Park was the first luxury resort in Portugal, centered on the magical hotel-casino-beach triangle that made this coast a true Portuguese Riviera - and a spy nest in World War II, but that’s another story.

In this tour we enjoy the pleasant walk by the sea, but also admire the jewels that remain from the first Golden Age of Tourism in Portugal. Often we also draw comparisons between now and then and ask ourselves if the Portuguese Sun Coast is still glamorous and cosmopolitan - or, on the contrary, too crowded and expensive for what it’s worth.

Duration: 3h-3h 30

Timetable: 10h-13h and 15h-18h

Point of departure: Cascais Train Station, Largo da Estação de Cascais (38.7004571,-9.4186102)

Groups: 2 at least, no more than 20

Suggestion: this is a walking tour, most probably under the sun, so you’ll need comfortable shoes and a hat too

Contact: +351 93 3389473

Ticket prices: 4 or less: 30€ each; 5 to 12: 25€ each ; 13 to 20: 15€ each; free under 12 (+one ticket valid for local transport