The Best Private Tour Guide in Lisbon
For several years now, Lisbon has been one of the trendy destinations in the world.
And there are many reasons for this sudden popularity. 260 days of sunshine per year, renowned and affordable gastronomy as well as a huge amount of monuments and cultural sites to discover.
Planning your visit to Lisbon is not easy and it is imperative to optimize your trips to see the most things.
This is why our company RideLisbon has designed a private tour to show you the essentials of Lisbon with a guide.
Why choose a Private Tour Guide?
Choosing a guide for a private tour is the best way to explore the city. By opting for a private tour, we will be better able to offer you an itinerary that meets your expectations. Certainly, we already have ready-made tours (and that we highly recommend) but by choosing a private tour, you will have the freedom to choose what to see.
Our guides, mostly foreigners, are established in Lisbon for several years and have soaked up the local culture to transcribe it to you in every detail. Some people would be reluctant to take a tour with a foreigner, and yet for us, it represents strength, a force to be able to tell you the history of Lisbon and its wildest anecdotes from an outside perspective in all objectivity.
By trusting us, you can discover the history of Lisbon in an original way, by bike, exploring the city from east to west.
A unique tour of Lisbon
We want to show you the city in a totally different way from other organized tours. At RideLisbon, we listen to our customers and know what interests them the most during a private tour.
This is not to receive a boring history lesson or what, our customers are satisfied (see our TripAdvisor reviews) because we show them the other side of the scenery, the current situation of Lisbon, how is it to live in Lisbon, etc. And who better than the locals to tell you about local life?
This is our philosophy, to connect interesting facts to the history of the city. We don’t just want to tell you the story but above all to entertain you. Then we wanted to show you the city in a unique way. Walking is very good, you can see the city at a fairly natural pace the problem is that you can not go very far. So the idea of doing this bike tour seemed obvious: to be able to explore the city on foot but longer and further.
What you will see
The recommended route covers the city from east to west and passes through the emblematic districts of Lisbon: Alfama and Belém. The visit lasts between 3h30 and 4h, enough to fill a good morning or afternoon.
We will find ourselves in the city center of Lisbon very close to Comercio Square. After a reminder of the safety instructions by bike, we will go to the historic district of the city: Alfama
Alfama appears on most travel guides and despite its strong tourist interest, the district has retained its village soul. It is quite contradictory and unique that this area is both touristy and local yet it is.
Some history about Alfama
You should know that Alfama is the oldest district in the city and its past dates back to the 9th century when the Moors from North Africa invaded the Iberian Peninsula.
This tribe fortified the Alfama with immense walls and remained there for around 300 years until the reconquest of Lisbon in 1147.
Today there are traces even dating from the Roman Empire. Most of the buildings having been rebuilt following a powerful earthquake in 1755.
The area from today
Now, we find in this district the soul of a Portuguese village. It is not uncommon to see locals greet or compliment each other, most of them were born in the neighborhood and grew up together.
During our private tour, our guide will explain the history of this area, its local culture and traditions and what could be better for this than a meeting with the locals!
Back on track
Following our visit to Alfama, we will take a break at Comercio square. It will be the moment to take some photos and learn more about this place of tragic fate. Finally, we will go on one of the most beautiful cycle paths in Europe. A 7km track connecting the city center to Belém. During these 20 minutes of cruising along the Tagus to reach the April 25 bridge (the false Golden Gate Bridge), we will be able to observe the magnificent landscapes that the city has to offer. The views are incredible and there is plenty to fill your Instagram with photos.
Belém here we are
Finally, we arrived in Belém. During this private tour, our guide will tell you about the glorious past of this district, which symbolizes the domination of the Portuguese empire.
You should know that as soon as the Portuguese got rid of the Moors, they began to take an interest in the world around them and launched expeditions all over the place. Thanks to the trade emanating from these expeditions, Lisbon has become in no time one of the richest cities in Europe, evidenced today by the sumptuous monuments built.
Today Belém is an essential cultural place in Lisbon. There are about a dozen monuments, some of which are UNESCO World Heritage sites (Belém Tower and the Jeronimos Monastery).
Step by step our guide will explain the importance of each building and its role in the history of the country.
The finish line
Finally arrived at the Belém tower, our final step in this private tour, our guide will reward you in the best way with a local pastry: the custard tart of the best pastry in Lisbon (Hint: it does not come from the place you think about). Enough to regain strength before going back to the city center.
This moment will be the perfect opportunity to take full advantage of this cycle path. You can also talk to our guide about other places to visit, what to do in Lisbon, what to avoid, etc.
Finally back in the center, the private tour will end with the precious advice of our guide to know where to eat in Lisbon (and also where not to eat!)
If you are interested in the idea of a private tour, you can contact us at this address contact@ridelisbon.com
You can also get more information about the tour through this video below.