Private tours in Lisbon & surroundings
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Program
Panoramic tour of Lisbon including the famous Marquis of Pombal square, the XVIII century boulevard of Liberty
avenue, Restauradores square and Rossio, the heart of Lisbon, which has been the shopping district for more than
2000 years. The majestic Commerce square, in front of the extraordinary estuary of Tagus river and close by the
nucleus of ancient Lisbon. Then, we go along the riverside by the busy harbor, with its discos and restaurants, cruise
ship docks. On the way to Belem quarter, drive by the official residence of the President, Jeronimos Monastery – the
most imposing monument of Lisbon, telling about the apogee of Lisbon’s history, the age of adventurers and
navigators of the XVI century. Stop and free time to visit the 19th century Ajuda palace, a souvenir of the last years
of Monarchy in Portugal.
Leave Lisbon and stop at Queluz palace. Time to visit the Portuguese Versailles: palace and gardens tell us about the
“rocaille” style and the way of living in the XVIII century.
Proceed to Sintra and stop in the medieval Sintra town, with free time to see the most ancient royal palace in Portugal,
the narrow streets with local handicraft shops, the typical local pastry like queijadas and travesseiros, the wine
shops, the gardens and free time for lunch.
In the afternoon go to Pena Palace at the top of Sintra mountain. A XIX century palace with a mixture of several
styles: Oriental, Arab, Indian, Neoclassic, Manueline, Renaissance… a fairy tale like palace with a stunning view over
the ocean, mountain, Lisbon. And surrounded by a park with 1000 different species of plants.
Next is -Mafra convent and palace: dating from the XVIII century, one of the biggest constructions in Europe, all
made of marble, with 900 rooms and a 200 feet high dome. An impressive building telling about the wealth of king
John V.
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Ajuda royal palace - The statue of king Charles, one of the last kings of Portugal, is in front of the best royal palace
we have in Lisbon, from the beginning of the 19 century, built after all the terrible earthquakes of Lisbon. It's a palace
with a neoclassical facade, as it was fashionable all over Europe, and near the entrance there is a fine collection of
statues made by the school of artists who came to work here. Although their voluptuousness tells about life inside the
walls, they are still too austere, compared to the coziness of the interior. The interior is appropriate to a period when
royal families used to spend much of their time inside their dwellings. It's a jumble of furniture of different styles and
countries, most of them gifts from several monarchs of Europe. Paintings and portraits of the royal family match with
Spanish and Portuguese tapestries, French, and Italian chandeliers, Chinese and German porcelain, Portuguese and
French furniture, Egyptian, Portuguese and Italian marble and it all ends in a fantastic dinning room.
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Queluz National Palace is a Portuguese 18th-century palace is one of the last great Rococo buildings to be designed in
Europe. The palace was conceived as a summer retreat for Dom Pedro of Braganza, later to become husband and then
king consort to his own niece, Queen Maria I. It served as a discreet place of incarceration for Queen Maria as her
descent into madness continued in the years following Dom Pedro's death in 1786. Queluz Palace became the official
residence of the Portuguese prince regent, John VI, and his family and remained so until the Royal Family fled to Brazil
in 1807 following the French invasion of Portugal. Work on the palace began in 1747. Despite being far smaller, the
palace is often referred to as the Portuguese Versailles and today is open to the public as a major tourist attraction.
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Sintra National Palace Further down there is another palace built almost 450 years before Pena Palace. It has 2
chimneys, 33 meters high each, as inside royal banquets were prepared after the royal chasing, here in the forests of
Sintra. The interior has the oldest collection of glazed tiles in Portugal, made in the 15 and 16 centuries. It was mostly
a summer palace and glazed tiles from different periods keep rooms cool and work as a museum of tiles in a palace
where we can see the curious structure of a medieval construction. This was the palace where Portuguese kings
organized maritime expeditions and received navigators returning from their trips, like Columbus, Vasco da Gama and
many others. They also came to run away from the plagues in Lisbon in the middle of a luxuriant vegetation and a
healthy mineral water. This is the most ancient royal palace there is in Portugal and was the summer dwelling
place of the court since the 14 century, because of the coolness and mild temperature of the mountain during the hot
summers and the proximity of the ocean.
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Pena National Palace is the oldest palace inspired by European Romanticism. The palace stands on the top of a hill
above the town of Sintra, and on a clear day it can be easily seen from Lisbon and much of its metropolitan area. It is a
national monument and constitutes one of the major expressions of 19th century Romanticism in the world. The palace
is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the Seven Wonders of Portugal. King Ferdinand and Queen Maria II
intervened decisively on matters of decoration and symbolism. Among others, the King suggested vault arches,
Medieval and Islamic elements be included, and he also designed an exquisitely ornate window for the main façade The
palace quickly drew visitors and became one of Portugal's most visited monuments. Over time the colors of the red and
yellow façades have displayed such a chromatic variety.
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Commonly called «Mafra Convent» includes the Palace, the Monastery, the Library and the Basilica. The building of
the most opponent Portuguese Baroque monument began in 1717, under the supervision of the German architect
Friedrich Ludwig. The works were concluded by 1730. The façade is about 660 ft long, with the Basilica in the middle
and the Palace and the Monastery on each side. The marble came from the quarries of Pêro Pinheiro and Sintra, the
wood from Brazil. From France, Belgium, Italy and Holland arrived the bells, the statues, the carillons, the silver table
ware and the chandeliers. All this amounts to an enormous building with 880 rooms, 300 cells, 4500 doors and
windows, 154 staircases and 29 courtyards. The Royal Palace was a summer residence, besides lodging the Court
during the hunting season. An enormous corridor crosses the palace, giving access to all its rooms and chambers. The
magnificent Library, kept by the friars, has about 36 thousand rare books!
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