lisbon private tours

I will be in lisbon with my husband and teen age son, any recommendations for a good private tour guide. We will be there in November on Royal Caribbean

We were on the Independence of the Seas in February and while in Lisbon we took a walking tour with Inside Lisbon. http://www.insidelisbon.com/ Because of the day we were in port, we could only do the regular tour but man o man, what a tour it was! We were lucky enough to have Paulo, who entertained us with history and anecdotes about Lisbon. We walked our tails off but we learned a lot and I wouldn't have missed it for the world. I know they do all sorts of tours so if you contacted them and told them exactly what you were interested in, they could most likely bring you on an amazing tour just like they did with us.

Also check out:

http://www.lisbonwalker.com/

We have used them and InsideLisbon and both do a very good job.

we did a tour with wehatetourismtours.com and cannot recommend them highly enough. There was myself and my wife and our 3 children aged 14,13 and10 and we all had an amazing time seeing all the famous sights and not so famous sights . Very reasonably priced and you will have a tour you will never forget

We have already booked the time we are in Lisbon with Alex at lisbon@toptentours.eu for our fall portstop. Having used his services before for private tours in Lisbon and the surrounding areas. You can probably tell from my other postings on this tour company that we were more than extremely satisfied with what he provided. Prior to booking I did do my homework and checked the competition and found Topten offered private, non-shared tours at reasonable rates and they are extremely flexible, reliable and use clean and comfortable vehicles. They will do shared tours also, but why?

With the limited port time, I want to go where and when we want to. Sorry to sound selfish, but I have waited on the shared group members too many times. At about the same cost, why wait?

You can contact them by email and set everything up easily. Alex is easy to work with, ask him for suggestions if you are undecided on sites. He is a gold mine of information on the entire area around Lisbon. He really opened our eyes!

Check out the competition and see what you decide.

We have already booked the time we are in Lisbon with Alex at lisbon@toptentours.eu for our fall portstop. Having used his services before for private tours in Lisbon and the surrounding areas. You can probably tell from my other postings on this tour company that we were more than extremely satisfied with what he provided.

 

Alex is perfectly fluent in English. The driver we hired befor we found Topten was supposed to speak English; beyond yes and no, not so much!

That frustrating day is what got me on the computer at the hotel that evening doing the research that I should have done prior to leaving the US.

I just returned last night from the TA on the Silhoutte. Our first port was Lisbon where 9 of us did a great walking tour with Isabel of Lisbon Tour Guides www.lisbongt.com or lisbon@lisbon@lisbongt.com . She was our favorite guide for the 5 ports of call. She is fluent in English, French, Spanish and Portugese. She met us at the ship with 1 day bus passes and we toured for several hours.

Don't miss the lemon cream tarts the area is known for!

Hi,

We just got back from a 29day cruise and we used Alex from Top Ten Tours. He picked us up at 7:30 and we visited some of the miradouros(overlooks) and the Estrella Basilica. Then we went to Queluz and toured the palace. Then we continued on to Sintra and toured both the National Palace and the Pena Palace. When we returned to Lisbon, we took a quick tour of the city and we were back on the ship by 4:20. Alex was very accomodating and helped us pace our tour. He charged 120Euros for the day for his services and his car so the price would be the same for all three of you. We didn't stop for lunch (our preference) but we did stop for local pastries. We really felt that we got to do everything we wanted to do without worrying about getting back to the boat on time. Alex loves his country and wants to share it with visitors. We highly reccommend Alex and his company. We toured in a 6 passenger Mercedes Van that was spotless! We will be happy to answer any questions you might have.

Nancy

i m just back to Milan, and Lisbon was the top of the cruise week.

Having surfed and found Bike My Side and then read the great reviews I thought I'd give it a go with my boyfriend. I have been to Lisbon several times before on business and never seen much of the city or felt it was a place to return to. Having done the half day tour I now think Lisbon is a beautiful, old and relaxing city with great architecture, hidden gems and a place I would return to again.

From making an initial enquiry to meeting Daniel at the cruise terminal to ending the trip, it was all done with ease, professionalism and I just can't recommend his trip highly enough.

He knew all the places to show me, took me to a great coffee house (which I then went back with friends) and gave me good pointers for the rest of my day.

The bike itself was something to be seen in with several people saying to me - Wow, did you see the bike and sidecar outside - I smirked and said yes, that was my trip which I then effused about.

I was truly sad when the trip came to an end! I have rated this trip as Excellent simply because there wasn't a 6 star rating.

So if you are in doubt about a bike and sidecar trip, don't be - It was relaxing, a great way to see the city and ideal for one or two people. If you are worried about the guide and his abilities, don't be - probably one of the best I have had. If you are worried he might not turn up or be hard to book/work with, don't be - After some simple emails I found him outside the terminal waiting for me! "Book and go" would be my motto. Thanks Daniel.

here s the links

http://www.bikemyside.com

and the movie

We were in Lisbon last Apr 25-29, 2012. We booked our tours including airport pick-up and drop-off at the port with toptentours lisbon@toptentours.eu . It was worryfree, everything was taken cared of. We were able to make arrangements by email. We even can tailor fit the places we would like to visit and do the tours at our own pace. We manage our time accordingly which was really great because we can focus on things that we were interested. Toptentours never took us to shopping areas like other tour companies does. I highly recommend toptentours as you get great value for your money. Our tour guide Alex was very knowleadgeable, helpful, easy to talk to and very flexible. We really got to see a lot of Lisbon, really amazing city. Thanks to toptentours.

I will be in lisbon with my husband and teen age son, any recommendations for a good private tour guide. We will be there in November on Royal Caribbean

Another vote for Alex at Top Ten Tours: lisbon@toptentours.eu

We were in Lisbon for 1 day in November and booked a private car for 5 hours at less than the ship bus tour. He picked us up at the cruise terminal and got us thru the traffic while the buses are still loading. We spent a wonderful day touring Sintra, Cascais, and Lisbon. He speaks fluent English and is very knowledgable. He will tailor the tour to what you want to see. HINT: Sintra is so beautiful, I would have spent more time there and less in Lisbon.

A group of us took We Hate Tourism Tours' Pirates tour for cruise ships. http://wehatetourismtours.com/

No luxury, and irreverant, but toally enjoyable as a change of scene. Ricardo was great, and his personality certainly helped make the day. He adapted to our wants, and we took so much time it added up that we were almost late for departure. Lisboa, Sintra, hot Pao raodside picnic, Cabo Roca, coast, surfers, fishing port, warm and fresh Belem Pastries, and lots of opportunities for photos. Our cruise was interrupted a day arriving in Lisbon due to weather, and Tatiana rebooked us on three days notice to the following day.

Was on Seabourn in April,and Booked Alex from top ten. He's the man ! Great guide and a gentleman.

We embarked in Lisbon on 7/17 and had a fabulous tour to Fatima with Jorge Bras (jmvbtours@gmail.com). I highly recommend Jorge as the tour was professional, extremely informative and customized to us. When my sister mentioned needing to get an official Renaldo soccer jersey, Jorge's adult son tried to find one while we were exploring Fatima without us even asking!

Charlotte

My Wife and I have travelled to 8 different countries during the past 2 weeks. We always take a tour of each city on the morning we arrive. It is the perfect way to get an overview of the area and other useful information before we continue touring on our own.

We have taken bike tours, Segway tours, bus tours, walking tours, carriage tours, and boat tours. We had never taken a sidecar tour until we visited Lisbon. We choose Bike my side based on the reviews we read on cruisecritic and on is movie on youtube.

Daniel accommodated us and picked us up at the cruise terminal shortly after we arrived. The morning was not only fun, it was informative. Daniel was able to offer a history lesson while allowing us to relax on his bike as we drove around Lisbon. We stopped several times for food and drinks allowing more time for great conversation.

Daniel was not only concerned about making sure our tour was exactly what we wanted, but he also made sure we had everything we needed to enjoy our entire stay in Lisbon. What started as another tour in another city ended as the best tour we have ever had and with a new friend, Daniel! In case you are wondering, I liked riding behind Daniel the best. My Wife however preferred relaxing in the sidecar!

here s the website

http://www.bikemyside.com

watch the movie the movie!

Thanks Bike my Side

Thanks Daniel

You can also try Lisbon Spirit walking tours - www.lisbon-spirit.pt

They are great to give you an introduction to the city and if you want to make the most of your time in Lisbon.

Were spent 4 days in Lisbon recently, and used Catia Luis as a private tour guide. I know that she also does shore excursions. We were very pleased with her services and highly reccommend her. She has her own vehicle (both a car and a minivan) and is a licenced guide.

Here is a link to her website:http://www.lisbonstories.com/

I don't know what the rules are here, whether I can post a tripadvisor link, but I posted a detailed review on tripadvisor for anyone that is interested.

Marking this thread. We will be there in October.

We embarked in Lisbon on 7/17 and had a fabulous tour to Fatima with Jorge Bras (jmvbtours@gmail.com). I highly recommend Jorge as the tour was professional, extremely informative and customized to us. When my sister mentioned needing to get an official Renaldo soccer jersey, Jorge's adult son tried to find one while we were exploring Fatima without us even asking!

 

Charlotte

A second for Jorge Bras. My parents are Portuguese (originally from the Azores) so we hadn't booked anything prior to our Lisbon arrival, figuring we would just walk around, since Mom and Dad and our other two travel companions were fluent speakers of the language.

However, when we docked, Jorge was on the dock offering to take us on a tour. So, off we went with Jorge - figured it would be the best way to see everything in a short amount of time. He was very friendly, knowledgeable, was really patient as my parents took forever to shop in Sintra, spoke fluent English and all in all, showed us a great time. He also took us to this amazing restaurant in Cascais which had the best Portuguese style shrimp I have ever tasted!

It was due to Jorge that Lisbon ended up being one of my favourite ports. Even my fussy father (who is convinced every private tour guide's purpose in life was to rip off unsuspecting tourists) wanted Jorge's details so he could call him to take him around the next time he is in Portugal. I will definitely be calling on Jorge again if I ever make it back to Portugal.

Oh, almost forgot, for the six of us, the cost of the tour was EUR240 for the entire day. We were gone from when the ship docked until about 1/2 an hour before we were due back onboard. Jorge was very good at ensuring we would be back to the ship on time as well.

We had a great experience with toptentours as well. We were the very last off the ship (all ship tours, hotel transfers, etc went first) and by the time we got off they actually had closed the entrance door to the baggage claim area. That was, of course, where the gentleman from toptentours was waiting for us. They told us to enter via the exit door, which we did and retrieved our bag. I got a little nervous because I couldn't find the person with a sign with our name however he didn't give up. He kept walking around until he found us. We did about a 4.5 hour tour of the city and then he dropped us off at our hotel. We saw some great sights that you would never see in a tour bus- Lisbon has some challenging streets!

Me and my husbund we passed by Lisbon last month while docking and booked with http://www.sintraprivatetours.com

Their service was great (we hate group tours) and it was exactly what we wanted! Although are just starting in business, the guide was great and took us to Sintra (never saw something like that!) and Cascais near the coast, and we enjoyed a lot. We will go back next year to see other places, with more time to spend!

We just returned from Lisbon and can't recommend highly enough Pedro and Gloria from Lisbon Secrets (www.lisbonsecrets.com). They run a great trip to Sintra, Cascais, Estoril and Cabo de Roca. If you prefer, you can also focus on a Lisbon highlights tour. They are very knowledgeable and friendly - and the price is very reasonable for a day of private guiding. You will love Lisbon - check out their reviews on TripAdvisor and let them show you this beautiful city!

We just completed a tour with toptentours. Our driver(who prefers to remain nameless, because all of the drivers are good) was excellent!!Very knowledgeable, professional and flexible. We did the Fatima, Batalha and Obidos(what a charming city) along with some shopping stops, a stop for pastry(which were delicious) and we still had enough time for some sight seeing in Lisboa. Everything was perfect for just the 2 of us at a very reasonable price...it is a day we will never forget.

Sorry, forgot about this thread, but have to say that we really enjoyed our overnite in Lisbon on the 42 day Maasdam round trip from Ft Lauderdale cruise in Oct Nov of 2012.

We also had Alex at Top ten tours(again) and had a wonderful time, even better than the last time we used his services. Why? Because we got to see more, eat more, and learn more about Portugal. We had a leisurely day and a half and stayed on the go all the time, except when we stopped to eat at some great local places suggested by Alex.

Highly recomend his services, fair prices, can set up easily precruise on the computer, get to see more and go at your own pace, cannot compare with any offered ship tours. And you never have to wait for that one person who is always late rejoining the group every time the bus stops somewhere!

Will use again next visit to Lisbon.

I have contacted Top Ten Tours, but Alex is busy the day we are in town. They said the have some other newer guides available. Does anyone have experience with any of their guides other then Alex. All the reviews mention Alex. We were hoping to book with them, but it makes me nervous to book a guide with no reviews. We had a bad experience in the past. I have also contacted Jorge Bras but have not received a reply. Does he usually reply quickly? Thank you.