Belém District And The Salazar Dictatorship Legacy - Private Walking Tour

This tour was the highlight of my stay in Lisbon. Luis was an excellent and friendly guide, very knowledgeable on many subjects. He was able to craft the tour around our interests. We had great conversations. His English is excellent. He also made some very useful recommendations. I highly recommended his tours.

Wonderful experience with Luis! He gave us a detailed overview of the waterfront architecture and what is left of the structures from Salazar’s 1940 exhibition. Also lots of info on Portuguese history and culture. Who are the people carved on the exploration monument? Why are there no markers explaining this? Take this tour and find out! Excellent tour with a true expert.

This was a great tour to get an overview of Portuguese history as well as of the Salazar period and their efforts to promote a specific Portuguese identity. Luis gave a lot of background as we toured the waterfront area and landmarks and how this area reflects the Portuguese 1940 exhibition and its propaganda aims. He was very adaptable to the weather and our many questions! He also provided follow up info related to art we saw. Luis found the best spot for coffee and pastel de nata too…great experience with a true expert.

Great time and lots of interesting information. Easy walk and beautiful views. The time went by super fast with so much to see.

In short, Luis was exceptional! You can sense the passion through his knowledge on Portugal’s history. He was also considerate enough to ask what we’re most interested in. The more he senses one’s curiosity, the more passionate he becomes when educating you. His background of being a journalist, educator and philosopher made this experience a 10 out of 10! I HIGHLY RECOMMEND.

Luis was fantastic. My husband and I absolutely loved meeting him and learning on our walk in Belém. We absolutely recommend spending a tour with him! And we will look forward to reaching out to him when we return someday soon.

Luis was a really helpful guide. He wanited 15 mins over the time as we were late. The tour was very interesting and well worth the time spent.

Luis was excellent. Very knowledgeable. Learned a lot about Portuguese culture and history. Highly recommend this tour.

This tour was a wonderful way to see Belém. Luis is a knowledgeable and interesting guide. We walked along the waterway (one of the few flat areas of Lisbon!) and learned about the Salazar era through the lens of the 1940 exhibition. Luis explained the design details of the discoverers monument and monastery, details we would have missed on our own. He also showed historical photographs of how the neighborhood changed over time. We came back to Belém the next day to visit other places Luís recommended.

We spent a very enjoyable morning with Luis, learning about the lesser known history of Belem in the Salazar years. He was a very engaging and entertaining guide and we learnt so much. He also made some excellent recommendations for our remaining time in Lisbon.

Our leader is a well-prepared, thorough teacher with a great knowledge of history. He was patient and provided us with a lot of interesting information about the daily events of the Salazar period. He brought to life the everyday life of the 1940 World's Fair, while at the same time providing us with adequate answers to our questions about previous historical periods. Thank you Luís.

Our leader is a well-prepared, thorough teacher with a great knowledge of history. He was patient and provided us with a lot of interesting information about the daily events of the Salazar period. He brought to life the everyday life of the 1940 World's Fair, while at the same time providing us with adequate answers to our questions about previous historical periods. Thank you Luís.

This is an excellent way to learn about the history of Belém and how it has changed over the decades. Luís was wonderful and attentive to the heat and our attention span. It was really interesting for such a value to have our own guide after doing group tours we really appreciate that we were able to book this. We certainly learned things that we did not find in guide books and you should definitely do this trip.

Very interesting walking tour covering the history of the Belem district? Louis is a great guide with lots of information both formal and fun. He tailored our tour to cover elemts of out own country (South Africa's) history, which made it very relatable. His ability to remember dates of events is superb.

Lus is an incredible guide - passionate, knowledgeable and able to cater the experience to each audience. Belem is a beautiful part of the city with so much rich history and architecture. Lus is able to distill the stories and information down to the big picture so you leave feeling smarter, well informed, and with a ton of photos from the many areas of Belem.

Luis is a friendly, knowledgeable, and respectful guide who customized the tour to our preferences. The history of Belém is so rich and Luis brings it to life - highly recommend biking there from the main area of Lisbon around the coast.

This tour is for those who want to understand the history of the region of Belem and the surrounding environment. In challenging weather conditions, beating rain and extremely stormy windy conditions, Lus took us around the Belem District and tailored the tour to make it as comfortable as possible for us - the weather defeated 3 umbrellas that day at Belem! Lus was an extremely professional host who explained so much about the area, the Portuguese Expo of 1940 and the Salazar Dictatorship.

I was in Lisbon for business and my colleagues and I decided to take a break and do a tour of the Belem district. Luis was an amazing tour guide. He presented truly unique perspectives on the impact of natural disasters and the religious and political climate on architecture, the lay out of the city, the 1940's World Exhibition, and approaches to protecting the mouth of the river. I have been on walking tours in Lisbon before, but learned so many new details that enhanced my view of the Portuguese culture and the evolution through history of this lovely city. Luis speaks multiple languages and is both entertaining and educational. I would do this tour again if I have the opportunity to return to Lisbon!

We booked this tour because I wanted to learn more about the Salazar dictatorship and the modern history of Lisbon. We got so much more than we bargained for with this tour. It was an absolutely fascinating exploration of an area that I knew nothing about. Sure, I had seen the Monument of Discoveries in all the Lisbon Guides, but I never understood its significance before this tour. Luis did a wonderful job of stitching together a narrative of the Portuguese Exhibition of 1939 and how Salazar's dictatorship started with such vibrancy but fell into stagnation. I absolutely recommend this tour to anyone who wants to do more than just take a picture of another monument. Luis is also completely willing to tailor the tour to your interests. He is incredibly warm, welcoming, and full of passion for his city. I would not hesitate to recommend this company to anyone traveling to Lisbon.

Luis was a great tour guide and shared a lot of great information about Belem and the Salazar dictatorship. I wish I had brought a notebook with me that day so I could take notes! Luis was very willing to adapt the tour as well and answered any questions I had. He was also a great photographer for me at some of the monuments!

Luis was soon knowledgeable and we learned so much but never in a boring or dull way. We really enjoyed our time with him. His English is excellent.

Excellent guided tour of the Belem district! Flexibility to choose how much or how little time spent at each destination made for a great experience.

Luis was one of the best tour guides I've ever had. He was incredibly knowledgable about the topic, but also about other random historical/political questions I had about Portugal. My boyfriend and I were the only 2 people on the tour, but he didn't cancel. Instead, he asked us for our interests to make sure he could tailor the tour to our desires. It was a hot day and he was careful to minimize our time in the sun and look for shade. He was incredibly generous with his time and knowledge. I would recommend to anybody curious to learn about modern Portugese history. As a side benefit, you will also learn a fair amount about the older history surrounding the monastery and Belem tower.

Our tour guide Luis was excellent, and he made for as great an experience as you could in the pouring rain! The weather was not on our side but Luis kept us interested in all that's to see in Belem. I appreciate his patience with our group as we experienced ups and downs with trying to stay dry!

Luis is a wonderful guide! This is a great tour for history buffs. Luis was very sensitive to adjusting the tour to what I already did (or didn’t) know and is very responsive to questions. I thought using the exhibition as a way to talk about the fascists rather than just a chronology was a great way to keep my attention. 1. Wear comfy walking shoes. You’ll do a fair amount of walking. 2. Plan to stay in Belem later in the day to go in to the monastery, museums etc. Tour is only exterior of sites 3. If you’re really interested in the fascists and their fall, I’d recommend following it up with the museum of the resistance in Alfama.

It was lovely day with Luis our guide for the day. Luis had a lot of knowledge about the history which was evident in our conversations that morning. Weather was good. I would strongly recommend this walking tour.

A excellent private tour with Luis as are guide , Luis had a incredible knowledge of the Belem district, telling us loads of facts about the district and the history of Lisbon Pointing out lots of things we would probably not have seen , and would definitely not known what they meant Luis is also a very friendly guy , and very polite When we left the tour he gave us his business card with his email address, and said if we had any questions about lisbom , to send him a email If you are in Lisbon , and would like to explore the Belem district, then book up this tour , and hope Luis is your guide

A excellent private walking tour Done this tour with a friend, unfortunately I can’t remember are guides name ( sorry) He taok us around the Belem district telling us the history of the area and some interesting facts about the area and the city Some good photo opportunities as well If you are in Lisbon , then I would recommend doing this tour

Luis was an excellent guide. He was very knowledgeable and really brought the sites we saw to life. This tour was especially interesting because of its focus on a very specific time in history for Portugal. Luis was also very considerate - he was early to the meeting point, he always chose a location to stop where we could sit and listen to the information as opposed to stand, and even paid attention to our comfort with the temperature (ie: stopping in the shade or sun). He also checked-in regularly with us on how we felt about the amount/subject of the information provided based on our interest level. We found it all fascinating so we were happy with the depth of his knowledge and how he provided it. Would highly recommend this tour.

Luís is a nice and very knowledgeable tour guide who brought the history of Belém alive. He has in-detail scientific knowledge and illustrated his explanations with many images of different epochs. This is not a brief highlights tour but a tour that explains how Belém turned into what it is today. The tour is highly recommended for anyone who is not just interested in taking pictures of the 3 main sights...

Luis was very good prepared and explained a lot of things, especially historical knowledge. It was quite interesting an good to understand Portuguese history. From the restaurant recommendation at the end we expected more - well, food and prices were quite good, but it was too far away from Belem and we would have loved to have something with view to the river. So better leave that out.

I've been to Lisbon several times but never understood why there seemed to be this gap in its history. Where are relics of the fascist dictatorship? Modern Lisbon is everywhere and post-earthquake Lisbon very well sign posted. But what about those dark, unspoken years of repression and reaction, that finally collapsed in horrendous poverty and colonial wars? Now I know. And cheaply too. This tour centres on the "Portuguese Exhibition" of 1940, a fascist show piece lauding the heroic virtues of the Age of Discoveries and Portugal's global empire, complete with a human zoo. See the surviving frescoes of the exhibition buildings and learn the story of the monument to the discoveries, rooted in an ideology that still saw Portugal as the centre of the world. Did you know the government lied about the contribution of ten female artists to the exhibition, anxious as they were to reduce all Portuguese women to "homemakers"? Or that a film director was put incharge of building a reconstructed Caravel of the 16th century, and, maybe unsurprisingly, it promptly sank? Well, you do now. Our guide knew it all. The significance of every bench, flower bed and even the lettering on the Belem River Station. All explained patiently in fluent English and at a relaxed pace. We were all very impressed and now I know where the gap is, and how much still fills it. Obregado Luis Maio!

Enjoyed the three hours. Excellent overview of the changes to the area and the history of Lisbon. Great context for how Lisbon/Belem has changed over time. Luis was helpful tailoring the tour to our interests and at the end finished with a coffee and some advise for other parts of our trip in Portugal.

<p>Tour was just ok. Our guide took us to places and spent a lot of time talking about things which we had little interest in. We should have visited the monastery but ran out of time.</p>

<p>Excellent! Best tour we've had on Viator! such a knowledgeable and thoughtful guide. he prepared well with materials to give us the maximum context and information. Additionally it was very flexible and accommodating of our particular interests.</p>

Lobby bartender José Salazar was the sweetest during my stay

Pasteis tasting (pastry), Belem defensive tower, visit to the botanical garden (medium), we could not see the Jeronimos monastery (too many people)

Very good guide in French. There were only 2 of us so we had a private visit. The guide is familiar with the history of the neighbourhood and Portugal.

Amazing place, you can not miss visiting Belém, if you go to Lisbon Place rich in culture, gastronomy and the best and original pasteis of Belém!!! 😋😋

Guide Luis was excellent, punctual, attentive and knows the history of Portugal very well. He is a Philosophy professor, which gave the visit more depth. He gave rich details with great kindness and patience. I recommend!

Wonderful, I arrived by tram, very expeditious and pleasant, I will send from Lisbon. Unmissable monastery and the pastry shop where they make wonderful custards The tower of Bethlehem 💖 beautiful

We did the tour with Sara, a very enthusiastic guide who explained everything to us very well and made it an enjoyable experience.