Private Sintra Tour From Lisbon

Our day started off perfectly with the early entry into the Pena Palace. Skipping the lines and being there before crowds started swarming made all the difference. We requested a bit of a different tour as we are not fans of the overcrowded spots and our guide Jose did not disappoint. We did spend a bit of time in Sintra’s center having a delicious pastry and coffee - before the crowds - and then opted for lunch off the beaten path. We had amazing seafood in a beautiful seaside town with not a tour group in sight. We visited several places along the coast and picked up some lovely, hard to get wines from the Colares sandy soil vineyards. Eventually we enjoyed a lovely stroll in Cascais which included browsing their fun flea market. It was a terrific day. Jose shared so much about Portugal’s history and the special places here. This is a wonderful tour and can be crafted to be exactly what you want. Highly recommend - and ask for José!

We were able to plan the itinerary based on my family’s mobility needs. The whole day felt so special because our guide José was truly passionate about showing us around Sintra. He let us take our time, we never once felt rushed. We would recommend Lisbon on Wheels and José to our family and friends.

José, thank you so much for an absolutely fantastic day filled with history, good food and company! I highly recommend José to truly experience Lisbon’s history, culture and a “taste” of what it would be like to call Portugal home. José is knowledgeable, friendly and super fun! You will not regret spending the day with José! Saúde, José!

This was an amazing experience. We saw Pena Palace, Regalleria, had lunch in Sintra and stopped in Cascais as well! We had Jose as our guide and he was everything we could have asked for. Door to door service and very knowledgeable. Was helpful at customizing the experience to do exactly what we wanted. Highly recommend.

We had a fantastic day trip from Lisbon to Sintra with our guide, Jose! He was incredibly knowledgeable, flexible, and accommodating, making the day feel completely tailored to us. His great sense of humor and warm personality made the experience even more enjoyable. He shared so many interesting stories and insights while keeping everything relaxed and fun. We couldn’t have asked for a better guide and would highly recommend him to anyone visiting Sintra!

We had a wonderful day with Josè on a custom tour of Sintra and Cascais! He is an amazing guide, extremely kind and knowledgeable, and helped us to have a better experience than we would have had on our own. We were able to see many different places, even the less busy areas where locals go. He even took photos for us. Highly recommend booking a tour with Josè from Lisbon on Wheels! Not only did we get an experience, but we made a new friend.

Jose was a fantastic guide. He did a great job and made the day super fun. We really appreciated all his knowledge. We felt like we got the behind the scenes tour with the extra info. Great day.

A highlight of our trip was our day with Jose Ribeiro touring Sintra and Cascais! He had great energy and we were so engaged with the wealth of information he had bringing life and adding color to all we saw. He took us to some places that on locals go and added great beach stops along the way. I highly recommend Jose for any tour of Lisbon and surrounding areas.

We had a wonderful day tour from Lisbon to Sintra. Jose is a wealth of knowledge and excellent guide. He was able to navigate our way through the sites and avoid the crowds. We saw and learned about things we never would have on our own. Be warned that this customizable tour involved a LOT of walking on uneven surfaces up and down inclines, but it was definitely worth it!

Jose was our guide but he felt more like a friend showing us all the most beautiful, historically rich, and delicious local spots. Jose’s passion for history and for Portugal combined with his love of people brought this tour to life! His ability to be spontaneous and adjust our day depending on our family’s needs and interests created a unique experience that we will never forget. Can’t recommend enough!

A great day. Excellent guide. Jose ribiero is an interesting and knowledgeable guide.

Without a doubt Jose was a terrific guide and host. Obrigado! 👏 Thank you for a very memorable day that we’ll talk about forever. We definitely needed a beer after a very long day. Cheers!

Jose was our guide. The short version: 1) Jose was always timely and prompt 2) he kept us safe & efficiently guided us through all of the promised sites 3) Jose had a fun personality & shared a lot of info about Lisbon and Portugal. More details: Jose communicated with us his arrival at the cruise port at 8am, to let us know he would be waiting for us. We weren’t due to be cleared from our ship til 8:30, so this was a great start to our tour- that Jose was EARLY and ready to guide our tour. Meetup at 8:30 was easy, and Jose began navigating the busy streets of Lisbon. We had planned for the day to do the Moorish Castle, Pena Palace, and Quinta Da Regaleira- then back to the cruise terminal by 4:30pm. Jose said it was a busy schedule, but he would keep us moving through. Something to note: these sites involved A LOT of walking, climbing steps, and navigating inclines and declines on uneven pavement. We are active and fit, so this was fine for us- but something to consider, if you prefer or need a slower pace. All sites were magnificent, and Jose brought us efficiently through each one. He had secured all of our Timed Entry tickets (per our arrangement at time of booking), and he knew how to maximize our Entry into each site, so as to not spend time just standing in line. He also willingly took excellent pictures of us together, even politely asking other guests to hold-up or step aside, so we could have a better picture. Jose made us laugh, and he wanted us to have a genuine experience- he was quirky and charming, and we always felt like he wanted us to have the best day. He also tailored our day to OUR preferences- for instance, we didn’t want to spend time on a sit down lunch, so he brought us to a bakery in Sintra & ordered two of the well-known local pastries and a cup of coffee (we paid for ourselves, but Jose knew what to order). On a trip with 10-11 different ports/cities to visit- this was our favorite, and Jose was a big part of that.

I booked with Lisbon on wheels. Our guide Jose was awesome!! Very friendly, knowledgeable, and personable!! Check them out and request Jose! You won't regret it. Thanks Jose!

José was the perfect combination of historical knowledge and delightful humor! In addition to many beautiful castles, and rides through the Sintra countryside & along the ocean, he even showed me vineyards that grow in sand! Memories I will cherish.

Jose was amazing. Very friendly and accommodating. He has tons of recommendations and will adjust the plan as needed. Our tour was like a day with a friend. Highly reccomend!

We had an 8 hr tour of Sintra and surrounding areas with José this past week and it was fabulous! He was recommended to us from other friends and he did not disappoint! He was extremely personable, funny and so knowledgeable. We also stopped for a delicious lunch on the water that was top notch. If you are looking for a packed day full of history and beautiful sites, this is for you! And ask for José if possible!

My husband and I just had an amazing day in Sintra with Jose! We had elected to get tickets for Pena Palace and Quinta da Regaleira when we signed up for the tour. But from the moment he picked us up, he wanted to know what we wanted to do. With that, he brought us to a viewpoint in Lisbon for pictures, for pastry in Belem, sharing all of the history and touring us through their bakery, and drove us to see vineyards and beaches - Caba do Roca and Cascais. Through it all, he guided us sharing all the history pointing out things we would have never noticed otherwise. He also got us to all the important places quickly with his ways to navigate the crowds, offering to take lots of pictures for us. He truly made the day about us and was set on making sure we got to do the things we were interested in. He had lots of fabulous stories and we had very interesting conversation with him the whole day! It is difficult to navigate online which tour to Sintra to do and we were so lucky that this was the one we chose! (He even sent us a message after the tour was over with information he’d forgotten to share about the wine we had purchased!)

Jose’ was a great guide for our trip to Sintra. He shared information with humor and made the most our time . He’s a great driver too!

We had a fabulous tour with Jose ( our guide) and Davide ( our driver) to Sintra and coastal towns near Lisbon. We are a family of significant age range and both Jose and Davide cared for us with kindness and consideration. We loved every moment of the tour. Jose was vibrant and informative but more importantly, considerate and flexible and attended to our every need.. Davide drove with care and made us all feel safe. I have done many tours that were custom designed and this was by far one of my favorites.. Thank you so much

Jose was a brilliant, very knowledgeable tour guide, nothing was too much trouble. We had plenty of time at each stop, not rushed at all.

Jose was a Fantastic guide. He was very knowledgeable about the area & catered to our wants making our experience very special. I would highly recommend going with Lisbon on Wheels especially if you do a custom private tour.

We had a wonderful day seeing the sights of Sintra and beyond. Our guide José did a fantastic job of tailoring the day to what we wanted to see and threw in some good surprises along the way. He is very knowledgeable on the history of Sintra and Portugal. Perfect day with the perfect guide! Thank you, José!

My family and I had the pleasure of being guided by Jose on our Sintra tour. 10 times out of 10 I’d ask to spend time in Portugal with him again. He, respectful, knowledgeable, patient, and quite funny to be around. My kids had a wonderful time and my Portugese wife and in-laws look like they also enjoyed every second. We walked about 12k steps, but spaced it out well throughout the day and also having a nice lunch. There’s so much more to Portugal than meets the eye and Jose is the guy you’d want to lead your journey.

We were referred to Jose Ribeiro by a friend on short notice, and he was great. We did a private tour, just my wife and I, and the extra cost was well worth it. He had us leaving the Pena Palace just as the lines were building, and he did it again at Regaleira Palace. We saw the key things at both places, and some things that others missed. Jose was very knowledgeable in the history of the places we visited and the people who built them. He offered a glimpse into their lives, and provided alternative interpretations of what they had done. Jose even occasionally worked in philosophy and pop culture references to keep the conversation interesting. After the two monuments that we wanted to see, he then gave us a number of options for the afternoon. We drove down to the coast, had the best meal of our trip at Neptuna (where he takes his family), stopped at Cabo da Roca and Cascais. At each place he offered us the opportunity to linger or move on. He also kept us well hydrated and got us back to Lisbon safely, even dropping us off so that we could do a little more shopping as we walked (downhill) back to our hotel.

Wonderful experience with Jose. His expertise and enthusiasm brought the palaces of Pena, Regallerio, and Sintra to life!

In a word ...Fantastic! Jose and David with an E- made our Sintra tour absolutely 💯 amazing!! Going with experts made our family vacation effortless. Jose (our guide) was insightful and funny really bringing the tapestry of history to life. Obrigada!!

We had a phenomenal experience with Lisbon on Wheels. They were incredibly flexible and accommodated our custom Sintra itinerary with ease. Our guide, José Ribeiro, provided insightful commentary and helped us get a real sense of the local culture, making our visit both enjoyable and memorable. He picked us up directly from our accommodation in Lisbon and facilitated a tour of Pena Palace, Quinta da Regaleira, a great local lunch, and a wine tasting. Had we done the trip ourselves we wouldn’t have gotten nearly the experience as with José. He was able to provide in-depth knowledge about Portugal and all of our destinations, while making the whole experience very fun for me and my fiancée. It was more like traveling with a friend rather than a tour which we greatly appreciated. We would highly recommend the tour for anyone looking to explore Sintra beyond the usual tourist paths!

Our guide José was a wealth of knowledge. And he always had us on his mind when deciding where to go, if we wanted to have a snack, shop, wander a bit longer at a site...He knew where to go and when to go to skip the lines. We were never rushed. I honestly highly recommend Lisbon on Wheels and José.

My daughter and I were visiting from Manhattan and we really wanted a special, low-stress day trip. Nuno at Lisbon on Wheels helped us shape the perfect plan—and then introduced us to Jose. Jose was the heart of the experience. Warm, funny, incredibly knowledgeable, and totally prepared, he guided us through Sintra’s highlights, many of which only locals would know about - lunch by the sea, vineyards, and coastal views without ever making the day feel rushed or stressful. We felt cared for every step of the way—and left feeling like we made a new friend in Lisbon. It was truly the best decision and highlight of our Lisbon trip. Thank you, Jose and Nuno!

Loved Jose! Took us to places we would not have gone ourselves. Enjoyed local fare. Funny and very knowledgeable. Gave us great ideas for the rest of our vacation. Great guide who felt like our friend in the end

Jose is outstanding. He is exceedingly versed on all aspects and nuances of Portugal and its unparalleled and deep history. Add a little Bob Dylan or Keith Richards to the analysis, and he ties the past and the present together seamlessly. He is a joy to spend time with and he knows how to get things done and to help you to see and understand what interests you most. You would be hard pressed to do better.

Jose was an amazing guide for Sintra! He was very friendly and knowledgable. We were never rushed at any of the sights and Jose was able to help us avoid long lines from his past experience. He was flexible and adjusted the day to meet our interests. We could not have managed Sintra without his expertise. We would highly recommend Jose to anyone visiting Portugal!

Jose was an incredibly knowledgeable, fun, accommodating guide who took in what we wanted to do, gave us his expert advice, and made it all happen. He had lots of local recommendations and was candid with us when we wanted to either try to do too much or skip places we should see. We'd love to take another adventure with him on our next trip and highly recommend his services.

The trip to the three monuments was amazing! José was an excellent guide, and we would highly recommend him. He picked us up at our hotel in Lisbon and drove us to Sintra. We started at the Moorish Castle, then the Pena Palace, and finally the Regaleira Palace. While others could easily do those (and more) in one day, my wife and I don't move that fast (we're over 70). Perhaps a range of times for each monument would be helpful. I don't think we spent an inordinate amount of time, but we did end up skipping lunch. That said, I would rather visit these incredible monuments than eat a quick lunch! And while it is more expensive than a group tour, a private tour was well worth it.

We enjoyed our private tour to Sintra, Cabo de Roca and Cascais. José, our tour guide was excellent, very knowledgeable and had a great sense of humour. We did not feel rushed at all. We are doing another private tour with Lisbon on Wheels to Fatima, etc. and looking forward to it! I highly recommend this tour company!

What a great day with our guide, Jose Ribeiro! He was outstanding! My wife and I did all four of the major sites in Sintra - Pena Palace, Moorish Castle, The National Palace and Quinta da Regaleira. Long day but totally worth it. Jose was exceptionally knowledgeable and friendly. My wife is a designer and she loved the historical design aspects of these sites that Jose detailed for her. He also recommended a great place for lunch. Lisbon on Wheels secured all the tickets and together with Jose, made the day a breeze. What a wonderful and memorable experience. Highly recommended!

Our tour guide,Jose was the best guide you could ask for. He was full of so much information and very personable. We loved that it was private and one on one. Jose was recommended by a friend and we were not disappointed! The tour it self was amazing. Peña place and moorish castle were probably our favorite. Highly recommend Lisbon on wheels! Maybe you will be lucky enough to get Jose as your guide.

Jose’ picked us up on a damp, rainy morning for our tour of Sintra. The weather did not dampen our spirits, as Jose’ was determined to make our tour a special one. We immediately felt relaxed and comfortable. Jose ’ has an encyclopedic knowledge of his subject matter, but he imparts it in a thoughtful but entertaining manner (lots of personality!). Although we had no views while visiting the iconic monuments, we enjoyed every minute learning about the history of each site. Jose’ took us to a restaurant where “ the locals” eat, and it was the best and most authentic meal we had had on our trip. Jose’ also made sure to show us the special little gems in Sintra-the pastry shop from 1842 ( he picked a few things for us to try! ), a stop into the oldest hotel on the Iberian peninsula, and a pop in to a shop with tiny chocolate pots filled with cherry liquor. Jose’ was recommended to us by a friend, and we are so glad that we were able to spend our day in Sintra with him. 5 stars!

Had a great day in Sintra with Jose. Jose’s a character (in the best sense of the word). He knows all there is to know about European history, and somehow manages to weave it all into a tour of the Moorish Castle, Pena Palace and Old Town Sintra (with a drive through Cascais) that was tremendous fun. In addition to keeping things lively, Jose is very attentive to the needs of his clients during the trip (it did get hot, and there was a lot of climbing). 30 minutes into the tour, you feel like you are with a friend, not a tour guide. Cannot recommend him highly enough.

We had a fabulous private tour with Jose. He is generous in sharing his knowledge and love of history and he kept it fun and interesting. Wonderful visits to Pena Palace, the Moorish Castle, Sintra and elsewhere. Great lunch at a local restaurant and wine tasting as well. We are a family of 5 including 3 young adults and everyone loved it!

Jose was amazing and made our trip very special! We learned so much and really appreciated the level of service Jose provided! Highly recommend

What an amazing experience! We spent one day touring Sintra and a second day touring Evora. Our guide for both days was Jose. He came highly recommended from friends who previously toured with him. What an exceptional person he is! Not only is Jose extremely knowledgeable and well-read on all topics of conversation (including history), but he is a wonderful person. He’s friendly, engaging, caring, and is 100% focused on you throughout the experience. Going on personalized tours with Jose feels as though you’ve come to town to visit friends or family, and they’re taking you out for the day to show you around. If you’re considering Lisbon on Wheels, book with Jose. You will not be disappointed!

Antonio was awesome. Great guy, knowledgeable, attentive and friendly. And great linguist. We covered a lot, and he was always on game.

José was amazing!! From the vast, unbelievable knowledge he has about everything Portugal to his suggestions to eat were 5 star all the way!! The weather was not good and he made the tour so interesting and fun! I highly recommend José for any tour!!

Jose was an amazing guide. He shared his knowledge and passion for Portugal and made the experience remarkable. He was amazing with our kids and great company. You cannot go wrong with Jose and this tour. He’ll make all the accommodations you need to suit your interests and abilities. A wonderful day that was perfectly executed. Thank you!!

We did a full day Sintra tour with our wonderful guide Jose, visiting four monuments (Peña Palace, Moorish Castle, Sintra National Palace, and Regaleira). The tour was completely private (just the two of us) with Jose who double dutied as our guide and driver. Jose was knowledgeable and friendly, and he is well experienced to know the ins and outs of the places we visited as well as good recommendations for food and drinks in the area. I would not hesitate to recommend this tour, and Jose!

I cannot say enough good things about this experience we actually did a private tour and our graces host. José set us up at for a real treat. His sense of humor and knowledge were intoxicating. Whatever you do, make sure you get Jose, if working with Lisbon on wheels. It may cost a little bit more money, but I recommend customizing the tour.

Jose gave us an amazing tour in every way! Very informative and enjoyable to talk to and made the tour overall a great time to remember. Will absolutely be booking with him when we’re back to Portugal!