The Royal Palace of Queluz dates from the 18th century, it is one of the last rococo palaces to be designed in Europe. This Palace is still used today by the Portuguese government for state visits or protocol ceremonies.
A village that has been lost in time and that has recently become famous among the people of Sintra and Mafra for the transformation it has undergone. The village was restored, in terms of aesthetics, because in the structural part everything is the same. Here we return to the rural environment that characterized 80% of Portugal 100 years ago.
Visit and contemplation of one of the most extraordinary libraries in Portugal and Europe, for the wealth of space and a valuable collection of about 36,000 copies.
Ericeira is the Surf Mecca in Portugal, a charming place that shows us a past turned to fishing and a present and future turned to sport and youth. It will be in Ericeira that we will choose a restaurant for lunch. The restaurants in Ericeira are famous for the quality of the fresh fish and seafood they offer. Here you can enjoy typical dishes of Portuguese cuisine.
After stopping at this place is made the historical framing and explanation about the characteristics of the space to visit.
Private tour with Jose was excellent. Queluz Palace was amazing as was the Mafra Convent which is a UNESC0 site. Great day out of the Lisbon mob of tourists.
I had a wonderful day on the “Queluz Palace and Mafra Convent Private Tour” with Bruno! He was friendly, knowledgeable, professional, and passionate about Portuguese history and culture. His explanations and insights made every stop more meaningful, and the private tour allowed us to enjoy the day paced to my preference. All tickets were included in the tour price. I loved visiting Queluz National Palace and Gardens, with their beautiful architecture and magnificent gardens. We dodged the crowds by arriving early in the morning at around 9:30am on Saturday. Aldeia da Mata Pequena was another delightful stop, offering a glimpse into the rural charm and traditional character of a Portuguese village. Before going inside Mafra National Palace and Convent, we stopped at Fradinho for the local specialty pastry, which was delicious. Mafra National Palace and Convent was extraordinary with yet again impressive architecture and a fascinating history with about 1200 rooms! We went into about 40 rooms that were open to the public. The palace also boasts the largest palace library in Europe with 10s of thousands of books! I also enjoyed spending time in Ericeira, a beautiful coastal town with a wonderful atmosphere and lovely seaside views, for 2 hours. The stop at Forte do Zambujal was a great addition, giving me another opportunity to appreciate Portugal’s history and scenic surroundings. Bruno made the entire experience special. The itinerary was varied and well planned, combining royal heritage, traditional village life, remarkable architecture, and the beauty of Portugal’s Atlantic coast. I highly recommend Bruno to anyone looking for a memorable, informative, and enjoyable private tour outside the usual tourist crowds. This was a fantastic way to discover a different side of Portugal! I would happily recommend this tour to friends and family!
We had a fabulous private tour with Carla who was full of information and enthusiasm about the sites we visited . A great day out of Lisbon !
Mafra was a beautiful experience, and we also got to experience the countryside and some gorgeous Beaches. Guide was terrific and allowed some customization as to the tour.
Out of the overcrowded Monastery of Hieromenites and Sintra/Palace of Pena, the palaces of Queluz and Mafra (palace and convent) were a very nice discovery. Combined with a pause in Ericeira, and scenic route along the coast, it was a great day out with a private guide who gave us a lot of insight on the places we visited. Very special
This was a very enjoyable tour with Jose. The Queluz leg featured a beautiful palace and serene gardens. It wasn't that busy so it made the experience all the more enjoyable. The Malfra Palace is huge! but the parts I was interested are under renovations. Jose offered to show a spectactular area in Sintra and that was definitely a highlight. This is a provate tour so you can stay more or less at each location. Jose is great to have as a guide!
José was a knowledgeable and friendly guide who brought the day alive. For me, visiting Queluz Palace and Mafra Palace was a must and my guide imparted just the right amount of information.
My family of 7 was booked to go to Sintra on this tour when we learned Portugal had closed the palaces we had planned to see (due to fire risk). Bruno and his team were super communicative, explaining why the closure had happened and they worked with us to craft a custom experience in it's place. The tour was amazing and we all had an incredible time. Bruno and his team were knowledgeable of Portugal's history and provided a one of a kind experience. I would book another tour with them given the chance! Thank you Bruno and team!
For my second time in Portugal, visiting solo, it couldn't be better. First time was in Lisbon for a week, where I also saw Sintra on my own, so this time I wanted to see other things besides the big and crowded destinations. Ended up finding this tour, which I absolutely loved. The tour guide was very nice to me from the start until the end. We started by visiting Queluz Palace, which was very beautiful, especially because I got to hear the historical explanation, which helped me understand the place I was navigating through. After it, we went to the HUGE Convent of Mafra. I couldn't imagine myself visiting it on my own without the tour guide next to me, I would surely get lost. Another splendid 10/10 stop for me. Following Mafra, we had lunch at the coast in Ericeira, where I had the BEST seafood I've ever eaten in a restaurant that was suggested by my guide. I had a Sea Bass that was very good, but when I looked at the other people's plates, they looked just as good as mine. The afternoon was way more relaxed, where we did mostly sightseeing. Thank you Portugal Unknown Tours for giving me a wonderful experience, recommend 100%!!!
What an incredible experience! This was not our first time in Lisbon, and in the past we had already visited Sintra, so we were looking for a different tour but close to Lisbon and Portugal Unknown Tours made the difference! It was very pleasant, we visited the Queluz palace which is beautiful, its exuberance in architectural details is incredible! Our guide João took us inside and gave us all the historical context. From there we went to Mafra and the convent is huge! wow !!! In the afternoon we went to Ericeira where we could relax a bit and get to know the area, it was a day very well spent and 100% recommended! Thank you João and Portugal Unknown Tours for making this a wonderful day !
Jose is an incredibly professional guide, and we had a wonderful time. The highlight was definitely the charming little village and the seafood restaurant he took us to—it was absolutely delightful.
Excellent tour, with interesting and diverse stops. If you’re lucky, you’ll get Jose as your guide. He was knowledgeable, friendly and flexible. We ran into bad weather, so he adjusted our itinerary to accommodate the circumstances. He also was extremely informative about the Lisbon area, making great suggestions for things to do. As for Jose if you get a chance.
Don't hesitate to book a private day tour with Portugal Unknown Tours. We booked the tour to see the Queluz Palace. the Palacio National de Mafra, and Ericeira. Our guide, Joao, was excellent. He made our day fun and interesting because he is so knowledgeable and personable. He led us through each palace pointing out the most interesting details and fun facts. When we stoped for lunch in Ericeria (the Surf Mecca), we asked him to join us because we were enjoying his company and hoped to rely on his recommendations of what to order. It ended up being one of our favorite meals in Portugal!
This was a great tour to Mafra, Queliz and a few more places. Very nice and interesting palaces and we had a number of interesting and unusual places. Bruno was a perfect guide. Very knowledgeable about history and surroundings. The restraunt he suggested had a very good seafood and wine as well as view to the ocean. I highly recommend this tour.
On our trip, we discovered so much thanks to our guide Joao Lopes. Joao was very knowledgeable about the history and culture of Portugal. Sharing his extensive knowledge about his country and enjoying the time he spent with us made it such a memorable experience for us.
This is one of the best tours my husband and I have taken. We visited palaces, small villages inland then villages along the sea coast. Our tour guide Jose was remarkable in his knowledge of Portugals historical palaces and small villages we visited. I can highly recommend this tour Mafria is huge and it’s library is unbelievable. I especially liked the sea coast villages. It was a sunny day which even made the tour better. Jose our tour guide was very friendly and informative. Thank You Jose for giving us a wonderful tour…..
Bruno was an incredible tour guide. He was very caring and very open and honest with us about every area we visited. He had great knowledge of the history and tradition of Portugal and the areas that we visited incredible tour great tour guide it was awesome.
All parts of the tour were remarkable and offered nice contrasts from palaces and history to seaside delights. The very special part of our tour was our guide, Bruno. Knowledgable , informative, a total delight to be with and share his insights to what we were seeing. Couldn't be a better guide
Rita was our guide. We had a great time with her! She was very kind and personable. She catered the tour to our preferences and we made lots of good memories. We went to many nice spots and she taught us a lot about the history and culture there.
Bruno was an incredible tour guide. We had so much fun, he made the best of the day when the Palaces were closed due to the fire risks. We ended up seeing more of The area than we ever expected. Thank you for being such a wonderful guide! We truly had a fabulous day!!!
The guides know everything folding the palace. They explain everything before, are cordial, give good tips about the place. You love the walks.
We made a visit to Quinta da Regaleira, Azenhas do Mar and Palácio de Mafra with the company Walkborder(as always, impeccable service) and we ⁇ everything. In Regaleira, the initiatic well is interesting and super safe to walk.Initially we thought it would be dangerous to return from the depths of the well, because we found it difficult to climb a long staircase. None of that happened. There are many shaded paths, with native forest surrounding the palace and well. Azenhas do Mar remains adorable with that air of the Amalfi Coast, bustling sea and white-painted houses. The palace of Mafra surprises by the enormous construction. Before going to the place, I suggest reading the book by José Saramago, "Memorial of the Convent", which describes it with mastery. Do not visit the convent on Tuesday when the church is closed. On other days, it opens at 2 p.m. The interior of the church surprises by the amount of tube organs (6 in total). The library also deserves a visit.
Palácio de Queluz maravilhoso, de Mafra e Ericeira. Especial passeio a Aldeia da Mata Pequena é um diferencial adorável. Guia muito simpático, educado e prestativo.
Eduard fue un excelente guía. Hice un tour privado y me explicó un montón de cosas relacionadas a lo que íbamos a ver, pero también hablamos de Portugal en general, lo que me permitió poner los hechos pasados y presentes en contexto. Se preocupó en todo momento por saber si tenía dudas o preguntas. Lo mejor del día fue el Palacio de Mafra. La jornada era muy ventosa y no se podía caminar mucho por Ericeira y, mucho menos, apreciar bien el Cabo de roca. Sin embargo , para mí, que tenía especial interés por el Palacio, el día fue muy productivo. Recomiendo a Eduard y la realización.
Nosso dia foi extremamente agradável. Fizemos os passeios com calma e pudemos descobrir cada detalhe dos palácios reais e ainda caminhar tranquilamente por Ericeira. Gonçalo, nosso guia, nos deu explicações muito interessantes, além de ser muito simpático e uma ótima companhia!
Really professional and dedicated to showcasing all that Sintra can offer. Gonçalo made us the Approach Service by car to Sintra, but was an excellent guide. At all times attentive to what we would need. With recommendations for our rest of the trip.A 10 for the guide.
Very good tour, the convent of Mafra has a library with a large stock of books and very worth seeing. The guide Bruno is very friendly and has great knowledge of local information. Very good worth it, wonderful walk.
Monday through Friday 9 am to 7 pm EST
Reach us by phone
Reach us by email