Portugal has become one of the hottest tourism destinations in the world, and for good reason. With a fascinating history, distinct culture, stunning architecture, and delicious food, there’s so much to explore. In a country with so much to offer, it’s crucial to find quality guides to show you around. Fortunately, there are some tremendous offerings to best explore Porto, Lisbon, and the wider Portugal.
We began our trip in Porto, an ancient city in northern Portugal that features stunning Baroque and Gothic architecture. The first thing to do is get a Porto.CARD, the official sightseeing pass of the city. This card provides you with free public transportation as well as discounts and free admissions to over 100 museums, attractions, and more. For more 
information or to purchase in advance, you can visit https://www.portocard.city/en/.
For a guided experience, there’s no better guide than Living Tours. This company offers tours across the Iberian Peninsula, and they’ve become a trusted name in Portuguese tourism. To get a lay of the land in Porto, start with a Tuk Tuk tour, where you’ll be escorted around the city in an open-air vehicle with stops at some beautiful views. This is the perfect way to familiarize yourself with the area geographically, as well as learn some of the core background to this historic city.
Living Tours also offers some excellent day trips, including one to the nearby cities of Braga and Guimarães in the Minho region. This full day tour picks you up by minibus in Porto and first takes you to the Sanctuary of Bom Jesus, a Catholic church surrounded by nature in this high-elevation section of Braga. From there, they take you to Braga’s city center with a stop at Braga Cathedral, a stunning church built in the 11th Century that is older than the country itself. After being introduced to the cathedral and surrounding area, the guide gives you free time to have lunch in this city with delicious food. After Braga, they take you to Guimarães Castle, 
where you walk through this national symbol with a fascinating backstory from the 10th Century. From the castle, your guide escorts you around this UNESCO World Heritage city that looks like it could’ve been a filming location for Harry Potter. Following some free time to explore and perhaps try some local pastries, your minibus brings you back to Porto. Living Tours does a phenomenal job showing you so much of northern Portugal in under a full day. If you want to explore the region beyond Porto, be sure to book the Living Tours Braga and Guimarães day trip.
Living Tours offers plenty in Lisbon as well. Their Lisbon and Belem City Tour is a great way to explore some of Lisbon’s best neighborhoods, as well as the Belem Tower and Jeronimos Monastery on the outskirts of the city. This half-day trip gives you a wonderful introduction Portugal’s capital city. Living Tours is a prolific company with so many offerings, you’re sure to find multiple tours you’ll love. To book with Living Tours, you can visit https://www.livingtours.com/en/trips/tours/portugal.
If you’re looking for a phenomenal day trip outside of Lisbon, a local boutique tour company called Lisbon Riders provides a perfect day. Their Sintra & Cascais day trip is wonderful, and we were so fortunate to have Carolina as our tour guide. After meeting in Lisbon, our guide drove us in an 8-person shuttle to Sintra’s city center, a stunning town at the foot of the majestic Sintra Mountains. Carolina explained to us the history of this UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Moorish architectural influences from centuries ago, and the micro-climate that feels like you’re in the jungle. Then we had time to explore the charming town and taste the hyperlocal travesseiro pastry from a famous family-owned bakery. We then drove to Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point of continental Europe, for a stunning overlook of the Atlantic Ocean. Along the way, Carolina went above and beyond to inform us and answer all our questions. We learned that Portugal is the world leader in cork production, and she even pulled over to the side of the road when she spotted a cork tree to let us feel the source.
For lunch, we traveled to the wealthy beach town of Cascais. Carolina had plenty of recommendations for local restaurants, and we had time left over to enjoy the beach. Finally, we traveled back to Sintra to walk up the hills through Pena Park, a forest created by a former King with trees from all over the world. At the peak is Pena Palace at an elevation of 1600 feet. This palace started as a monastery and was built up in the mid-1800s as a summer home for the royal family. Now it’s an architectural marvel and one of Portugal’s most famous monuments. After plenty of time to explore the beautiful structure and stunning views, we walked back down through the forest and were driven back to Lisbon. Lisbon Riders provided a phenomenal tour, and Carolina was one of the best guides I’ve ever had. By the end of the day, she felt like a friend who was enthusiastic to share her city with us. To book a tour with Lisbon Riders, you can visit https://lisbonriders.com/.
Portugal is a wonderful destination with plenty to see and do. From bustling cities to quaint towns, from historic sites to magnificent architecture, from luscious forests to sandy beaches. Portugal tourism has something for everyone.
