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• Incredibly disappointing waste of money

  Amanda A,

  1 thg 8, 2025

  - Viator

  1.00

  I feel sadness over what should have been a special and magical day for my family (my parents, my husband, my 2 children), something I especially saved for since the total cost was €820. Our guide arrived and it took us a while to get into the van because we had to move a car seat for one of my children. She didn’t introduce herself but I assumed that was because we needed to get going. Once driving, she began telling us the history of Sintra and other anecdotes as if it were memorised. It was awkward as I still did not know her name. She never told us what the timings or proposed plans were for the day, that our entries were timed. She never asked us anything about what we expected from the day except whether we wanted to eat lunch in Sintra or Cascais. There was no discussion at all about any of these things and I felt really unprepared and unaware of what was going on. We got to Sintra and struggled for parking (fair enough in peak season) and she complained that she had to pay for parking. When we got out the van I took it upon myself to introduce ourselves. We then walked through Sintra to Quinta da Regaleira. Our guide appeared in a hurry and didn’t tell us that entry was timed until we got to the top of the hill and had to wait half an hour. She said she could only get us entry at 10:30am as the other times were sold out. I booked this 6 months ago! I asked how long we had there and she said 40 mins but the tour said two hours when I booked it. We rushed through it and I would have loved more time to explore with my children. I did take them on a little path because they really wanted to look but was acutely aware of the time crunch. She said we had to hurry back because our entry to Pena Palace was at 12:30. I did not know this until she told us and I needed some food for my elderly parents and kids, so quickly grabbed pastries in Sintra. We then had a stressful ride up to Pena as the traffic was bad and time was running out. When we got to the parking area I then had to wait in a queue for bus tickets to the top. You should plan for this! Once in Pena Palace we enjoyed seeing it, but we nearly missed the chapel and one of the most scenic views from the top because the guide said she thought it was closed. I had to ask again if we could go look there and am so glad we did so as the views were amazing - once again, not my job. It was now nearly 2:30pm, so we agreed to go to Cascais for lunch. I specifically said we wanted something casual and authentic and NOT FANCY - we had a 5 and 8 year old with us. I was looking forward to seeing Cascais. Our guide stopped at a restaurant just outside Cascais that was on a cliff overlooking the sea and I immediately was concerned because it looked like a very smart restaurant with people in suits and dresses and no children. I asked her if it was fancy as we didn’t want that and she said “not really”. We get inside and the moment I saw the barman pouring 18YO Balvenie whisky and the lobster tanks, I knew it was a mistake. Then we saw the menu and the prices and my mild irritation turned to anger - three times the price of a normal restaurant in Lisbon. We said we didn’t want to eat there after already being seated, which was embarrassing and stressful. Our guide seemed a bit annoyed with us but took us through Cascais and back to Lisbon. I also had to constantly ask for the aircon to be turned on as the windows didn’t open in the back of the van and she was driving with the windows open. To be honest, I was just relieved to get back because what should have been a relaxing day was stressful and not at all what I had expected. I have worked with tour guides and had many amazing trips across the world. You need to tell people what to expect, especially if there are timed entries (which I was not made aware of), and you need to ask them what they hope to do (and actually listen). You need to make suggestions based on who they are as a group - this is basic stuff! In fairness, she told us she was given the job at the last minute because our planned guide had to be swapped out and she was also patient with my 5-year-old. Does this sound like it was worth €820? This was the ONLY tour I planned this holiday because I wanted an expert to guide me. I wish I had just planned it myself as there was zero benefit. It felt like we were a chore of a job to be ticked off and we didn’t even get to see anything properly. I did send all of this information to the owner of the company and he said he would speak to the tour guide. A week and a half later I have still not received a response from him or an apology.

• Beautiful tour

  Ellen M,

  12 thg 7, 2025

  - Viator

  5.00

  David was our guide and he was amazing. Friendly, knowledgeable and very helpful. This tour is not to be missed! Highly recommend but be ready for steep climbs with comfortable shoes.

• Time in Sintra

  Richard N,

  20 thg 5, 2025

  - Viator

  5.00

  Our day in Sintra was unique, informative and full of exercise! Tour guide David was attentive to our wellbeing walking the cobblestones and many hills while explaining the history of the town!

• Full and interesting day!

  Donna B,

  25 thg 11, 2024

  - Viator

  5.00

  Goncalo was an amazing and easygoing guide who was attentive to our needs . We learned a lot about the history of Portugal and the area of Sintra. We would recommend this tour but be prepared to do a lot of walking.

• Great way to see Sintra and Cascais!

  Chari B,

  25 thg 9, 2024

  - Viator

  5.00

  What a wonderful day we had visiting Sintra and Cascais! Our tour guide, Antonio, was amazing, and explained what we were seeing, as well as history of the area. He grew up locally, and even took us to his favorite restaurant in Cascais, tucked in a side street, with the most amazing fresh fish and sangria. He went with us into Pena Palace and Quinta Da Regaleira, which a lot of the guides do not do. Loved that our entrance fees were included with this trip, so that we didn't need to figure out what times to book them for. Originally I thought it would be fun to rent a tuktuk, but was very thankful for an actual comfortable air conditioned vehicle that could travel on the roads easier. He even picked us up and dropped us at our hotel in Lisbon - what a great benefit and one less thing to book myself. An amazing day that was well worth every penny!