Lisbon: Sintra Monserrate Palace , Cabo da roca private tour
Description
Immerse yourself in the sixties and take a seat in my refurbished 1970 Volkswagen T2 van for a unique experience. Both stylish and "baba cool", it brings originality and fun to your getaway. I make you discover the surroundings of Lisbon, magnificent, authentic and still preserved places which are difficult to access when you are not transported. Whether you are a fan of classic cars, nostalgic for the 60s and 70s or just curious to discover this mythical van, I assure you a moment of conviviality and great discoveries. Itineraries are planned for the day to stroll along the coasts of Cascais or Sintra. Other routes will take you to the Serra d'Arrabida or even Setubal. With friends or family of up to 5 people (private), Make yourself comfortable in my VW combi and let yourself be driven to fully enjoy this wonderful destination.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Travel time to Palazzo Monserrate takes approximately 1 hour, depending on traffic.
Monserrate Park is four kilometers from the center of Sintra. It encloses exuberant gardens and a palace, a unique testimony to 19th century eclecticism, whose interior plant motifs extend harmoniously to the exterior. The front lawn of the palace offers the possibility of a well-deserved rest before or after discovering one of the richest botanical gardens in Portugal.
In Azenhas do mar, time seems to have stopped and you will discover an adorable typical village, on the edge of the cliff. Enough to admire the magnificent panorama offered by the place, while nibbling on some local specialties! When you arrive, you discover it at the top of the hill and one thing is clear: it seems not to have moved for decades, with its small traditional white houses and small winding streets.
Cabo da Roca is a wild cape that lies at the westernmost point of continental Europe. This place made up of cliffs hammered by the winds and arid lands was once (until the 14th century) considered the end of the world. It is the ideal place for people who appreciate nature, with on one side the expanse of water that seems infinite and on the other the mountains of the Sintra-Cascais natural park.
Magnificent beach set in the spectacular landscape of the Serra de Sintra hills. Always exposed to strong winds, it is famous for its huge waves, summer and winter alike. It is therefore a paradise for experienced surfers. At the southern end of the beach is the yellow-painted fort of Fortaleza do Guincho, which has been transformed into a 5* hotel with its outdoor swimming pool built around an old fort.
The return trip from Guincho beach, along the coast, to Lisbon is approximately 1h30. There may be more traffic during the summer season.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Reviews(26)
Book this tour! Christiano is a spectacular guide and his restored VW bus is so fun! This tour provides a fantastic way to see some great locations and get lunch at a place you’d never find on your own. This tour honestly may be worth it just to get to the lunch spot! Christiano and his wife Laura are very accommodating and kind. If I could rate this 10 stars, I would! (Ps. VW has no AC so bring a handheld fan to be comfortable in the hot summer months)
We were delighted to read your very detailed review. Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts. It was a pleasure for us as well throughout this day of discovery.
Christofano was great. Always took us around to avoid crowds. Brought us to some beautiful ocean views and a great restaurant on the water. Yes, Laura, he told us best places to go and Titi (the VW bus) was well cared for.
Thank you for sharing your experience with us. We are glad to hear that you enjoyed your day. See you soon!
What a fabulous way to tour Lisbon and its surroundings! We wanted a day trip outside the city and found this listed on Tripadvisor. What a treat! Not only did we get to see the coastal countryside and visit Cascais and the castle in Sintra, we got to do it in real style! The restored 1970 VW van was so much fun, and attracted a lot of attention. We thought we were movie stars! Christiano and his wife own the van, and restored it lovingly, to offer a unique expedition. Christiano drove and provided a great deal of commentary and advice, like skip the line to see the inside of the castle and instead see the outside and then have time for something else. He put no time limits on us and offered suggestions on where to walk and explore in each place. He met us near our Airbnb and off we went for a full day. We stopped at a fabulous place for lunch, a restaurant cut Ito the hillside on the coast where waves would splash up into the pool at high tide. Magnificent views of the sea and not at all crowded. After a long day he dropped us off where he had picked us up. You can tell the this company loves their work, and sharing Portugal with visitors. Highly recommend.
Christiano and I would like to thank you for taking the time to share your experience with us. We are delighted that you enjoyed every aspect of your day. Thank you for your kindness and trust. We look forward to seeing you again someday. Laura and Christiano 🌸
Christiano (Chris) and his 55 year old VW micro bus are the very best way to travel to Sintra and more. Knowledgeable, an excellent driver, and very personable, he will make sure you have a truly enjoyable experience that will put you more in touch with Portugal. Driving out along the coast road itself was a visual pleasure. We had time to explore Cascais, he made a side trip for us to Cabo da Roca (must be seen) and took us to a restaurant that we would’ve never found and where we had a fantastic lunch with a view that cannot be beat. In Sintra he deliberately steered us away from the Pena Palace as being too crowded (a victim of its own success) to Monserrate which was a true delight & less crowded (yeah, we’ll have to explain to friends why we didn’t go to Pena but we’ll help them wish they’d gone to Monserrate). During the day his “boss”, better known as his wife Laura sent info on restaurant recommendations which we appreciated. Chris alone is enough to use his guide & driving services and with his cool, fully restored & comfortable VW microbus . . . you just have to do it.
Hello Bob, thank you for your very complimentary comment, we appreciate it! It is our job to advise our customers, and we know from experience that the beautiful Monserrate Palace is much less well known, less crowded, and therefore more pleasant to visit. Thank you for placing your trust in us! We look forward to seeing you again soon. Best regards, Laura (the "boss" and the wife 🤗) & Christiano
Our day with Christiano has been the highlight of our trip to Portugal. Laura and Christiano planned a full day with so many amazing places and experiences and such great stories and information! They customized the itinerary for us based on our interests and their knowledge. Leaving the driving to someone else really allowed us to enjoy the day and experience places we didn’t even know existed! We really appreciated being able to take as much time as we wanted to enjoy each stop. Highly recommend! Thank you so much!
Dear Barbara, We're so pleased that you enjoyed your day with us. Thank you for your confidence and and for taking the time to write about your experience. A day to remember!
This is the absolute best way to tour! There were places I wanted to go, and they wrote a perfect itinerary for us. We saw the sites we wanted without having to be on a bus full of people. They suggested a place for lunch and it was fabulous, with an ocean view. The drive between sites was short with plenty of free time when we wanted it. They were fun, informative, and all around enjoyable to be with. You cannot go wrong booking this tour!
We're lucky to meet customers as nice as you on our days out. Thank you for taking the time to share your experience. We look forward to seeing you again. Sincerely
Traveling with a stranger for the day could definitely feel awkward depending on the character you get, which is why Christiano is the perfect man for the job. He offers you so much more than a tour, He has such a friendly approach and a genuine interest in our time spent on holiday, giving us many suggestions once our tour with him had ended. The van is well-maintained, comfortable and clean, with a selection of music to your choice and just all-round good vibes. He also took the time to walk us into the restaurant he had booked to make sure we had the perfect view for our lunch. Every little detail was planned out scenic routes for the drive, tables with a view parking us as close to the attractions as he could get with no rush. As to when we arrived back at the van, he went the extra mile, and it didn’t go unnoticed. I would 100% recommend this trip to anyone visiting Lisbon. It is amazing value for money and definitely something we will remember.
Oh what a pleasure to read your comment! We always try to do our best to accompany you on this journey of discovery. We love what we do! I can see that you appreciate our way of doing things, thank you for that. We also had a great day with you. We look forward to seeing you again. Best regards
Christiano couldn’t have been nicer. He picked us up near our Airbnb and quickly confirmed that the planned itinerary was acceptable. We drove out of Lisbon past the Belém sites and Christiano took us right to the entrance for Pena Palace. We strolled through at our leisure and Christiano was waiting right down the hill. We went to lunch at Azenhas do Mar. the scenery there was amazing and the food was delicious. Our next stop was Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe. We were able to take our time and take in the cliffs and waves. After a brief stop to get pictures of our family and the wonderfully restored combi, we went on to the seaside town of Cascais. After a stroll and some ice cream, Christiano whisked us back to our Airbnb. It was an amazing day and our favorite activity of our trip.
Thank you so much for your feedback on this wonderful day of discovery. I can see that you enjoyed every moment of your day and that's really important to us. It was a real pleasure to be with you. Sincerely Christiano and Laura
We had a great trip with Vantour we are a family of 4 with 2 kids Laura and Christiano took us from the hotel in Lisbon to some amazing places the day trip was just magical and very good we highly recomand to take this trip!!
Thank you so much for a wonderful day together and for your lovely comment. We really appreciate it! See you soon!
This adventure was fantastic! We gave up an included tour with our group to do this instead! Cristiano is amazing! Totally flexible, we could longer some places, and less at others at our discretion. He took us places the tour busses couldn’t go! He was funny, engaging and knowledgeable. He totally altered our pick up time and location for us due our scheduling stuff weirdly, and dropped us off at a different spot too! Book it you won’t regret it!
Thank you so much for your feedback, it's always a pleasure to share these moments with customers as nice as you! Hope to see you again soon!
