Templar River: Tomar and Almourol Private Tour
Description
Step into the world of the Knights Templar on a full-day journey through Tomar and Almourol where history, legend, and architecture intertwine. Travel north from Lisbon to Almourol Castle, a fairytale fortress rising from a tiny island in the Tagus River. Glide across calm waters on a short boat ride and climb its ancient towers, once guarded by Templar knights during the Iberian Crusade — a campaign that helped shape the birth of Portugal. Arrive in Tomar, a land once given to the Templars by Portugal’s first king and the former headquarters of the Order, and explore its medieval streets and sacred sites. Visit the 12th-century Church of Santa Maria dos Olivais, resting place of Templar Masters. Climb to the majestic Convent of Christ, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Discover the Templar Charola (rotunda), and the iconic Manueline window — symbols of a legacy that outlived the Order itself. Enjoy free time to explore the Convent and its surroundings before returning to Lisbon.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Meet your Around Lisbon guide at your Hotel or Apartment and head to Tomar, on a road trip that should take about 1 hour.
Visit this historical church, once the base of the Templar Order in POrtugal.
When there, we will go directly to the Templar Castle and the Convento de Cristo Monastery and get amazed by this magnificent monument filled with history.
Learn about the History and symbology of the Templars in Portugal, with the help of your expert guide.
Descent to the city of Tomar and take some free time to walk around and find some of the most unique buildings in the city, and enjoy your lunch (not included).
Leaving Tomar, we’ll head on to Constância, where Luís de Camões - the most famous Portuguese poet - is said to have lived. There, enjoy the magnificent views of the onfluence of Zêzere and Tejo rivers.
Take a small boat ride in the Tagus River calm waters up to the unique Almourol Castle island, where you’ll have some more free time to explore.
Return to Lisbon by the end of the day, and be dropped off at your Hotel or apartment.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
We'll pick you up at your Hotel or Apartment, or even the Port or the Airport. Please note that you may need to join us at a nearby meeting point, in some areas of the city where we can't reach your address. Please contact our team previously to assure all necessary arrangements.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Specialized infant seats are available
- Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Reviews(8)
This was one of the highlight excursions of our Trip. Around Lisbon did a great job explaining what we were seeing while giving us free time to discover the area on our own. Tomar and the castles are well worth the day trip, plus you avoid the crowds (not your typical excursion area). It was like being transported back in time.
João was very well-versed in the history of the Knights Templar’s. We felt p very comfortable throughout the trip never hurried. He was very professional, but yet friendly The local restaurant that Joao chose was excellent, with tupical local food. Definitely a five star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating.
We took a modified version of this tour with Orenna. While we enjoyed many tours in Portugal, Orenna was - by far - our guide who was most passionate about her specialist subjects, especially the Templars. We learned so much from her and had so much fun! We started the tour in Arrialos at the Tapestry Museum. We appreciated that Orenna helped us to engage with craftswomen making tapestries therein and then to find places to shop for modern tapestries to take home. During the drive to our next stop, Orenna taught us about the history of Portugal, the surrounding area, and the Templars. We were delighted by the stunning beauty of Almourol castle. Orenna gave us several suggestions for our lunch stop in Tomar and then showed us around the fascinating town. We visisted the church, synagogue, and the castle and enjoyed, too, the beautiful scenic homes and streets. Our next stop was the gorgeous Batalha church. Finally, Orenna ended the tour just across the street from our hotel for the evening with a visit to a historic shop and a taste of ginja. A sweet and tasty finish to a wonderful day!
Almoural castle was really nice and peaceful . Boat ride was very nice as well. Very enjoyable! Joseph and Phillip were excellent.
This was a fantastic tour. Despite the rain, I would not have missed a minute of it. Juoo was a personable and very knowledgeable guide. I absolutely recommend this tour.
My wife and I along with friends took the private tour with Joao who was extremely knowledgeable and shared a great deal of history around the Knights Templar and the Order of Christ as we toured Almourol and Tomar. Great tour and would definitely recommend.
What an amazing adventure. Our guide was very knowledgeable and shared great insight and kept checking to make sure she was meeting our needs. She booked us at a great place for lunch in Tomar. All around highly recommend!
<p>Highlight of our trip. Pedro was knowledgeable and personable tailoring the tour to our interests. Ask for Pedro. His knowledge of Templar and European history makes the day pass so quickly.</p>
