Song of the Sea: Fish, Seafood and Tradition in Lisbon’s Port Zone

It was an incredible experience. Kika was extremely knowlegeable and pleasant to be with. The food was amazing, tasty and quite surprising. I highly recommend this tour for a taste of Portugal and it’s culture.

An excellent walking tour of the fishy parts of Lisbon! Ines, our guide was brilliant; knowledgable, informative, entertaining and she knew so many people we met in the stops and along the streets. We had 6 or 7 stops including coffee and pastel del nata, the fish and vegetable market, traditional salt cod snacks, Morqueca in a fabulous African Portugese restaurant , a coffee roastery and ending at a brilliant and unexpected flame grilled fish restaurant hidden away from the tourist trail. As is my experience with Cullinary Backstreets, they don't skimp; there was plenty of food and wine for us all indeed I didn't need an evening meal afterwards! What I especially appreciate is that if there's something we're interested in, they'll buy one for us to try - two types of figs for example. It's a foodies delight. Be prepared for a reasonable amount of walking though - but it's definitely worth it!

We had an absolutely wonderful time on the Song of the Sea tour with Culinary Backstreets. Exploring Lisbon's Time-Out market and learning about the local seafood traditions was a real highlight of our trip. Our guide was fantastic. Francisca shaped and guided our tour around our interests and created a memorable experience that we cherished! Highly recommend this to anyone visiting Lisbon!

Always a great experience with Culinary Backstreets. As usual, I learned a lot about Portuguese food and culture and ate delicious food along the way. Kika is a top tier guide.

This was an absolutely fantastic tour and one of the highlights of my time in Lisbon. The stops were excellent, I learned so much, and every bite along the way was delicious. My favorite part was our guide, Inês. She was incredibly knowledgeable—not just about the history of the neighborhood and the food we were tasting, but about the people behind it all. It seemed like she knew every shop owner we visited, and getting introduced to so many locals made the experience feel genuinely personal rather than just another food tour. She also handled an unexpected change flawlessly. When one of the shopkeepers was running late, she improvised by taking us to a coffee producer for a bonus stop, which ended up being one of the coolest parts of the day. On top of everything else, Inês was just wonderful to spend a few hours with. The conversation flowed naturally throughout the tour, and she created such a welcoming atmosphere for everyone in the group. I’d highly recommend this tour to any type of traveler. I was traveling solo, and it was a perfect experience—I never felt out of place and met some great people along the way. I couldn’t have asked for a better afternoon.

Wonderful information and the amount of food for the timing was perfect! Everything was delicious and the guide was very friendly and knowledgeable

Excellent experience! Kika was an exceptional leader who shared her city and experiences with our small group. We had the opportunity to meet vendors in the market and small shop owners- all were kind and shared a wealth of information about the food and history of the dishes. During the walking we explored different neighborhoods and local places. We got a taste of traditional and authentic food and wine. A lot was off the tourist path and we still had some of the iconic dishes of the city. Kika was outstanding and I highly recommend this tour.

We are big fans of history, urban exploration, and seafood in all its forms, so the ‚Song of the Sea’ tour seemed like a no-brainer for us—and we were right! Our guide, Kika, expertly led us through half a day of Lisbon’s fishy highlights along with a crash course in the rich history of Portugal’s people and their interactions with the world. The tour began in the historical fish market of Lisbon, now half-consumed by the Time Out Market. Kika led us through both the traditional and modern sides of the market, stopping at stalls to share fresh fruit, tinned fish, and coffee— and to pick up a bag of Portuguese barnacles, for later. From there, we walked through some of Lisbon’s fascinating neighborhoods, both solidly working-class and upscale, sampling bites at some really remarkable spots along the way. Highlights for us included cured tuna and rosé at a boutique wine and cheese shop, and a really incredible eel sandwich. Kika was both a tour guide par excellence, answering all our many questions and introducing us to some truly unique people and places, but also a great companion for a long walk and a meal. We enjoyed the information and the company as much as the food, which was exceptional. The capstone of the tour was lunch at a typical Portuguese tasca, or taverna, where the chef himself came out to show us how he roasted his fish. Every bite was excellent, but it wasn’t just an opportunity to gorge yourself. We truly feel like we understand Lisbon better now than we could have just by guiding ourselves around. We absolutely recommend this tour for: (sea)foodies, history buffs , fans of urban travel, and anyone with a curious mind who is not opposed to walking up and down a lot of Lisbon’s hills. We definitely needed the water bottles we bought with Kika at the beginning of the tour!

An absolute must-do, and worth every penny! Our guide, Kika, was so knowledgeable about the city, wine, and food. I love learning about the history of a city and as we walked through the neighborhoods Kika thoughtfully intertwined interesting facts about the area. The food at each stop was delicious and the vendors and owners at each location were so kind. Kika was also great at paying attention to the pacing and rest needs of our small group. Highly, highly recommend!!!

The time we spent walking was a great way to make certain we also digest our food! The culinary walk about was not only that, but also a bit of a history tour, which was an added bonus. Our guide was well versed in local stories and was well articulated. The food portions were great and the final lunch was more than expected.