Lisbon: Sintra & Cascais Small Group Tour with Pena Palace Ticket

Outstanding Tour & Guide

Leo our guide was incredible. This tour was jammed packed but Kei did an outstanding job explaining sites, and getting us in front of attractions with ease.

via Viator

Ripped off by the tour operator, no help in late arrival beyond our control

Our shipped docked 4 hours late as we were informed the night before. I notified the tour operator immediately that night of our late arrival time. I was informed there would be no refund, no other tour available for the 2 days in Lisbon. Because it was less than 24 hours, even Viator would not provide any recourse. Of the many tours I have taken with Viator, this experience has led me to other sources for excursions. I would not recommend this tour operator.

Response from the operator: Thank you for your feedback. We are very sorry to read about your experience, but we would like to clarify that we have no record of receiving any notification regarding your ship’s four-hour delay or your revised arrival time. Had we received that information, we would certainly have checked the best possible way to adapt the service. We regularly operate tours directly from the Lisbon cruise terminal and are very familiar with cruise schedules, including delayed arrivals, short port calls and guests whose ships stay overnight in Lisbon. I am Eduardo, and I have personally been on duty throughout August. I did not receive any notification regarding this situation, and the response described — simply stating that there would be no alternative and nothing could be done — does not reflect the way we normally handle these circumstances. We are a team of approximately 15 guides, with around 10 guides operating daily, as well as a back-office team based in central Lisbon. Whenever delays occur, we always recommend contacting us directly as soon as possible, as in many cases we are able to reorganise the guide, adjust the starting time or find another solution depending on availability. We sincerely regret that your visit to Lisbon was affected in this way. However, from our side, we unfortunately had no information about the ship delay or the requested change, and therefore had no opportunity to intervene or propose an alternative.

via Viator

Sintra and Cascais

Danilo our tour guide is a very passionate and knowledgeable person . Lots of history was shared on this tour . Thoroughly enjoyed the sights and conversation . Small groups is the way to go .

Response from the operator: Thank you for taking the time to share your experience with us. It truly means a lot. Your feedback helps us keep improving and delivering the level of service we stand for: authentic, local and premium. We’re delighted to know you enjoyed the day, and we’ll be here to welcome you again whenever you return to Portugal. Until then, we wish you wonderful travels ahead, and if friends or family are planning to visit, we would be honoured to take care of them too. Warm regards, Ó Turista – Local Hosts of Portugal

via Viator

Wouldn't recommend

There's a lot! In summary, - bad pickup - bad weather - didn't visit the Pena Palace interior - only passed by Cascais - shopping was only for 5 mins, etc.

Response from the operator: Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback. We are sorry that the experience did not fully meet your expectations. Regarding the pickup, our meeting point is clearly established at the entrance of the Hard Rock Cafe. Every morning, our guides carry out the check-in process there, often with 5 to 6 of our guides operating different tours at the same time. On rainy days, however, it can be more difficult to identify every guest immediately, especially as several other tour operators also use the same meeting area. We understand that this may have caused some confusion and we are sorry for any inconvenience. Regarding Pena Palace, the situation that occurred that day was outside our normal operating procedure and beyond our direct control. As official partners, we reported the issue directly to the monument's management. The usual procedure has since been restored. Our guide was also very frustrated with the situation on the day and raised the issue directly with the staff, precisely because he understands how much access to the palace can affect the overall guest experience. Providing the best possible experience is also our priority. As for Cascais and the amount of free time available, this was a small-group tour. In this format, the guide needs to balance the timing and preferences of the entire group and adapt the itinerary accordingly. When the majority of the group prefers to continue, the tour follows the option that works best overall. For guests who prefer to travel entirely at their own pace, choose how long to stay at each location and fully customize the itinerary, we also offer a private version of this experience. The weather was unfortunately another factor outside anyone's control and naturally influenced the experience throughout the day. We sincerely apologize that, overall, the tour did not correspond to what you were expecting. Several circumstances on this particular day were outside our control, but we fully understand that what ultimately matters to you is the experience you received, and we regret that it was not the one we aim to provide.

via Tripadvisor

Wonderful day touring Cascais and Sintra

Great tour and historical conversation with Gabriel! Will highly recommend.

Response from the operator: Thank you for taking the time to share your experience with us. It truly means a lot. Your feedback helps us keep improving and delivering the level of service we stand for: authentic, local and premium. We’re delighted to know you enjoyed the day, and we’ll be here to welcome you again whenever you return to Portugal. Until then, we wish you wonderful travels ahead, and if friends or family are planning to visit, we would be honoured to take care of them too. Warm regards, Ó Turista – Local Hosts of Portugal

via Tripadvisor