Small group lisbon sightseeing tour with fado show and dinner

Experience Lisbon’s unique culture like a local on this evening sightseeing tour and discover where the musical genre Fado was born. As you are driven through Lisbon's beautiful districts, including Graça, Belém and Alfama, your guide will explain the history of Fado, which started here in the 1820s. Enjoy a traditional dinner and listen to a Fado singer's stories about lost love and 'saudade,' a feeling of longing. This small-group tour, limited to eight people, ensures you’ll receive personalized attention from your guide.

After pickup from your Lisbon hotel by comfortable, air-conditioned vehicle, you will be driven to Lisbon’s main spots that highlight the city’s cultural heritage and relate to the history of the famous music genre Fado.

Driving through the Belém district, admire the beauty of the Jerónimos Monastery and the Belém Tower, both Manueline-style buildings and UNESCO World Heritage sites, before passing by Padrão dos Descobrimentos (the Monument to the Discoveries). As you head toward Baixa, Lisbon’s downtown, and through the districts of Chiado and Bairro Alto, hear stories of Lisbon’s local citizens in the era of Fado’s beginning in the 1820s.

Sailors, fishermen and sea merchants, often away from home, were the pioneers of this musical genre, and would sing the beautiful and melancholic music with a feeling of saudade, an emotion of longing or homesickness for their distant loved ones. Currently, Fado is considered part of UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage.

Leaving the historic city center of Lisbon, continue toward the Graça district, featuring some of the best views of the picturesque neighborhood of Lisbon, and arrive in the city’s oldest district, Alfama. Explore its narrow streets, alleys, stairways and dead ends, and learn about how the Moors planned this district to be the center of the city’s highly strategic defense system. As the most traditional district, Alfama is deeply connected to the roots of the local culture and its citizens. In fact, it became the incubating platform of the first Fado sounds. Make sure to bring your camera to snap pictures of the scenic views while you make stops.

To complete your Lisbon Fado experience, indulge in a typical Portuguese dinner in the late evening and enjoy a 3-hour live Fado show. Accompanied by a string quartet or a Portuguese guitar, a fadista (Fado singer) will let you in on the emotional saudade. Around midnight, your driver will take you back to your hotel.