This blog is an overview of a walking tour that we took in Lisbon whilst on our most recent visit aboard Fred.Olsen Cruise Lines Borealis. We have visited Lisbon on a number of occasions, taken organised tours and explored on our own. This time we booked a walking tour in the city through Viator. Viator is a platform where travellers can find and book a wide variety of tours, activities, and attractions, including everything from guided tours to surf lessons and everything in between.
BOOKING OUR TOUR
The trip was booked with Viator before we left home. Accessing their website was easy and from there you simply enter which city you are visiting and on which date. There are options that suit most preferences, price points and whether they are suitable for those which accessibility requirements. As we enjoy trying local food and drinks, we decided to book the Small Group Food & Wine Tour. This would give us the opportunity to try several traditional foods produced within the city, accompanied by a variety of wines.
The fee for this was £101.40, payable nearer the tour date and with free cancellation up to 24 hours prior to the start time of the tour. All confirmation was sent on line including the E-tickets which just needed to be show to the guide at the pre-arranged meeting place.
WHERE DID WE START?
We eagerly left the ship on the day of the tour and made our way to Rossio Square. The last time we were here was just before Christmas and the streets were packed. So we left plenty of time to walk there and arrived early (of course). However this did give us time to sneak in a coffee before we met for this small group tour.
Our host and tour guide was Daniel who works for a tour company called Inside Lisbon who work in partnership with Viator. Daniel introduced himself and outlined what the tour would consist of. He then asked us to briefly introduce ourselves and where we were from. It was a great ice breaker and we found that our fellow tourists came from the USA, Canada and Sweden.
LET’S TALK FOOD AND DRINK
With formalities over, Daniel took us to our first stop, a little bar just on the edge of the square. Called Tendinha, it has been in business for many years and serves local food and wine. Daniel spoke to us about the Cod Cake whilst we were being served with that and a glass of Vinho Verde to wash it down. At 11am, it is probably as well that particular wine is not very strong! It was certainly a very tasty start to the tour.
On to our second tasting. This was a short walk away from our starting point. We took a few minutes to get there but on the way Daniel pointed out some interesting aspects of the city. As we turned a corner Ken and I realised that we had been here before. Some years ago (pre-Covid times) we had taken a walking food tour that also took in this next stop. The store is called Bacalhoaria Silva and sells traditional Salt Cod and all sorts of local meats and wine.
We stood outside around a little table while Daniel explained how locals prepare and use the Salt Cod. Pleasingly we didn’t have to taste any of it – but there was a tasting of local Croft Tawny Port wine which was very nice. Accompanying that was a tasting of local cheese and quince jelly, which again is typical local fare.
Our next tasting was a little of a surprise. We headed around the corner into another little square and were directed to the tiniest of bars. This was purely a standing bar serving our next drink, Ginjinha and the bar is where the tradition started. Ginjinha is a popular Portuguese liqueur made by infusing sour cherries (also known as Morello cherries) in alcohol (aguardente, which is a Portuguese Brandy), sugar, and sometimes cinnamon or cloves, resulting in a sweet and tart drink.
It is served with cherries in the bottom of the glass, which of course you are welcome to try – if you dare! Some of us were brave (or foolish) enough. Yes they are soaked in the alcohol but my goodness they were bitter. Apparently if you are lucky you get the occasional cherry that is a little sweeter – I don’t think any of us did.
PIRI PIRI SAUCE?
By this time, we were half way round the food and drink tour. We were all still getting to know each other and our guide Daniel was keeping us well informed and entertained.
He led us through some of the local streets to our next stop. Again, a little bar but this time with seating. Our seats had been reserved and we all gratefully squeezed into the tiny spot. Here we were to have Bifana and a local Portuguese beer. And what is Bifana, well read on. Briefly it is a Portuguese sandwich made of thinly-sliced port, marinated in wine or beer, garlic and spices. It is then served in a bread roll either with mustard or home-made Piri Piri sauce (traditionally VERY hot). Together which a local beer, it went down a treat.
NEARING THE END?
Unbelieveably we still had two more stops to make. First was a traditional bar/cafe serving locals at the time. We were escorted to a room on the first floor via a rather small spiral staircase. Here again tables were laid out so that we could sit to enjoy the next course. It is a very traditional dish and Daniel explained it is served in most houses. It can best be described as a risotto and each home would add their favourite ingredients to the basic rice dish. In this instance we had Duck and olives. Served of course with local red wine.
Our final stop was a little distance away and up quite a steep hill. However we didn’t need to worry about it being had work to get there – Lisbon has a series of public lifts (elevators) that take you from one level to another. Into the street and along to the final bar, which is essentially a wine bar. There was seating available downstairs but we were taken to a private room on the first floor where we could all sit together. Filming here was not encouraged by the owner, which was a shame. However we sampled the wine on offer and the small delicacies which included some Chorizo, cheese and fish.
AND SO WE CAME TO THE END
All of a sudden we had come to the end of our tour and we had to take our leave of our Guide, Daniel and our fellow guests. We all said we felt we were old friends saying farewell – or was that the wine talking?
Daniel was the consumate host. He was a local to Lisbon and knew the city and its inhabitants well. It made for a very informative and enjoyable time.
Overall we would say that this tour was well worth the money and we would recommend it if you are looking for something different to do in the city for a half day.