Tastes And Traditions Walk

Lisbon: Tastes and Traditions Guided Food Tour. Rated 4.9 across 1,015 reviews. Runs 3 hours. From €63.

Overview

Three hours, eight tastes, three drinks, and a route through Lisbon's old city that runs from breakfast to lunch. The morning starts at Confeitaria Nacional, the oldest pastry shop in Lisbon, with homemade sweets and a Portuguese-style espresso. From there the walk moves through a traditional grocery store where the guide explains the country's salt cod obsession and pours over acorn-fed Iberian ham, then on to a stall that has been pouring sour cherry liqueur, ginjinha, for well over a century.

The savoury heart of the tour is a bifana, a marinated pork sandwich, at a busy no-frills bar, followed by a sit-down lunch at a traditional tasca where home-cooked classics come with a choice of beer or wine. Between stops the guide covers the history of gourmet canned seafood, a Portuguese staple that long predates its recent popularity, before the walk ends where most Lisbon food stories do: at a pastel de nata workshop, watching custard tarts being made and eating one fresh.

Groups meet at Praça da Figueira and finish near the Time Out Market, so the route doubles as an introduction to the historic centre. It suits travellers who want history with their food, walk at a moderate pace, and are happy standing and eating among locals. Vegans and anyone with gluten intolerance or celiac disease cannot be accommodated, and the tour is not suitable for wheelchairs or strollers.

What's Included

Itinerary

1. Meet at Praça da FigueiraMeet next to the large statue of Dom João. The guide holds a yellow WalksDevour sign.
2. Manteigaria SilvaA stop at a traditional grocer, food tasting for 15 minutes.
3. Confeitaria NacionalThe oldest pastry shop in Lisbon, with a 5 minute tasting of homemade sweet pastries and espresso.
4. Ginjinha Sem RivalSpirits tasting for 10 minutes at the 130-year-old stall known for sour cherry liqueur.
5. O TrevoA 15 minute food tasting at a packed bar serving the city's best bifana, a marinated pork sandwich.
6. Lunch at O GaiteiroA 30 minute sit-down lunch of home-cooked Portuguese classics with beer or wine.
7. Mercado da RibeiraA 20 minute food tasting outside a traditional shop, with the history of Portuguese canning and tinned fish.
8. Manteigaria nata factoryA 10 minute stop watching pastel de nata being made and tasting one.
9. Tour endsDrop-off at either Garrafeira Nacional or Time Out Market Lisbon.

What To Expect From The Tour

This is a walking tour that covers breakfast, lunch and everything in between, so a little preparation goes a long way.

• Footwear and pace. The listing asks for comfortable shoes, and for good reason: the tour runs about three hours on foot at a moderate pace. Guests should be able to walk without difficulty, as the route is not adaptable for wheelchairs or strollers.
• Come hungry. Eight tastes and three drinks are spread across seven stops, including a full sit-down lunch with beer or wine. Many travellers say the quantity is generous, so eating a big breakfast beforehand is a mistake.
• Guides carry it. Reviewers repeatedly single out the guides as the reason the tour works, describing them as knowledgeable, warm and happy to answer questions.
• Dietary needs. The tour can be adapted for pescatarians, dairy-free guests, vegetarians, non-alcoholic preferences and pregnant women, though a replacement may not exist at every stop. Anyone with restrictions or allergies must email the operator after booking, and serious allergies require signing a waiver at the start.
• Not for everyone. Vegans and travellers with gluten intolerance or celiac disease cannot be catered for on this tour.
• Getting there. There is no hotel pickup or drop-off. Meet at Praça da Figueira beside the large statue and look for the guide with the yellow WalksDevour sign.

Common issues. The tour is not suitable for guests with mobility impairments, wheelchairs or strollers, and vegans and gluten-intolerant travellers cannot be accommodated. Some reviewers mention the sit-down lunch felt a little underwhelming compared with the rest of the tastings and would like a stronger dish selection. Tips and hotel transport are not included, so budget for both. Dietary adaptations depend on contacting the operator after booking, and even then a substitute may not be available at every stop.

Good To Know First