Belém District and the Salazar Dictatorship Legacy - Private Walking Tour

This tour was a wonderful way to see Belém. Luis is a knowledgeable and interesting guide. We walked along the waterway (one of the few flat areas of Lisbon!) and learned about the Salazar era through the lens of the 1940 exhibition. Luis explained the design details of the discoverers monument and monastery, details we would have missed on our own. He also showed historical photographs of how the neighborhood changed over time.

We came back to Belém the next day to visit other places Luís recommended.

We spent a very enjoyable morning with Luis, learning about the lesser known history of Belem in the Salazar years. He was a very engaging and entertaining guide and we learnt so much. He also made some excellent recommendations for our remaining time in Lisbon.

Our leader is a well-prepared, thorough teacher with a great knowledge of history. He was patient and provided us with a lot of interesting information about the daily events of the Salazar period. He brought to life the everyday life of the 1940 World's Fair, while at the same time providing us with adequate answers to our questions about previous historical periods. Thank you Luís.

Our leader is a well-prepared, thorough teacher with a great knowledge of history. He was patient and provided us with a lot of interesting information about the daily events of the Salazar period. He brought to life the everyday life of the 1940 World's Fair, while at the same time providing us with adequate answers to our questions about previous historical periods. Thank you Luís.

This is an excellent way to learn about the history of Belém and how it has changed over the decades. Luís was wonderful and attentive to the heat and our attention span. It was really interesting for such a value to have our own guide after doing group tours we really appreciate that we were able to book this. We certainly learned things that we did not find in guide books and you should definitely do this trip.

Very interesting walking tour covering the history of the Belem district? Louis is a great guide with lots of information both formal and fun. He tailored our tour to cover elemts of out own country (South Africa's) history, which made it very relatable. His ability to remember dates of events is superb.

Lus is an incredible guide - passionate, knowledgeable and able to cater the experience to each audience. Belem is a beautiful part of the city with so much rich history and architecture. Lus is able to distill the stories and information down to the big picture so you leave feeling smarter, well informed, and with a ton of photos from the many areas of Belem.

Luis is a friendly, knowledgeable, and respectful guide who customized the tour to our preferences. The history of Belém is so rich and Luis brings it to life - highly recommend biking there from the main area of Lisbon around the coast.

This tour is for those who want to understand the history of the region of Belem and the surrounding environment. In challenging weather conditions, beating rain and extremely stormy windy conditions, Lus took us around the Belem District and tailored the tour to make it as comfortable as possible for us - the weather defeated 3 umbrellas that day at Belem! Lus was an extremely professional host who explained so much about the area, the Portuguese Expo of 1940 and the Salazar Dictatorship.

I was in Lisbon for business and my colleagues and I decided to take a break and do a tour of the Belem district. Luis was an amazing tour guide. He presented truly unique perspectives on the impact of natural disasters and the religious and political climate on architecture, the lay out of the city, the 1940's World Exhibition, and approaches to protecting the mouth of the river. I have been on walking tours in Lisbon before, but learned so many new details that enhanced my view of the Portuguese culture and the evolution through history of this lovely city. Luis speaks multiple languages and is both entertaining and educational. I would do this tour again if I have the opportunity to return to Lisbon!