Porto Old Jewish Quarters Half-Day Walking Tour
Description
Summary
Description
Enhance your travel experience with this Porto Old Jewish Quarters Half-Day Walking Tour. Embark on a journey through time and immerse yourself in the rich historical heritage of Portugal with a unique historical tour, offering an unforgettable exploration of the past.
The entire activity lasts around 3 hours and is a great addition to any travel itinerary in Porto. Previous travelers have rated this cultural tour an average of 4.6 out of 5 stars in 18 reviews.
Throughout the experience, a knowledgeable expert will guide you, offering valuable insights and information. The activity is offered in 2 languages: Portuguese and English.
The starting point for this historical tour is located in Porto. The exact address is Terreiro da Sé, 4050-573 Porto, Portugal. The endpoint of the tour is located at 4050-598 Porto, Portugal.
Reservations for this activity can be made for up to 10 individuals per booking. We recommend you review the "Included" and/or "Good to know" sections below for more details about the experience.
The cancellation policy for this experience is as follows: For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Elevate your visit in Porto by reserving a spot for this captivating journey through time in Portugal. Select your date and secure an extraordinary experience before it gets fully booked!
Included
Destinations
Map
Attractions
Good to know
Verified reviews
Stephen_G
Luigi was terrific .
So so knowledgeable on all aspects of Porto.
Really brought to life how life was .
Would highly recommend !
CCMEsquit
Thank you so much for your kind words.
Olga_B
We had a wonderful tour with a very knowledgeable guide. We had enough time to talk about past, present and future.
Thank you.
CCMEsquit
Thank you for joing AtWill!
Deborah_S
The tour was informative and meaningful. Joao exposed us to areas and information we would not have found on our own. With so many of Portugal’s Jewish historical places covered up and built over, the tour is a must do.
CCMEsquit
Thank you Deborah.
Susan_M
The guide Luigi was personable and knowledgeable, and he did a very good job. However, there’re just not enough tangible or actual remaining historical structures to justify a tour like this.
CCMEsquit
Thank you Susan. The city's Jewish history is very rich and interesting. There really aren't many physical traces of this history, as explained during the tour, the six centuries of Catholic domination and the expulsion order of 1496 had profound effects.
However, these are three hours of discovery and reflection that are very interesting and important for understanding the city's Jewish community today.
Robin_B
Joao was so knowledgeable and amazing, so much Jewish and Portuguese history! His English is excellent and he was very patient with questions and walking issues on the hills! Saw the city of Porto up close and completely.
CCMEsquit
Thank you Robin. We are happy to know you had a great time with João!
Ziva_W
Our guide was a scholar in, and extremely knowledgeable about the Jewish history in Porto. We saw the Portuguese people and Jewish historical experiences in such a different light after our tour. We enjoyed the city even more thereafter! We highly recommend this tour!!!
CCMEsquit
Thank you Ziva for this kind review.
We are very happy to know it was such a wonderful experience!
Marilyn_W
While Porto currently has a small Jewish community whose museum and synagogue are closed to the public, there is a lot of Jewish history in Porto. Our guide, Joao, was excellent. He was personable and very knowledgeable. He also picked out paths to where we were going (primarily up) that were the least steep and even took us up a set of outside escalators.
CCMEsquit
Thank you Marilyn! I'm very happy to know you had a good time and learned about the rich Jewish history of Porto.
Jusy_P
Incredible guide--Joao. knowledgeable and personable. amazing knowledge of Jewish and portugese history So worth every penny
bshelkrot
We covered a lot of the old city walking with a pleasant and well-informed guide. The narrow ancient walkways and alleys can be seen only by walking. We started at the Cathedral and went down to the river. The steep trip up from the river was a bit challenging and we ended up in an Uber to see the new Jewish Museum and the synagogue. Make sure that you request that these two sites are included when you book your tour.
Tomás Ó
I have visited the Jewish areas of many cities throughout Europe and when I turned my attention to Porto, I did a quick look round for a company offering a guided walk of former Jewish Porto, which I had been studying. After communicating with companies, the most responsive by far was João Mesquita of AtWill Tours. My wife and I booked a private tour with AtWill and the guide who conducted the tour was João Gomes Ferreira.
Now at the outset, let me tell you that I had picked a very unsuitable time of year for the tour, it being the week of the Jewish festival of Sukkot. Because the synagogue was in use, our tour could not finish with the usual visit to the impressive Kadoori Mekor Haim Synagogue, which normally concludes this particular tour. In addition to this, there was an absolute downpour in Porto that evening, which slowed the city traffic to a crawl and prevented us getting to the Jewish Museum before closing time. So, did these frustrations spoil our tour? NO! But we must go back and visit the synagogue and museum some time in the future.
We met our guide, João Gomes Ferreira at the Sé and from there, João took us to the various locations I had been reading about. These locations encompassed the three different areas where the Jewish community had lived over their centuries in Porto. Of course tragedy and time have erased almost everything but the faintest traces, yet to stand in the locations was emotional. Now the highlight of the tour for us came when we arrived at Rua de São Miguel and found ourselves outside what is now an Old Peoples Home. João rang the doorbell and we were permitted to enter. Inside we were shown the "Ehel" or "Ark" where the crypto-Jews would have kept the Torah scrolls. At last, we had found a REAL historic and sacred treasure that had survived tragedy and time. If you are doing a Jewish tour of Porto, you must insist on seeing this. In visiting the Ahul, may I remind you that you will be in a private Old Peoples Home, so due respect must be shown. A small charge applies to enter the premises, but it is worth the experience and is small compensation for what must be a frequent disturbance in their day.
As well as putting the focus on its Jewish past,João Gomes Ferreira taught us so much about his native city. He showed great courtesy and enabled us to get to all the locations I had been studying. Thank you João.
Thanks also to João Mesquita of AtWill Tours for all his fine communication in arranging the tour.
Finally, two words of advice, if you are considering doing this tour, don't plan doing it during a major Jewish Festival - and try to avoid a Porto Downpour!)
CCMEsquit
Thank you Tomás for you kind words! Hope you have a chance to comeback to Porto and visit the Synagogue.
Regards,
Carlota Cabral
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