Every review you read here is a real story of trust, care, and discovery, lived with us in Portugal. Our guests put their heritage and precious travel time in our hands, and we honor that with the same attention we would give to our own families.
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ViatorExcellent4.9248 reviews
4.9Excellent248 reviewsPosted on Google
John A29 September 2026Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google.
It is a pleasure to give a review of Real Embrace Portugal. Our group of 3 had the pleasure of spending 2 full day tours with Paulo. Paulo's knowledge of history and art made the tours extra special. We were able to closely interact with Paulo during the 2 full day tours and get a local perspective of the areas we were visiting. I had read other reviews about Real Embrace Portugal that specifically mentioned how great Paulo was and I was ecstatic when I found out Paulo would be our tour guide. Everything I read in other reviews about how great Paulo was for the tours was absolutely true. We wanted to visit Tomar and Fatima for a one day which Paulo had listed as a one day tour offer. That day was a great day again with Paulo's knowledge of history, religion and art. We asked Paulo what to do on our other open day knowing we had plans for 2 other Lisbon days with our preplanned cruise tour. His recommendation was fabulous. We were so happy to have Paulo join us for lunch on both of our all day tours. His recommendations for the 2 lunch restaurants were fantastic. Our group of 3 would have loved to had another day of touring with Paulo using his advice of what else to see that was different than most tours showcase. We returned home with a desire to learn even more details about Portugal history. I am sure that anyone that works with Paulo at his company would be of the highest standard set by Paulo. The title of his tour company, Real Embrace Portugal, says it all. We loved Lisbon and we loved our time with Paulo!!! Obrigado Paulo!!! JOHNPosted on Google
Wendy Berenson21 September 2026Paulo has an abundance of information to share with visitors his knowledge is vast and memorable. A tour not to be missed.Posted on Google
Dana Berenson21 September 2026Paulo was a wonderful guide. Any question we asked, he answered with tremendous knowledge. We learned so much about Lisbon history, Jewish history, and much more. I highly recommend Booking a tour with him.Posted on Google
Patricia Berenson21 September 2026Paulo is a great tour guide. He is knowledgable, adaptable, and a great resource. He went out of his way to accommodate our needs.Posted on Google
Mike Harris2 July 2026Paulo made our touring easy and enjoyable. No worries about where to go, stay, or eat. It felt that we were traveling with a knowledgeable friend, not a tour guide. We saw many sights that we would not have found on our own or that were inaccessible to a typical tour group. And he was very sensitive to our needs as seniors. Warning: Portugal is very hilly and you will have to do a lot of walking if you want to see the most interesting sights.Posted on Google
Sholem Greenbaum24 June 2026Very knowledgeable and courteous, and accommodating. Very clean and comfortable car. Highly recommended.Posted on Tripadvisor
cohenfam1 June 2026Verified
Highly Recommend this interesting tour Very Informative and insightful tour. Paolo is very passionate and has huge amounts of information on the history of the Jews in in Lisbon and Portugal. We came away from the tour with so much knowledge and understanding of the rich, sad history of Portuguese Jewish people.Posted on Tripadvisor
Connector4607042132330 May 2026Bom Gostei muito da viagem muito bomPosted on Trustindex
S Block16 April 2026Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Trustindex.
Exceptional Jewish heritage tour Paulo provided an exceptional tour of Jewish heritage sites in Lisbon for our group of 6 adults. His deep knowledge of Jewish history in Portugal and his compassionate storytelling made the experience both informative and engaging. The highlight was visiting the Ohel Jacob synagogue, which was incredibly moving. If you're seeking an insightful and meaningful way to explore Jewish history in Lisbon, we couldn’t recommend Paulo more highly!Posted on Google
Leah Fleischner7 April 2026Paulo’s knowledge of Portugal’s Jewish history is deep and clearly personal — not guidebook facts, but lived curiosity. We thoroughly enjoyed our experience and would highly recommend him for anyone looking for a truly authentic experience exploring the Jewish lineage Portugal — their resilience and passed-down traditions.Posted on Google
Anna Poli21 March 2026Paulo was a knowledgeable, enthusiastic and patient guide. I would recommend him wholeheartedly for any site and particularly for learning about jewish portugal.Posted on Google
Jack Lehrer18 February 2026Paolo gave a very knowledgeable and pleasant tour of Lisbon.We now have a greater understanding of the history of the city.Would highly recommend a tour with him.Posted on Google
Ronald Vexler29 January 2026We spent an extremely enjoyable and informative afternoon with Paolo walking around the older districts of Lisbon and learning about its Jewish heritage. We would highly recommend this tour as a part of a visit to Lisbon. RonPosted on Tripadvisor
Jess S16 January 2026Excellent guide! We did a shortened two hour walking tour of Jewish Lisbon but I could have listened to Paolo the guide all day long. He was very interesting, informative, and knowledgeable. Highly recommend as the history of Jewish Lisbon is fascinating.Posted on Google
E Nirenberg29 December 2025I had an excellent tour of the Jewish history of Lisbon! I appreciated the guide’s ability to go into detail about Jewish life and answers all of my questions.Posted on Viator
Laura_R26 December 2025Verified
Fatima and Tomar with Paulo Paulo was a very kind and informative guide. My family and I learned about the history of the Templar Knights, the Covenant of Christ, and Fatima from Paulo. He has a deep love for this area and it shows as he presents it to you. Paulo also took us to see Castelo de Almourol in the middle of the Tagus River which was not in the original tour. I highly recommend Paulo. He has was great!Posted on Trustindex
Bill12 October 2025Perfect visit to Fatima We took a full day tour to Fatima with Paolo. The experience was outstanding. He picked us up at our hotel in a very comfortable van and off we went. Paolo himself is an excellent driver with great knowledge of the area and its culture. He’s extremely articulate and shared a lot of stories about Portugal as well as his life here. I would not hesitate to call Paolo the next time we visit, he’s a kind, thoughtful man and an excellent tour guide.+0Posted on Getyourguide
William11 October 2025Verified
Paolo was an exceptional guide. He’s extremely knowledgeable about the area, history and culture. He’s also very articulate and explains things very clearly. His English is excellent. We took a three hour tour of Lisbon and got a great overview of the city from his very comfortable van. I highly recommend his tours.Posted on Tripadvisor
Shayna D25 September 2025Highly Recommend Jewish Walking Tour of Lisbon with Paolo We have participated in a few Jewish walking tours throughout Europe and this was, by far, one of the most interesting, factual and in-depth we have experienced. We really enjoyed the tour despite there being very little left in terms of actual historical Jewish artifacts/buildings/monuments. Paola did an outstanding job explaining what took place in various areas so that we had a good appreciation of the events, the times and what it felt like to be living there hundreds of years ago. It requires much advance planning to view the synagogue in Lisbon so we did not visit it on this trip.Paolo, as a professional historian, is an exceptionally knowledgeable guide who shares the history of the Jewish people in Portugal from thousands of years ago to present, as we walk from point to point. He was very personable and provided fulsome answers to our questions. As a bonus, we found out Paolo has been instrumental in helping to preserve and document the Portuguese Jewish history by ensuring discovered artifacts are safely displayed in a museum (which is part of the tour). We came away from that tour with a much deeper knowledge and understanding of the rich history of Portuguese Jewish people as well as the more recent influx of Jews to Portugal.We highly recommend this tour. It is easy walking - all downhill, and a beautiful stroll through Lisbon. The tour was about 3.5 hours long, so wear comfortable shoes!Posted on Trustindex
Sharon Berry24 September 2025Fabulous 11 day Tour of Portugal Featuring Jewish History My husband and I had the most amazing, personalized experience on a full 11 Day Portugal Jewish Heritage Tour with our knowledgeable and caring guide, Paulo Moreira Reis. Our tour featured many beautiful sites such as Porto, The Douro Valley and Belmonte in the Central Mountain region and Paulo highlighted the Jewish history of each place. Paulo took us in his Mercedes Benz touring van to a wide variety of areas in Portugal including Lisbon, Belem, Sintra, Aveiro, Coimbra, Cascais, Porto, The Douro Valley, Belmonte, Monteigas, Serra de Estrella, Tomar and back to Lisbon. We stayed 2 or 3 nights in most places. Paulo arranged all our hotels and they were all excellent. We especially enjoyed the Pousada Convento de Belmonte. He also helped us find local Portuguese restaurants for lunch and dinner where the food was healthy and delicious and reasonable. An excellent breakfast was included with all the hotels. We learned so much about Jewish and Portugal history including the Knights of the Templar. He will design an itinerary based on your personal interests and needs Highly recommend Real Embrace Portugal!!! We really enjoyed Paulo's company!!+4Posted on Tripadvisor
Howard S18 September 2025Definitely recommend This tour was recommended by friends who visited Lisbon earlier this year. Paolo was a very good guide. We also definitely recommend. A lot of walking, good overview of the city and the Jewish history. There is not a lot left in Lisbon from that period, but we knew that. It was nice to walk, see and hear about the history.Separately we set up a tour of the synagogue. You must do this in advance and send them copies of your passport and a small donation.Posted on Tripadvisor
Caryl L13 September 2025Excellent Jewish Tour by Paulo Paulo was an excellent guide for the Jewish Tour of Lisbon. I know we got to learn about and go to places of Jewish interest had we not taken this tour with him. His own family history was of interest as well to us. We did the full day tour and got to go to the Ashkenazi synagogue where we learned about its origins. This was a special part of the day. Unfortunately we weren't able to get into the Orthodox one due to their policies and difficulty getting permission to get in. I'd recommend Paulo for this tour. He was very friendly and very knowledgeablePosted on Google
Riki9 September 2025Paulo is a knowledgeable and friendly tour guide. We enjoyed our walking tour and highly recommend himPosted on Viator
Gabriela_G23 June 2025Very Moving Very informative. Paulo was very knowledgeable about the Jewish culture in Lisbon. We were moved by the visit to synagogue.Posted on ViatorKarene_D28 May 2025Great experience to Tomar and Fatima! We had a wonderful day. Our guide was awesome and very knowledgeable. It was just my daughter and I on a private tour and we were very comfortable. Great conversations with our guide.Posted on Tripadvisor
Dorine T8 May 2025Paolo's Jewish Lisbon Tour Paolo was an excellent, well informed guide. He was extremely knowledgeable about the Jewish areas and the Jewish history in Lisbon. The tour was well paced and his English was excellent. Although it was pouring, we were still able to do the whole tour. He brought interesting perspectives to the tour. Well worth the price.Posted on Tripadvisormay flint6 May 2025Outstanding and very interesting Our guide was incredibly knowledgeable about the Jewish history of Portugal! It was a fantastic experience seeing the old Torah’s. We highly recommend this tour!Posted on TrustindexSherri S24 April 2025A Perfect Day in Lisbon My friend and I had a very informative and perfect day exploring the history of Portugal and specifically the Jewish community. I had very little knowledge of Jewish Portugal before coming here and truly gained a deep appreciation of what those who came before us endured all with the end goal of preserving our heritage. Would recommended for anyone!!Posted on Tripadvisor
Roi A11 April 2025Paulo is amazing. We had an incredible experience with Jewish Lisbon Private Tours! Our guide, Paulo, was outstanding — deeply informative, passionate, and truly brought the rich history of Jewish Lisbon to life. His storytelling kept the tour engaging from start to finish, and it was clear how much heart he puts into his work. Every detail was thoughtfully presented, making the entire experience both educational and meaningful. We highly recommend Jewish Lisbon Private Tours to anyone looking for a deeper, more personal understanding of Lisbon’s Jewish heritage. Thank you, Paulo, for an unforgettable day!Posted on Viator
Mitchell_F9 April 2025Lisbon Jewish Tour We spent the day with Paulo on a Jewish heritage tour of Lisbon. While there's limited visible Jewish history remaining today, we explored many fascinating sites and learned a great deal. We highly recommend this tour!Posted on Viator
Minna_J7 April 2025Jewish Tour of Lisbon Traveling with Paulo was a pleasure. We saw most of the Jewish sites in Lisbon in one day. He was very organized, knowledgeable and friendlyPosted on ViatorSari_S4 March 2025My husband and I had a... My husband and I had a lovely, informative and interesting day with Paulo. He arrived on time, we moved along at a nice pace, lots of activity, lovely lunch and really enjoyed the day.Posted on Trustindex
Drorit Ratzker3 March 2025Lisbon tour We had a wonderful experience with Paolo. Even before landing in Lisbon, Paolo was responsive and attentive. On the day of our tour, he was prompt, pleasant to be around and crafted an itinerary that incorporated the highlights of the city and catered to our specific interests. He also took us for an authentic Portuguese lunch. Paolo is extremely knowledgeable and we enjoyed the day tremendously. We highly recommend exploring Portugal with Paolo.Posted on ViatorWendy_W11 February 2025Excellent experience Paulo was an amazing tour guide. He was informative and interesting. We enjoyed every moment of the tour. The time went by so fast. Also, had a great authentic Portuguese lunch.Posted on TrustindexMark Keefer30 January 2025Wonderful introduction to Portugal Paulo was our guide for several days, touring and hiking parts of Lisbon, Sintra and Nazaré. He is very knowledgeable about the history and culture, and introduced us to haunting fado music, and incredible pastel de nada treats. He really brought Portugal to life for us! Years later, I am happy to consider Paulo a friend.+0Posted on TrustindexIris Assouline27 January 2025An excellent host and tour guide We spent two wonderful days with our tour guide, Paolo. On our first day, Paulo took us to - and explained - literally every major area and sight there is to see in Lisbon (including the Belem and Alfama districts) as well as to the important points of interest relating to Jewish history (including the Lisbon synagogue, the Lisbon Jewish Memorial in Rossio Square, and the Jewish squares in the different areas we visited). Most importantly, Paulo made the city and its sights come alive with his exceptional knowledge of Portuguese history. On our second day, Paulo took us to Sintra, where he gave us a wonderful tour of the magnificent Pena Palace. Then, we were off to Cabo de Roca (the westernmost point in Europe), and then Cascais, where we had a lovely traditional Portuguese lunch. On our way back to Lisbon, we passed through Estoril. By the time we returned to our hotel, we felt like we were treated to an exceptional tour to a wonderful city by an excellent host and tour guide. Thank you Paulo!!!+0Posted on TrustindexEline Yasinov25 January 2025Two days of Portugal It was an honor to have met Paulo. Paulo, you exude passion and love for your country, its heritage and culture. Your knowledge of Jewish presence in Portugal is inspiring and eye-opening. We appreciate that you have introduced us to the Ashkenazi synagogue and its lovely gate-keeper:)))).. Your conversation with Zach really hit the point .(Your message to him completely resonated our vision-and we thank you for that) Thank you for the wonderful two days that we got to spend with you and learn about Lisbon. P.S. when you are in NYC, let us know. We will be happy to catch up.Posted on Trustindex
Dinah Pietrowski25 January 2025Fabulous trip in Portugal Paulo Moreira was our guide in Portugal this past April. We developed a very fine relationship with him. He is extremely knowledgeable in general history but also very specialized in the Jewish history of the Iberian Peninsula. Our tour went from Lisbon to Porto, going through Sintra, Óbidos, Tomar, Coimbra and Aveiro. Paulo always pointed out something different or something special that we would not have noticed or we would not have found in travel books. He is also very easy to talk to, friendly, very kind and considerate. We had an unusual experience in Spain, where my husband (86) caught pneumonia, however insisted on continuing our trip to Portugal instead of flying home. Paulo, seeing that my husband was weak and could not walk long distances, always looked for the closest place to stop the car, he would get out of his way to take pictures of the sights with my husband’s camera, he would always have water for us, in other words, he went beyond his duties to make our trip possible, easy and pleasant. We are very thankful to Paulo. Without him our trip would have been impossible. We strongly recommend to anyone to have Real Embrace Portugal – Private Custom Tours as your travel agency in Portugal and Paulo as your guide.Posted on TrustindexRick B10 December 2024the real Portugal want to see and hear about the real Portugal, use Paulo and experience the differencePosted on TrustindexEleanor k8 December 2024Lisbon- Sinatra Cascias Paulo took us on a jewish walking tour thru Lisbon. We also spent the day with him going to Sinatra, a drive thru different towns on the way to Cascias. He is very knowledgeable and knows his history. I would recommend him to all my friendsPosted on TrustindexAdam B4 December 2024An Amazing Day with Paolo in Portugal From the moment we contacted Paolo about our (quick) trip to Portugal he went above and beyond in availing himself to us, supporting our vision of what we could accomplish/view in a single day, and delivering a fabulous experience. Paolo guided our day both in the planned and surprise additions to our tour which were really excellent - giving us a taste of the variety of flavors Portugal has to offer infused with his knowledge and insights. Thank you Paolo for the breathtaking parts of the country you showed us, meaningful places/moments you facilitated for us - including tremendous cultural and religious history- and your overall patience, pleasant disposition and service. We strongly recommend Paolo to any/all and will be doing so ourselves! Until next time, Adam and DaniellePosted on ViatorEliza_P15 November 2024Great Adventure through time Paulo was wonderful and so knowledgeable- we fell like he is now a dear family friend. We visited Tomar - had lunch at a local rest and the. Off to Fatima where we had a great experience as Paulo knows so many people!Posted on TripadvisorRichard S3 November 2024Paulo was fantastic!!! My wife and I spent a couple of weeks in Central and Southern Spain and in Portugal. Besides the Wonderful Port and Sherry tasting in the Douro Valley and in Jerez our trip had a Jewish history focus. None of our guides (and there were many) did a better job then Paulo did of sharing his knowledge of the historical plight of the jews in Portugal especially as it relates to the Conversos. All in all, I highly recommend Paulo. He was real menschPosted on ViatorLon_K20 October 2024Lisbon Jewish Tour Our Jewish Tour of Lisbon was excellent. It was eye opening and helped us understand the role Jews played in Portugal throughout the centuries. We visited Jewish historic sites and got a deeper understanding of how Jews became a secret society. Our guide took us to a small reformed Synagogue in the city and we saw many historic artifacts. It was an informative tour and I highly recommend itPosted on Viatorandreagblum20 October 2024Interesting, beautiful and educational. We were picked up at the airport and started the tour right away. I loved the views of the city. We learned a lot about the history of the city. I was impressed how clean and friendly it is. Our tour guide Paulo was wonderful.+3Posted on Tripadvisor
MariaBCalifornia15 October 2024An excellent day with Paulo We had the most amazing day with Paulo today. The Tomar tour of the Knights Templar Convent of Christ was incredible, and we enjoyed our time at the Fatima Sanctuary as well. Paulo knew the history of each so well and answered all of our questions. We had great conversations with him and he was an excellent driver too. We stopped for a nice lunch with him in Tomar also. He picked us up on time and we rode in a nice Mercedes minivan. We highly recommend his tours.Posted on ViatorStephen_L2 October 2024Absolutely the best tour of our trip No question that this was the absolute best experience of our trip in Lisbon and we did a lot. Paulo was absolutely outstanding. To show us the history of Jews and Lisbon with the inquisition and how the government treated Jews at various times was so enlightening and the trip to the memorial And the way Paulo was able to weave a story throughout. The city was amazing. We are so grateful that we took this tour. If you have any interest in Jewish history you have to carve out time to do this Simply outstanding — five stars is not enough.Posted on ViatorSusan_E16 September 2024Fantastic tour with Paolo! We had a fantastic tour of Óbidos and Nazare with Paulo. He was incredibly knowledgeable about Portuguese history in general and made the history of Obidos come alive for us. This is a special town aptly known a the prettiest town in Portugal. While we didn’t see the huge waves Nazare is known for, the visit to the coast was wonderful and we had a delicious lunch at a spot Paulo recommended. I hope you will get a chance to meet Paolo- we throughly enjoyed spending the day with him!Posted on Tripadvisor
Andrew B12 September 2024Jewish Lisbon Private Tour Paulo was an excellent tour guide. He was very informative, and we particularly appreciated his bringing us to the small Polish synagogue and meeting with its representative.Load moreVerified by TrustindexTrustindex verified badge is the Universal Symbol of Trust. Only the greatest companies can get the verified badge who has a review score above 4.5, based on customer reviews over the past 12 months. Read more
