Paulo 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.
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.
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!
Date of experience: 12 April, 2026
Paulo’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.
Paulo was a knowledgeable, enthusiastic and patient guide. I would recommend him wholeheartedly for any site and particularly for learning about jewish portugal.
Paolo 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.
Excellent 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.
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!
Perfect 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.
Date of experience: 10 October, 2025
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.
Highly 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!
Fabulous 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!!
Date of experience: 10 September, 2025
Definitely 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.
Excellent 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 knowledgeable
Great 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.
Paolo'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.
Outstanding 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!
Verified Company
