Knights Templar tour from Lisbon: Tomar & Almourol Castle

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Free cancellationExcellent qualityLikely to sell out

1/20

Duration9h

GroupPrivate

LanguagesEN · RU +3

PickupAt your hotel

A castle on an island, a church buried two meters underground, and the marks Templars left across a city.

A private guided tour from Lisbon to Tomar and Almourol Castle, exploring the Knights Templar's influence across Portugal with a live guide in your chosen language. The tour covers nine hours and includes hotel pickup, air-conditioned transport, and accompaniment to all monuments; lunch and museum tickets are separate. Children from age 4 are welcome.

Step-by-step itinerary

Visit Templar sites in Tomar and surroundings

Visit Almourol Castle on Tagus River island
Explore church with Templar funerary monuments
See Templar marks in Mata dos Sete Montes
Visit Tomar Synagogue and learn cohabitation history
Tour Templar Castle and Convent of Christ
Visit Tomar Castle
See Pegões Aqueduct near Tomar

The Experience

The day starts with Almourol Castle, a fortified stronghold built on a small island in the Tagus River. The Templars chose this spot for protection, and the castle still sits where Roman forces once occupied the same ground. From there, the route moves into Tomar itself, where the Templar Church stands as the first seat of the Order—its facade carries the Signum Salomonis, the mark of the Knights Templar, and inside are the funerary monuments of Guladim Pais, the city's founder, and other Grand Masters. The church sits two meters below street level, which is why it reads smaller from outside than it actually is.

Tomar earned its name as the city of the Templars, and the guide walks you through the evidence: the Mata dos Sete Montes, where tradition holds that Templar rituals took place, and marks scattered throughout the streets that show how much pride this city held for the military order. A stop at the Tomar Synagogue, built in the 15th century, shifts the focus to a different history—Portugal's centuries as a place where Christians, Muslims and Jews lived in relative peace. The Synagogue sits in the city center and stands as a reminder of that coexistence.

The Templar Castle, also called the Convent of Christ, was the Order's seat until 1314, then became the seat of the Order of Christ from 1357 onward. The castle dates to 1160, and its octagonal sanctuary, built in the late 12th century, shows Romanesque style with Oriental influence. Before heading back to Lisbon, the tour stops at the Pegões Aqueduct, six kilometers outside Tomar—a 16th-century engineering work that supplied water to the castle and convent. The drive back to your accommodation takes the afternoon into evening.

What’s included

Private transportation from your Lisbon accommodation with an air-conditioned vehicle and WiFi on board.
a private guide in your chosen language accompanying you to all monuments.
pickup and drop-off at your hotel.
compulsory insurance.

Good to know

Easy physical levelPublic transport nearby

Operated by Kitzel Tours Portugal

Is this one for you?The nine-hour day moves at a steady pace with stops at each site rather than long stretches of walking, so it suits anyone interested in Templar history without requiring high fitness levels. Book this one if you want a guide who can explain what you're standing in front of—the private format means the pace stays flexible around your questions and interests.