The Porto Jewish Heritage Walking Tour is a private tour and it feels like a treasure hunt across the secret Medieval Streets of Porto.

It showcases the first Jewish neighborhood of the city, the lost medieval synagogue in Porto and all the forgotten places where the Jewish influence left its mark in town. If you are into Jewish history in Porto, this tour is definitely for you!

How did Jews end up in Portugal? Where is the Jewish cemetery in Porto? Is it true that the Jewish community in Porto is one of the oldest communities of Jews in the world? Take this Porto Jewish Heritage Tour and get all your answers!

An experienced local guide, who has been guiding this walking experience for the past decade, will uncover all the mysteries of the Jewish Heritage in Porto for you. It's not easy to give a tour on a topic that has very few visible or physical items, but we assure you that our amazing guide, Ricardo, will fill the blanks pretty well.

Jewish Heritage in Porto

Wealthy Jewish men used to have prominent positions at the Portuguese court. For instance, D. Afonso Henriques, the first king of Portugal, nominated the Rabbi Yahia Ben Yahia as Finance Minister of the Portuguese Kingdom. This is one of the reasons why the history of Jewish people in Porto is so important to understand the culture of the city and the evolution of the country throughout the centuries.

Porto's Jewish population took an active role in the local community and contributed to the economic performance of the city from the very beginning - until the Inquisition arrived and had a huge impact on social interactions. While in the rest of the country Jews were being burned, in Porto the merchants offered them protection - to the point that the Inquisition claimed that the city of Porto was sabotaging their “efforts” of rooting out heresy.

In this Porto Jewish Heritage Walking experience, our guide will show you how the Sephardim and Crypto-Jews influenced the destiny of the city in major areas like economics, politics and even gastronomy. The influence was so powerful that, at the end of the tour, you'll be able to feel the Jewish presence in the city.

Take this Jewish Heritage Walking Tour and explore the old Jewish quarters of Porto while learning more about the history of the Jews in Porto and Portugal.

7 Reasons Why People Love this Porto Jewish Heritage Tour

• An itinerary crafted by our in-house expert on Jewish Heritage in Porto, Ricardo, who has been leading this experience for the past decade;

• 4/5 hours of exploring the heart of the city, navigating through the different Porto neighborhoods where the Jews lived and exploring the consequences of the Inquisition in this town;

• Sightseeing of all the major landmarks, plus some hidden gems on the way, totally tourist trap free;

• A quest to find the first Jewish neighborhood of the city and the lost medieval synagogue in Porto;

• A snack break to replenish your energy (not kosher);

• Insurance and a charitable donation to a local NGO that works with the homeless population in Porto;

• Finishing in style with a fun lunch focusing on local delicacies (not kosher/includes beverages). Please notice that we can accommodate food restrictions on this tour.

Good to know

• This is a private walking tour

• We are not visiting the Sinagoga Kadoorie Mekor Haim on this tour

• All our Porto Tours are run in English but we can provide Portuguese-speaking guides upon request, for closed groups. Feel free to ask us about this and more at [email protected]

• Please advise of any dietary restrictions on booking. We can accommodate food restrictions on this Jewish Heritage Walking Tour in Porto

• Tours are for all age groups and all fitness levels

• Experiences happen rain or shine

• Restrooms are available during this gastronomic experience

• Bring good shoes and an appetite

• Advanced purchase of tickets is required: we don't accept walk-ins

• Confirmation will be received at the time of booking

Peace of mind policy

Let's imagine that you are unable to make the tour. Can you have a refund? The answer is yes.

• Cancellation requests submitted until 72h before the tour start will be fully refunded (minus the processing fees);

• Cancellation requests submitted between 72h and 24h before the tour start will be refunded in 80% of the total purchase value (minus the processing fees);

• Cancellation requests submitted 24h or less before the tour start are not eligible for any refund.

Refunds can only be processed back to the original credit or debit card used in the purchase. Processing fees: 1.4% + 0.25€ for European Union cards and 2.9% + 0.25€ for non-European Union cards.

As part of our "Peace Of Mind Policy", the first two cases listed above are eligible to be converted into Gift Cards. These are issued with the same purchase value, free of processing fees penalty, and two-year validity. They can be used and topped up for any Taste Porto product. They can be redeemed by the customer or regifted.