Questions about the tours

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1 - What is a Free Tour?

Free Tour is the common name for pay-what-you-wish tours. You have the opportunity to take one tour with the best guides in town and you determine what a tour was worth after the tour.

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2 - How much should I tip the Free Tour?

Try to be honest and fair with the effort of the guide and the service you’re getting. You know that you can pay-what-you-wish but here are some hints to help you:

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-  Consider the value of the pre-paid private tours in the market and tip accordingly. If you think we have the standard service tip us the standard, if you think we are better tip us more and if we give you the tour of your life please feel free to give the tip of your life J. If you don’t like it at all you can leave along the tour without paying anything (but naturally if you stay more than 60 minutes it certainly had some interest to you).

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- In average each person tips our guides 15€. These tips pays not only the guides but also other expenses of the company (such as publicity, website and social media communication, legal obligations, etc).

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3 - How do I find the starting point of my tour?

Our Free Tour of Lisbon starts by the Camões Monument in Largo de Camões (Praça Luís de Camões). See the map here.

 

4 - How can I go to the starting point?

Our starting point is very accessible by foot, by Metro (at 100mts/110yd the Baixa Chiado station - with the green or blue line | at 500mt/550yd the Cais do Sodré station – with the green line), by Bus (at 500mt/550yd the Cais do Sodré station), by Train (at 700mt/760yd the Rossio Station | at 500mt/550yd the Cais do Sodré station) or by Tram (Tram 28E stops right in the Largo de Camões square);

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5 - What languages are the tours offered in?

For the moment our Free Tours run exclusively in English, but the Custom-Made/Private Tours can be provided in English, Spanish and French;

 

6 - Are the tours suitable to people with low mobility (disabled, senior citizens), wheelchair, strollers, etc?

Free Tours aren’t recommendable to people with low mobility because to go up and down the streets of Lisbon more efficiently it runs through paths with obstacles (like stairs).

We recommend booking a Custom-made/Private Tour because in this case we are able to adapt our existing tours and add your specific needs (book here).

 

7 - Are pets allowed in the tour?

Although we love pets unfortunately not all participants do. If your pet is registered and trained to be in public feel free to bring him but always on leash and keep him close to you so others participants don’t feel harassed. If you have some doubts of your pet social skills consider booking a Custom-made/Private Tour (because in this case we are able to adapt our existing tours and add your specific needs – book here).

 

8 - Can I join the tours halfway?

Due to logistic and organizational reasons, it is not possible to join any tour halfway. Normally the Guides have a quick briefing in the starting point of the tour and leaves the spot 10/15 minutes after the starting time of it. After leaving the starting point it’s no longer possible to join the tour.

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9 - Can I leave the tour early?

Yes, if you must, of course, you can leave. If you really need to leave please inform the Guide between the stops along the way and try not to disturb a presentation ongoing. If you liked the tour while you can attend please leave the Guide a contribution that you think it’s reasonable.

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10 - Do you offer Private Tours?

Yes. We have Custom-Made/Private Tours. Read more and book here.

 

11 - What’s the itinerary of the tour?

The itinerary isn’t always the same. The guides often adapt the route it takes depending on the dynamic of the group but in a big picture you can expect starting in Largo de Camões, passing in the neighborhoods of Bairro Alto, Chiado, Baixa Pombalina (Downtown) and finishing in the Neighborhood of Alfama.

 

12 - The finishing point is near the starting point?

In the Free Tour of Lisbon the finishing point is about 1,5km/0,9mi distance from the starting point. You have a lot of transports available in the finishing point but if you’re up to return walking to Largo de Camões you have some nice streets and monuments you can visit in the returning path we recommend – if you just walk straight ahead the walk takes about 15 to 20 minutes.

 

13 - Do you have any special recommendations?

We recommend that you use comfortable shoes good for walking through the hills of Lisbon, non slippery shoes suitable for the limestone that can be found in most of the streets of the Portuguese capital. In most of the year we also recommend that you use sunscreen. Beside the shoes and sunscreen no further special recommendations although good spirit is always a good “thing” to bring to a walking tour J.

 

14 - I must book in advance or just show up?

Yes, you should book in advance. Although it’s not mandatory it’s better if you book in advance online for guaranteed spots on the tours. Booking/reservations help us determine the number of guides we need to correspond the number of participants in each day (we don’t have a strict number for maximum participants per group but we tend to create small groups, up to 15 people, in order the tour to be more enjoyable for everyone).

It’s also important for us to have your contact so we can notify you in case there are any changes to the tours due to eventual unforeseen event that could disturb the normal operation.

Booking is free and takes no longer than 5 minutes.

But if you don’t book in advance you still can just show up at the starting point, 15 minutes prior to the time of the tour, and get signed with one of the members of our team. If space is available they will assign you a Guide.

Book here.  

 

15 - We are a group of 5 or more. Should we book in advance or just show up?

Yes, you should book in advance.

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16 - How can I book a tour?

It’s easy. It takes no longer than 5 minutes. Do it here.

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17 - Can I cancel or reschedule my booked tour?

For Free Tours:

Yes. If you want to cancel your reservation in the Free Tours please inform us with more than 24hours if you can’t show up. This way we can manage the right number of Guides to each day (although it’s a free tour if you make a reservation and don’t show up without previous notification this might affect the normal organization of our structure).

If you want reschedule a Free Tour just go to our booking page on our website.

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For Custom-Made/Private Tours:

Cancelation - If you want to cancel a Custom-Made/Private Tour you must inform us 48h before the start of the tour using the form for cancelation (cancelation form here) and we will refund you 80% of the purchase price (20% will cost administrative costs and attenuate the impact on the Guide agenda). If you inform us 24h to 48h before the start of the tour using the form for cancelation (cancelation form here) we will refund you 60% of the purchase price (40% will cost administrative costs and attenuate the impact on the Guide agenda). If you inform us with less than 24h no refund is guaranteed and the Guide will be at the starting point on time – therefore he will be paid in full.

 

Refunds can be made through the same payment method used for the booking or can be attributed in Credit to purchase other tours with Tours Of My Life.

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Reschedule – First cancel and then reschedule. After cancelation use the same booking method used previously to book the new date and pay with the credit of your refund plus the remaining value needed.

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18 - Do the tours run all days of the year (despite bad weather conditions and public Holidays)?

Free Tour of Lisbon runs every day except 4 days of the year – December 24th, 25th and 31st  and January 1st. Shiny skies or rainy weather are no object to our Guides. When there’s bad weather our Guides try to include more indoor stops. Please dress appropriately for the conditions. We only cancel our tour in case of extreme bad weather conditions (in that case we will inform everybody that booked in advance and inform the cancelation in our social media pages – follow us on Facebook | Instagram).

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19 - Are the tours suitable for kids?

We think they are but it really depends on your kid. The information and fun facts given along the Free Tour of Lisbon are interesting to people of all ages but if you want a more child oriented tour we can provide it through a Custom-Made/Private Tour – just contact us here.

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20 - What’s the Free Tour of Lisbon length?

Approximately 2,5 to 3 hours long.

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21 - Tickets and entrance fees are included?

In the Free Tour of Lisbon no tickets or entrance fees are required because the tour don’t access any place that requires them. With Custom-Made/Private Tours all tickets and entrances included in the tours will be described in the reservation.

 

22 - What time do I need to show up for my tour?

Please “check-in” 10 to 15 minutes before the starting hour of the tour. If you’re late and arrive up to 15 minutes after the beginning of the tour, and the group is still in the briefing of the starting point, you probably still can join the tour but please don’t interrupt the presentation of the Guide. Present yourself to the Guide when he finishes the presentation and is moving to another check-point.

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23 - When I book a tour do I receive a confirmation?

Yes. You will receive a confirmation on the email you used in the booking form. This email will be used exclusively to communicate with you regarding the tour you want (after that it won’t be part of any database of emails and will be deleted).

You will also receive a reminder of your booking via email in the day before the tour.

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24 - What’s the maximum of people allowed in the tours?

We don’t have a strict number for maximum participants per group but we tend to create small groups, up to 15 people, in order the tour to be more enjoyable for everyone.

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25 - Are the Guides employers of Tours Of My Life?

The Guides are independent providers chosen by Tours Of My Life because of their excellent entertaining characteristics and knowledge of Lisbon. The Guides work with the routes and the innovated methods of Tours Of My Life and we are in solidarity with their performances, their attributes or their defaults. If you want to praise or complain about somebody in our team please use the contact form in the website.

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26 - How can I praise or complain about something with Tours Of My Life?

If you want to praise or complain about somebody in our team or something in our company services please use the contact form in our website or you can use a more formal way of compliment or complaint about any of our economic activities with the online compliment book or the online complaints book from the Portuguese Government.

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27 - Is the tour secure by any insurance?

Tours Of My Life is officially licensed by Turismo de Portugal (national tourism office), under the license number 54/2020, and we comply with everything required by this office and the national law. Therefore the law says that due the characteristics of our tours we are not obligated to provide any insurance and every participant is responsible for the integrity of his own health and possessions.