Lisbon Tiles and Tales: Tile Workshop and Private Tour Including National Tile Museum

We decided on this tour as it was a break from the normal thing. We had found that Portugal was famous for tiles and wanted to enjoy a private tour and workshop. Our tour guide and driver, Phillip, was late to our hotel by over 15 minutes. We were told after a phone call was made for a status update that the he had gotten lost due to a GPS/SatNav issue. After meeting Phillip and him explaining that Lisbon was his home town we found it hard to believe that as a tour operator/driver that he was not familiar with the city layout. This was just the beginning of our "lost adventure". As we departed the city and traveled towards the workshop area in the countryside some 45 minutes away, Phillip got lost. He said he'd done the tour before, but had become reliant on GPS/SatNav technology that as the system was broken he was very turned around. We knew we were lost where on multiple occasions we passed the same area (3) three times. Phillip thoroughly explained the history of tiles in Portugal. Our concentration was limited as we worried that Phillip kept getting lost on the way to the workshop. We arrived at the tile workshop. The old building is not very welcoming and does not really seem fit for attendance by visitors. It seemed more like a working area than an exploration area. The gentleman who greeted us was very informative. We were showed varying styles of tiles and what it took exactly to create them. We were then offered the opportunity to paint our own tiles. Beyond "here's the pattern, paint, and brush, precious little instruction or attention was paid to us by either Phillip or the workshop staff. We happily finished our individual tiles and paid for the shipping of the tiles as they would not be fired in time for us to receive them at our hotel (Easter Holiday complications - be aware). We departed the workshop and made our way to a lovely fishing village for more exploration and lunch. The weather did not cooperate very well but we made the best of it as Phillip haphazardly navigated the roads. The fishing village was very quaint and Phillip explained the full history. We had lunch and departed the village to return to Lisbon. Phillip had not timed the tour very well and the amount of time we spend we spent in the museum was abbreviated as the place was in the process of closing. We were very disappointed in this tour overall and would not recommend it.

This was a favourite tour! Racquel was so well-informed and shared her wealth of information easily an conversationally. The midday trip to Sesimbra to see the small church had a wonderful impact on us. In the days following our tour, we were able to wander the streets of Lisbon and noted some of the tile techniques and history we had learned on our tour. The perfect mix of introductory knowledge and local history.

Raquel from Around Lisbon is a wonderful and knowledgeable guide with a degree in fine arts. Be sure to take the tour early in order to bring home your tiles and honestly get the most from your vacation in Portugal. Enjoy!

It was great having a nice lady to be my tour guide and with passion about art and particularly about portuguese art and culture. The tile workshop was a nice experience and love the place as well. happy to receive the tile that I painted in the workshop at my hotel after 2 days. however for the seafood restaurant, I would suggest ppl can find a smaller one perhaps cheaper...