Eight ratings, eight written reviews, 4.9 — and a page whose own small print says the convent ticket is not included
This is the most completely documented listing on the site, and it is tiny
Eight ratings, and eight written reviews recovered from them. Every person who rated this listing also wrote something, which is true of six listings here and of none of the big ones. So the record is complete and the record is eight people. A 4.9 on eight ratings is not the same claim as a 4.8 on 700, and this page prints the base every time it prints the score for that reason.
Every one of the seven reviews with a person’s name on it thanks the same guide, and between them they spell him JP, J.P, João, João Pedro and Joao Pedro. The eighth is filed under the platform’s own default byline rather than a name, so it is not quoted anywhere on this site.
The one review that is not five stars is the one you need
Ruby left four stars and a warning, and she is careful to say the thing she is warning about was not the guide’s fault:
“Unfortunately, not his fault, important buildings as part of the tour are closed on Mondays. He did refund me a fair portion of what I paid. I would recommend taking this tour out of a Monday schedule. Fortunately, the Convent of Christ was open so we spent extra time in there.”
Two things in that. First, a private tour of Tomar on a Monday can lose several of its stops, and she names the day. Second, the convent itself was open on her Monday. The operator’s published closures are 1 January, 1 March, Easter Sunday, 1 May, 24 and 25 December, and Monday is not among them — the full list is on visiting, including the 1 March closure, which catches people out.
What the rest of them say
“He picked us up and dropped us off near entrances while he parked the car and walked back to meet us.”
“JP was also our guide in Obidos. So when we met up with him for our tour in Tomar, we knew it would be a great experience.”
“JP was an amazing guide, he had a treasure trove of information and insight. I would highly recommend him.”
Leisa had already had the same guide in another town, which is worth knowing: what is being sold on this listing is a driver-guide and his day rather than a scheduled product. Rebecca calls it “a great way to spend the day in Tomar and seeing all the sites”, and Elizabeth’s sentence is the one that tells you what a private car buys on a hill like this: he dropped them at the door and went to park.
The trap, stated once more, because the page invites it
What the day covers
- A driver and guide for the day, and the car between the sites
- A route taking in the convent, the castle of Tomar, two churches, the synagogue, the Pegões Aqueduct and Almourol Castle
- Being dropped at the doors while somebody else parks
What you pay for or lose
- The Convent of Christ entrance fee, in the listing’s own words
- Admission at Almourol, which the same block reads as though it covers
- Flash photography and food inside, which the page also flags
- Whatever is shut on the day you pick, as one reviewer found on a Monday
This is one of only two listings in the catalogue that say outright you buy your own admission, and it is the one whose inclusions look like the opposite. Budget for the ticket on top of the tour, at about fifteen euros a head. Which listings do and do not include it is the whole point of all eighteen listings.
If you want the ticket in the price instead
Cheapest with a guideTomar: Walking Tour to Convent of Christ Small Group & Tickets
Priced per partyTomar: Knight's Templar Castle and Convent of Christ Tour
Ticket and lunch inFrom Lisbon: Tomar, Christ Convent & Almourol Castle Tour
Frequently asked questions
Does this tour include entry to the Convent of Christ?
No. Its own know-before-you-go says “The Convent of Christ entrance fee is not included in the tour price.” The listing's included and excluded lists render as a single block, so a quick read suggests the opposite. Budget for admission on top.
Is Tomar worth visiting on a Monday?
One reviewer here says several of the buildings on this tour are shut on Mondays and recommends going another day; the convent itself was open on hers. The convent's own published closures are 1 January, 1 March, Easter Sunday, 1 May, 24 and 25 December. Visiting has the hours and the full list.
How reliable is a 4.9 from eight ratings?
It is the most complete record on this site and the smallest: all eight people who rated it also wrote something. Complete is not the same as large. Eight opinions is eight opinions, and one of them dropped a star for a reason that had nothing to do with the guide.