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MafraMuseums & exhibitions

Our most recommended Mafra Museums & exhibitions

From Lisbon: Coastal Villages and Mafra Palace Guided Tour

1. From Lisbon: Coastal Villages and Mafra Palace Guided Tour

First stop will be Azenhas do Mar, a scenic village on the coast built in the "Portuguese Soft Style". Continue along the coast, passing by steep cliffs and wild beaches. Arrive in Ericeira, a village known for its blue and white buildings, as well as its lively food scene. Enjoy free time to explore the village at your own pace and have lunch. After lunch, head to Jose Franco, a working village and open-air museum that showcases the traditional culture and handicrafts of the área. End your tour with a visit to the magnificent Palace of Mafra, a masterpiece from the eighteenth century and one of the most important buildings in the Portuguese Baroque style. The palace is home to 92 bells, 1200 rooms, and over 4,700 doors and windows. It also hosts the oldest library in Portugal with about 36,000 volumes. Enjoy a tour of the site with your dedicated guide, who will share interesting facts and stories about the monument.

Sintra and the Amazing Dream Villages Tour

2. Sintra and the Amazing Dream Villages Tour

In a quiet environment a few minutes from the capital, explore a great selection of the best villages near Sintra. The fact that these villages continue to have unusual life habits, they recreate the way of life of Portugal's ancestors, preserved through smells, colors, and traditions. Visit the charming Azenhas do Mar, a village that has become one of the most famous Portuguese tourist spots. Discover the village of Penedo, perched high on a hillside still home to traditional houses. Walk along its steep and winding streets and alleys. It is a treasure of the traditional architecture of the saloia region. Visit secret villages where you will feel like you are in an open-air museum, where the way of life of Portugal's ancestors is preserved. Travel back in time in the village of José Franco. Get to know a local man's dream that recreated a village of ethnographic character, a testimony to the way of life of the ancient local people.

Wonders of Ericeira, Mafra Rural Beach and Wine Tour

3. Wonders of Ericeira, Mafra Rural Beach and Wine Tour

Your journey begins with a morning pickup at your hotel in Lisbon, Cascais, Ericeira, or Sintra. From there, enjoy a brief ride to Mafra, about 40 minutes from Lisbon. Mafra’s convent is a masterpiece from the eighteenth century and one of the most important monuments of Portugal, unique for its two carillons with 92 bells, 1200 rooms, over 4,700 doors, and windows and the oldest library in the country with about 36,000 volumes of books and transcripts. After Mafra venture to the quaint Portuguese one-of-a-kind village of José Franco. This man was a sculptor and a poet who decided to build a living museum to show the customs, labor activities, and other aspects of Portuguese rural life back in his time in 1945. The result is a giant museum made into a village! Next, head to Ericeira, the first World Surfing Reserve in Europe and 2nd in the world. It is a touristic village also known for its blue and white colored streets and houses. In Ericeira enjoy some free time, for possibly a leisurely Portuguese lunch (not included) or a stroll through the town and by the seaside. Last but not least, to finish this exclusive day, head to an exquisite winery and cellar for a tasting and historical experience that will provide you with a fascinating insight into the world of Portugal’s wine production. A family-run business welcomes you to an entertaining and enlightening tour around wines and cellars to discover the secrets of the wine-making process. Learn how wine is produced and enjoy a tasting session of six different wines (four local wines and two other magnificent wines) accompanied by local bread and olives.  

Trip: Aldeia Museu José Franco

4. Trip: Aldeia Museu José Franco

Visit to Aldeia Museum Jose Franco, also known as typical village or Saloia village, located in Sobreiro, Mafra municipality and Lisbon district. Built by the sculptor and potter José Franco, it represents the typical occupations of ancient Portugal in miniature scenarios, with the respective working instruments, constituting a true ethnographic museum. The space also has a life-size replica of a village, with functional miniatures of the region, a leisure area for children with toys, a restaurant space and a ceramic handicraft shop.

From Lisbon: Sintra and Secret Villages Private Luxury Tour

5. From Lisbon: Sintra and Secret Villages Private Luxury Tour

IIn a quiet environment a few minutes from the capital, we have for you a great selection of the best villages near Lisbon to visit. The fact that they are villages that continue to have unusual life habits for a locality near Lisbon. Historical, typical and charming by the sea, in the different areas like Sintra Natural Park and the Roca Cape. Discover the Secret villages around Lisbon.Travel in a comfortable way with an Experienced Local Guide in a luxury vehicle. Explore the typical Portuguese villages: - The village of Mata Pequena. - The Village of José Franco - Penedo Village - Azenhas do Mar - Roca Cape - Sintra Historic Centre - Cascais Historic Centre Visit the Charming " Azenhas do Mar " Village Its entanglement of cobbled streets lined with whitewashed houses clings to the cliff overlooking the Atlantic. Discover a typical village from Lisbon’s “saloio” region. The Village of José Franco. It is made entirely of clay and has been built in a natural size, being the work of the Portuguese sculptor José Franco. Get to Know Aldeia do Penedo. Still conserves some of the old houses and buildings, being therefore able to keep its image of a typical small village. Among the green hills and valleys of the agricultural region northwest of Lisboa, known as 'Saloia', Village of Mata Pequena is a small rural village with a dozen houses, where people still lives peacefully in close contact with nature, breathing clean air and living with authenticity. Enjoy the most beautiful landscapes and visit the westernmost point of Europe, Roca Cape. Take a walk through the streets of the historic center of Sintra. In the 19th century Sintra became the first centre of European Romantic architecture. Get to know Cascais Village. The premier holiday destination of the Lisbon coastline. This is a traditional and charming Portuguese fishing town. Here, you will find astonishing landscapes, such as dramatic cliffs by the ocean and long beaches. Travel with us. Enjoy the unique viewpoints and the traditional villages of Portugal.

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What people are saying about Mafra

This tour was the best thing i’ve done in my trip to Portugal. Our guide, Rodruigo, was amazing! He was very friendly, made wonderful stops at the coastal road so we can check the viewpoints and enjoy the ocean. And most importantly, he made our trip very memorable because it was so much fun (and there was a surprising wave too! Literally! Watch out lol). He also recommended very good restaurants at the fishermen’s village. We had a fantastic time and enjoyed a delicious meal there. The Mafra palace was impressive and Rodruigo was very patient as we enjoyed the gift shop there :) He is also very knowledgeable and shared the history of the area with us. I couldn’t ask for more! The trip was excellent and I highly recommend it!

Our guide Costa is very experienced and he dropped us at all the beautiful spots for taking pictures. He gave us enough time to walk and feel the Atlantic Ocean which is so worth to see. The Atlantic coastal lines are a MUST to go route. Costa is also very thoughtful to let us visit the miniature museum of Portugal before going to Mafra Palace. The library of Mafra Palace is terrific, haven't seen such a beautiful palace library before. Costa knows a lot of history and he introduced us in details on the Portugal history in relation to the Mafra Palace making our visit very much more interesting. Mafra Palace is beautiful though without much furniture.

Very nice tour The beautiful places The guide Rodrigo Costa impeccable, always attentive and cordial and answering all doubts and questions Very good tour I recommend it 100% Quiet trip and without crowds of people