Lisbon Jewish Heritage Tour

For the last 900 years, the Portuguese capital has probably been the peninsular Sephardic city that concentrated most of Jewish history.

In this private tour, we will share with you the Jewish heritage in Lisbon, and observe the places of the Discoveries in which many astronomers and Jewish businessmen participated. We will cross the time of the Inquisition and visit the downtown areas where the refugees escaping from Nazi Germany lived.

We will start our private tour in Rossio, a magnificent square, where the Court of the Inquisition was held, in the Palácio dos Estaus, which is today the National Theater D. Maria. It was here that countless ceremonies were held and Jews and other accused heretics suffered the “purification rituals” – The Auto da Fé.

In this square, in the corner of São Domingos Church, we can see the Jewish Lisbon Memorial, erected in April 2006 to honor the victims of the Jewish Massacre in 1506, during which 2.000 people, accused of being Jews, were persecuted, tortured, and killed.

Strolling down the streets of Lisbon, toward the elegant Chiado quarter. Until the 14^th century, there was a small Jewish quarter here with a synagogue, built in 1260.

Then we continue to the magnificent Praça do Comércio, a perfect place to relax and glance at the Tejo River, the place where thousands of Jews were forced to be baptized in the 15^th century. This area was destroyed by an earthquake in 1755.

Entering Alfama, the birthplace of Fado and one of Lisbon’s most picturesque areas with its narrow streets. We will discover the two important Jewish quarters that existed in this area: The Judiaria Grande, close to the Church of São Nicolau, and the Judiaria Pequena, in the place where today stands the Bank of Portugal.

To finish our tour, we will visit Shaaré Tikva Synagogue, which opened in 1904, the first synagogue to be built after the 15^thcentury. This place served as the center of Jewish life in Lisbon and was a sanctuary for thousands of refugees during World War II.

A private tour that will allow you to learn more about the Jewish heritage in Lisbon.