7 Best Park and Garden Tours in Lisbon

One of the best things to see and do in Lisbon is to explore its squares, botanical gardens and natural parks full of history and life. Many of these gardens belong to palaces, castles and museums, so you can include both in your city tours in a single day.

In this article, I present some of the most interesting tours you can take in Lisbon, which will allow you to connect culture and nature, as well as history and everyday life.

One of the gardens you can visit on a tour of Belém is the Alfonso de Albuquerque Garden, located on the banks of the Tagus River, opposite the National Palace of Belém. Covering nearly 2 hectares, it is a Renaissance-style garden with artificial lakes, statues, fountains and trees. In the centre is a bronze statue in honour of Alfonso de Albuquerque, who was governor of Portuguese India in the early 16th century.

These tours usually include some of the best things to see and do in Belém, one of Lisbon's most interesting neighbourhoods. They are conducted in small groups and you are accompanied by a professional guide who provides information about the sites you are visiting and about the history and culture of the city. They usually last around 3 hours and run every day except Mondays, as some monuments are closed.

Other sites you can discover on this tour include the Jerónimos Monastery, an impressive Portuguese Gothic monument built in the 16th century, the Imperial Garden, which belongs to the monastery, and the Belém Tower, one of the city's most beautiful lighthouses. You will also visit the Monument to the Discoveries, erected in honour of Henry the Navigator, on the banks of the Tagus River.

Not all tours include admission to the monuments, so if you are interested in visiting them, you can buy a ticket to the Jerónimos Monastery and/or book a ticket to the Belém Tower. A very characteristic feature of these tours is that they pass by Pastéis de Belém, a century-old pastry shop where you can try the typical Portuguese cream cakes.

Useful information

• Price: from £35 for adults and around £17 for children aged 12 to 17.
• Duration: approximately 3 hours.

If you want to discover the city's green spaces while enjoying outdoor activities in Lisbon, a bike tour from the historic centre to the Belém district is a great option to add to your itinerary. The tour covers about 10 km and allows you to enjoy panoramic views of the city and the Tagus River, as well as squares and gardens.

These tours are conducted in small groups, accompanied by an expert local guide who will tell you about the city's main tourist attractions, history and culture. They also provide you with everything you need, such as a helmet.

This way, you can discover Eduardo VII Park, one of the most important parks in Lisbon, which stands out for its geometric hedge walkways and views of the Tagus River. The park is also home to Estufa Fria, a botanical garden with thousands of trees, plants and flowers from all over the world. Although these tours do not usually stop at this garden, you can include it in another tour of the city.

The tour usually continues through the city centre along the banks of the Tagus River until it reaches Belém, where some of the city's most important attractions are located, such as the Jerónimos Monastery, the Belém Tower and the National Palace. As it ends in this neighbourhood, you can take the opportunity to visit these attractions, for example by joining one of the best tours of Lisbon's castles and palaces.

Another option: Electric bike tour of Lisbon

Another option if you're interested in this type of activity is to book an electric bike tour of Lisbon, as these bikes require no physical effort to get around the city. They usually include visits to Lisbon's main attractions and are led by a professional guide. There are also private tours of Lisbon that allow you to customise the route to your liking.

Useful information

• Price: from £39 for adults and around £28 for children and teenagers aged 4 to 16. Children under 3 participate free of charge.
• Duration: approximately 3-4 hours.
• Means of transport: bicycle.
• Disadvantages of this option: you need to be in good physical condition to fully enjoy the experience. Entrance fees to monuments are not included.

The tuk tuk is a four-wheeled vehicle that offers a panoramic view, ideal for exploring the city of Lisbon. It can carry up to approximately 6 people and you will be accompanied by a professional guide who will tell you about the city's highlights and most representative sites.

This is one of the best private tours in Lisbon, as it allows you to design your own itinerary with the parks, gardens and green spaces you are interested in visiting, and you only share the experience with your travel companions.

You can usually choose between tours lasting 3 to 4 hours, which run every day at different times. As the vehicles have open sides, these tours are more recommended in spring and summer in Lisbon, when temperatures are more pleasant.

What to see on a tour of Lisbon's parks and gardens

Here are the main parks, squares and green spaces you can include on your tuk tuk tour:

• Parque Eduardo VII: this is the city's main park, whose geometric hedge galleries often appear on postcards of Lisbon. It is located in the city centre.
• Estufa Fria: this is a complex of greenhouses covering around 1.5 hectares. It is located in Eduardo VII Park.
• Jardim da Capela de São Jerónimo: this is a small garden overlooking the Tagus River, near the famous monastery of the same name, in the Belém neighbourhood.
• Ribeira das Nais: Lisbon's waterfront, with walkways and green spaces.
• Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation Park: this is a green space covering around 8 hectares next to the museum of the same name, located in the city centre.
• Ajuda Botanical Garden: this is an old garden, founded in 1768, covering more than 3 hectares, located on the grounds of the palace of the same name in Ajuda.
• Praça do Império Garden: this garden is located opposite the Jerónimos Monastery in the Belém district.
• Monsanto Forest Park: This is the largest park in Lisbon, covering around 900 hectares; a true oasis of nature in the city.

Useful information

• Price: from £50 to £232 per person depending on the number of travellers participating in the tour.
• Duration: approximately 4 hours.
• Means of transport: tuk tuk.

One of the best tours you can take through the gardens of Lisbon is the one that includes a visit to the Calouste Gulbenkian Museum and the Gulbenkian Foundation Garden. The interesting thing about this tour is that it combines a nature walk with the museum's exquisite art collection.

These tours usually run almost every day, except Tuesdays, at different times. They are private, meaning that you only participate with the people you are travelling with. In addition, they are led by an expert guide who will tell you all about the most interesting aspects of the garden and the museum. You will probably have to buy the ticket to the Calouste Gulbenkian Museum on your own, as it is not usually included in the price of the tours.

The Gulbenkian Foundation Garden covers about 8 hectares and is home to a wide variety of plants and animals. Some 230 plant species and 43 bird species have been identified. It is undoubtedly an ideal place to start a :::link|text=photography tour of Lisbon|element=sc-138-5405::: and capture the beauty of the garden.

As for the museum, it contains more than 5,000 pieces that belonged to Calouste Gulbenkian's private collection, including porcelain, tapestries, tiles, furniture and jewellery, as well as works by renowned artists such as Rembrandt, Renoir and Monet. The pieces come from different parts of the world and some date back to 2000 BC.

Interesting facts

• Price: from £77 per person.
• Duration: approximately 2 hours.

Hiring a guided tour with an expert at São Jorge Castle is a great idea if you want to learn more about this monument and its gardens. The castle was built in the mid-11th century by the Muslims and later passed into Portuguese hands. It has been a military fortress, a royal palace and a prison, and was restored after an earthquake. It is located at the top of the hill of the same name and is one of the best things to see in the Alfama district.

Guided tours of São Jorge Castle usually last around 2 hours and are accompanied by an expert guide who will tell you about the history, construction and highlights of the castle. They take place in small groups almost every day of the week (except Mondays) in the morning or afternoon. Many tours are conducted in English or Portuguese, so it is important to check that it is in a language you understand.

In addition to its impressive architecture, the castle is one of the best viewpoints in the city and is surrounded by greenery, making it an ideal outdoor activity in Lisbon. It also stands out for its archaeological site, where you can learn about the history of humanity since the Iron Age, and for the Camera Obscura, where you can see a detailed image of the city through Da Vinci's periscope.

Useful information

• Price: from £27 per person.
• Duration: approximately 2 hours.
• Drawbacks of this option: does not include transport to the castle.
• How to get there: the easiest way up is by using the Baixa and Castelo lifts, which are included when you purchase the Lisboa Card. Buses and trams also go there.

Covering more than 900 hectares, Monsanto Forest Park is the city's main green space. It is the ideal place for all kinds of outdoor activities, especially :::link|text=hiking tours in Lisbon|element=sc-138-5401:::, as it offers several trails of varying difficulty surrounded by nature. It is located in Serra de Monsanto, west of Lisbon.

In addition to exploring its hiking trails, you can go on bike rides or leisurely walks through the forest, which was created as part of a reforestation project. The park offers picnic areas, ping pong tables, viewpoints and restaurants. You can even visit a 17th-century palace, the Marqueses de Fronteira. If you are travelling to Lisbon with children, you will be interested to know that there are special play areas for the little ones.

There are many ways to get to this park, either by bus, taxi or by hiring a private tuk tuk tour of Lisbon with a personalised itinerary. Whether you want to go for a leisurely walk or a more challenging hike, this park offers many options for enjoying nature.

If you are staying in Lisbon for at least 5 days, you can take a full-day guided tour of the Ajuda National Palace and Queluz Palace, which offer beautiful gardens to explore, as well as their incredible architecture.

These tours usually last 8 hours and can be taken every day, leaving early in the morning. They are conducted in small groups with a professional guide who will enrich the tour with information and commentary on the palaces, their gardens and other places of interest in Lisbon and Sintra, a town near Lisbon.

The tour usually begins at the Palace of Queluz, a Baroque palace built in the mid-18th century. There you can visit the luxurious interior rooms, such as the King's Chamber and the Throne Room, as well as the French Baroque-style garden, featuring mythological sculptures, tiles, water fountains, boxwood gardens and deciduous forests. This palace is undoubtedly one of the best things to see in Sintra.

Next, visitors usually visit the neoclassical Ajuda National Palace, which houses Lisbon's oldest botanical garden, dating from the late 18th century. This Baroque-style garden features small lakes, aromatic plant gardens, an orchid greenhouse and mythological sculptures, among other attractions. Some tours also include a visit to the Royal Treasury Museum located in this palace, where you can see jewellery and valuable objects that belonged to the Portuguese royal family.

Useful information

• Price: from £63 per person.
• Duration: approximately 8 hours.
• Transport: by vehicle and on foot.
• Advantages of this option: you will visit two of the most beautiful palaces in Lisbon and its surroundings, the Ajuda National Palace and the Queluz Palace.