Explore the locations where Porto's ancient Sephardic Jewish community lived, worked and socialized on a walking tour. On this guided tour you will discover relevance of the Jewish community in Porto.
Posted By : Susan_M
The guide Luigi was personable and knowledgeable, and he did a very good job. However, there’re just not enough tangible or actual remaining historical structures to justify a tour like this.
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Posted On : 2024-06-15 17:19:51 
Posted By : Suzanne_K
The description of this tour was misleading. We thought we would see the synagogue in Porto
In fact the amount of actual Jewish heritage in this tour was really basic and almost nothing to see.
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Posted On : 2023-09-10 07:49:51
Posted By : Robin_B
Joao was so knowledgeable and amazing, so much Jewish and Portuguese history! His English is excellent and he was very patient with questions and walking issues on the hills! Saw the city of Porto up close and completely.
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Posted On : 2023-05-19 12:21:08
Posted By : Ziva_W
Our guide was a scholar in, and extremely knowledgeable about the Jewish history in Porto. We saw the Portuguese people and Jewish historical experiences in such a different light after our tour. We enjoyed the city even more thereafter! We highly recommend this tour!!!
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Posted On : 2022-05-28 10:18:28
Posted By : Marilyn_W
While Porto currently has a small Jewish community whose museum and synagogue are closed to the public, there is a lot of Jewish history in Porto. Our guide, Joao, was excellent. He was personable and very knowledgeable. He also picked out paths to where we were going (primarily up) that were the least steep and even took us up a set of outside escalators.
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Posted On : 2022-05-13 08:47:22
Posted By : Jusy_P
Incredible guide--Joao. knowledgeable and personable. amazing knowledge of Jewish and portugese history So worth every penny
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Posted On : 2020-01-19 14:40:45
Posted By : bshelkrot
We covered a lot of the old city walking with a pleasant and well-informed guide. The narrow ancient walkways and alleys can be seen only by walking. We started at the Cathedral and went down to the river. The steep trip up from the river was a bit challenging and we ended up in an Uber to see the new Jewish Museum and the synagogue. Make sure that you request that these two sites are included when you book your tour.
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Posted On : 2019-11-22 11:30:46
Posted By : Tomás Ó
I have visited the Jewish areas of many cities throughout Europe and when I turned my attention to Porto, I did a quick look round for a company offering a guided walk of former Jewish Porto, which I had been studying. After communicating with companies, the most responsive by far was João Mesquita of AtWill Tours. My wife and I booked a private tour with AtWill and the guide who conducted the tour was João Gomes Ferreira.
Now at the outset, let me tell you that I had picked a very unsuitable time of year for the tour, it being the week of the Jewish festival of Sukkot. Because the synagogue was in use, our tour could not finish with the usual visit to the impressive Kadoori Mekor Haim Synagogue, which normally concludes this particular tour. In addition to this, there was an absolute downpour in Porto that evening, which slowed the city traffic to a crawl and prevented us getting to the Jewish Museum before closing time. So, did these frustrations spoil our tour? NO! But we must go back and visit the synagogue and museum some time in the future.
We met our guide, João Gomes Ferreira at the Sé and from there, João took us to the various locations I had been reading about. These locations encompassed the three different areas where the Jewish community had lived over their centuries in Porto. Of course tragedy and time have erased almost everything but the faintest traces, yet to stand in the locations was emotional. Now the highlight of the tour for us came when we arrived at Rua de São Miguel and found ourselves outside what is now an Old Peoples Home. João rang the doorbell and we were permitted to enter. Inside we were shown the "Ehel" or "Ark" where the crypto-Jews would have kept the Torah scrolls. At last, we had found a REAL historic and sacred treasure that had survived tragedy and time. If you are doing a Jewish tour of Porto, you must insist on seeing this. In visiting the Ahul, may I remind you that you will be in a private Old Peoples Home, so due respect must be shown. A small charge applies to enter the premises, but it is worth the experience and is small compensation for what must be a frequent disturbance in their day.
As well as putting the focus on its Jewish past,João Gomes Ferreira taught us so much about his native city. He showed great courtesy and enabled us to get to all the locations I had been studying. Thank you João.
Thanks also to João Mesquita of AtWill Tours for all his fine communication in arranging the tour.
Finally, two words of advice, if you are considering doing this tour, don't plan doing it during a major Jewish Festival - and try to avoid a Porto Downpour!)
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Posted On : 2019-10-25 11:11:12 
Posted By : MISERABLEMUNCHER
Interesting tour not too much evidence of jewish interest . Good guide but check as no toilets
on route . As in August very very hot so take plenty of water Very enjoyalble
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Posted On : 2019-09-20 06:35:56
Posted By : Dollface23
Great tour of Porto.
Alfonso was a great tour guide and very friendly.
He took us to the different Jewish quarters throughout Porto’s history. He also took us around the city while doing so and educated us on many other parts of the city. We ended our tour at the Kadoorie synagogue, which was quite amazing.
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Posted On : 2019-07-25 17:41:10
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