My wife and I did the Évora and Monsaraz day trip and LOVED it. Our tour guide was Rodrigo and we could not have asked for a better guide/experience. He is an awesome tour guide (local with perfect English) and was super pleasant/very knowledgeable about the facts and dates that really made the day memorable. This trip was the highlight of our trip to Lisbon. Van was clean and safe. The whole day is thoughtfully planned out. In Monsaraz, we had an awesome Portuguese lunch at a great restaurant- we sat outdoors with a huge view of the lake and Spain (don’t worry about the description of the lake as “artificial”, that’s technically correct (it was man made as part of a water management project), but the views are massive/gorgeous (and be sure to order a Sagres beer). There weren’t a lot of details about the wine tasting when we signed up but it’s also totally worth it (winery was Ervideira; served nice white and red local wines). Highly recommend this tour!!!

Our guide Gonzalo was wonderful! His English was perfect and his commentary was non-stop, but not too much. He answered all our questions and had great stories to tell. Very kind and engaging. It was a beautiful trip across the bridge to the South, almost to Spain! We had lunch at Montsaraz at the Taverna dos Templarios. What a view and excellent food. I recommend this tour and especially our guide!

While Sintra is at the top of the list for Lisbon day tours, I highly recommend considering this if you have an extra day to tour. Evora was the morning stop, with the roman temple, chapel of bones, and cathedral. You can actually walk on the roof of the cathedral for some great views of the surrounding area. We continued to Monsaraz, near the border with Spain, to experience this old walled city in relative quiet. Lunch was there in a nice local restaurant (Xarez) with gorgeous views, followed by the wine tasting (Ervideira winery) with generous pours. Enjoy the ride back through Portugal's agricultural region ... maybe snooze a bit of the wine off too. :) Our guide (Alex) made the trip all the more enjoyable with good conversation and side notes.