The cheapest way in with a guide rates 5.0, and that five rests on eight ratings
Eight ratings. Say that out loud before you read the 5.0
This is the listing this site points at first, and it is right to be honest about what stands behind it. Eight people have rated it. Nobody has dropped a star. Six wrote something and one of those six is filed under the platform’s default byline, so five reviews here are quotable. Against the 700 ratings on the Lisbon day trip, that is nothing at all.
What it has instead is the clearest inclusions in the catalogue, and that is a different kind of evidence: it is a statement by the seller rather than a verdict by the buyers, and it cannot be gamed by eight people.
The five that can be quoted
Three of them name Carolina, once shortened to Carol. One names Sara Rodrigues. The sixth, under the platform byline, also names Carolina and is not quoted here.
“Definitely recommend going on a small group tour as watching the bigger groups go by they seemed to rush from one area to the next, not getting the time to stop and really understand and appreciate what they were seeing.”
“She went so far as to assist me with the problematical parking machine before the tour started and was also very mindful of the treacherous step throughout the tour”
“Our guide, Carol, was superb , not only knowing her history but it was clear she loved it--it was not just a job.”
Jenny’s is the argument for this listing over a coach, made by somebody watching the coaches go past. Edward’s is the argument for reading the meeting point twice: he was at a parking machine, because this tour starts at the top of the hill.
Where it meets, and the two words in its title that the page never backs up
It meets “at the snack bar located near the outer entrance of the Templar castle in Tomar, close to the car park”. That is uphill from the town, the same as the per-party private tour, and it is not where a train from Lisbon leaves you. Allow for the climb or drive up: getting there has both, including the caveat that the train figures come from a travel publisher rather than from the rail operator.
One more thing to read carefully. The title says “Small Group” and the page states no cap anywhere. Jenny’s review is the only evidence on this site that the groups are in fact small, and one review is one review. The listing in this catalogue that does state a number says “Small group. Limited to 8 participants”, and it is a ten-hour day out of Lisbon rather than two hours in Tomar.
What works
- Tickets and a guide, both named flat, no option to select wrong
- The cheapest unconditional way in with somebody explaining it
- Ninety minutes of the two hours are inside the building
- Nobody who has rated it has dropped a star
Worth knowing
- Eight ratings is a very thin base for a 5.0
- “Small Group” is in the title and no cap is stated on the page
- English only
- Meets uphill at the castle car park, not in the town
Two hours is the shortest guided option here and ninety minutes of it is inside. Whether that is enough for this building depends on what you came for, which is what how long to allow is about.
The nearest alternatives
Cheapest privateTomar: Private walking tour to Convent of Christ with tickets
Priced per partyTomar: Knight's Templar Castle and Convent of Christ Tour
The whole day, in TomarTomar and the Templars Convent of Christ: A Historical Tale
And if you would rather have the ticket and no guide at all, that listing has its own page, along with the reason this site keeps pointing away from it.
Frequently asked questions
Are tickets included in this walking tour?
Yes, unconditionally. The inclusions are two lines: entrance tickets to the Convent of Christ, and a guided tour with a local guide. No bracket, no option. That is why this site treats it as the cheapest straightforward way in with somebody explaining the building.
Is a 5.0 from eight ratings trustworthy?
It means nobody who rated it has dropped a star, and it means eight people have rated it. Five of the sixteen Tomar listings on this site rest on one or two ratings, so eight is not unusual here, but it is thin. Read it beside the 4.8 on 700 ratings that the Lisbon day trip carries and decide which kind of evidence you want.
How small is the small group?
The title says small group and the page states no cap anywhere, which is worth noticing. One reviewer describes larger groups rushing past hers. The only listing in this catalogue that publishes a number caps itself at eight participants, and that is a ten-hour day trip from Lisbon.
Where does the tour start?
At the snack bar near the outer entrance of the Templar castle, close to the car park — uphill from Tomar rather than in the town. One reviewer mentions using the parking machine before it started. Getting there covers the walk up from the station.