What's a licensed guide?
In Portugal only licensed guides are allowed to do guided tours inside National Monuments and World Heritage Sights. This means that non licensed guides, drivers or chauffeurs may point the place, but can’t go inside and visit it with you.
To become a licensed guide it’s mandatory to have a degree in Tourism, History or History of Art. After the degree future guides have to do an oral exam, that lasts 40 to 60 minutes, in different languages, on which they can be asked about everything related to Portugal. History, arts, Portuguese art Styles, arquitecture, gastronomy, plants, specific questions about very specific monuments or towns… everything can be asked, and that’s why most future guides spend at least one month studying full time in order to pass that exam.
Can you understand now the difference between a licensed guide and someone that speaks a bit of the language and can point out the places?
Lisbon Stories was founded by a licensed guide and is very proud to say that all the guides we work with have their degree in tourism and their “licensed tour guide” badge.
That’s the way we work!
