Queer Lisbon Historical Tour
Description
This tour delves into the history of Portugal, offering an in-depth exploration of the nation's past through the lenses of colonialism, lusotropicalism, and their lasting effects on our views of sexuality and gender. We'll also share good laughs along the way! We trace the footsteps of Portuguese imperial enterprise, the transformative 25th April Revolution, and the impactful LGBTQ+ figures of that era, leading us to today's queer movements. The tour brings us to the heart of today’s queer movements, concluding at one of the city's best queer venues, where we celebrate our shared journey over the most amazing Portuguese tapas. We also provide a beautifully curated Queer Map of Lisbon, featuring detailed information about venues, artists, and services, all handpicked by locals.
Tour Options
Itinerary
At our first stop, we will gather at the monument honoring the victims of homophobia for a brief introduction and overview of the tour. Here, we will explore the beginnings of the LGBTQ+ movement in Portugal, highlighting the first Pride March and public demonstrations. This symbolic site provides an opportunity to reflect on the history of LGBTQ+ rights in Lisbon, setting the stage for the rest of our journey.
As we walk through the streets of Bairro Alto, we’ll pause at a viewpoint to take in the stunning hills and landscape. Along the way, we’ll discuss how the LGBTQ+ neighborhood transforms from day to night, offering different experiences based on one’s level of access/privilege. We’ll delve into the patriarchal and colonial mindsets still present in society's behavior. Together, we’ll reflect on the questions: is inclusion in Portugal truly for everyone? Is there a way to make it better?
Here, you will observe the monument of Padre António Vieira, and we will explore the church’s role in regulating sexuality, as well as its influence on societal attitudes toward not only homosexuality but any expression that deviates from the norm of homogeneity.
Here, you’ll visit the site where the Portuguese revolution began and delve into the country’s dictatorship, the longest-lasting in Europe. We’ll explore how this regime shaped societal mindsets, enforcing a strict family model: a man, a wife, and happy children—nothing different. We’ll also highlight the resistance of key LGBTQ+ figures during this time.
At this spot, we will discuss the contemporary queer movements that are challenging the structures and raising important questions. We’ll also explore how immigrants are bringing new strength and perspectives to the LGBTQ+ movements in Portugal.
The tour ends at a queer-owned venue, where we will pay homage to the Black queer resistance that Criolense Kitchen Club has brought to the Graça neighborhood. We’ll also learn about this area, which plays an important role in the LGBTQ+ community.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
Reviews(35)
The Queer Lisbon Historical Tour was Amazing! Leonor is a charming knowledgeable guide who synthesized thousands of years of Portuguese history, especially the major 20th century events in concise engaging language with compassion and humor. Given the themes of the intersection of Colonial history, misogyny and homophobia it was amazing how much fun this was. And we learned SO much! My wife and I read about the tour in The New York Times and we booked it. So glad we did. It was so refreshing to be part of the intended audience and it’s so important these histories and stories are told.
Thank you so much for your kind words! I love how much we can inspire each other within community spaces :) Hope to see you soon!
This tour is a must-do if you are interested in learning about the history of queer culture in Lisbon. There are other elements of history weaved thoughtfully into the tour. My wife and I took this tour at the beginning of our trip in Lisbon and it helped us familiarize ourselves with the area as well. The guide is extremely personable and kind, and it was truly a pleasure to connect with them! Thank you!
Thank you so much for your kind words! It was lovely to meet you :)
Excellent tour! I highly recommend. Would have liked more stops and hope Im the tour’s narrative because Portugal’s history is harsh.
I can't recommend this tour enough, both for first-time visitors to Portugal and also for anyone who has been here a while. It was a really excellent, but not too intense, walk through not just Lisbon's Queer history, but also how the country's historic periods, through colonisation, the church, and the dictatorship, intersect – all delivered in a friendly, relaxed way, with plenty of opportunity for questions. I really enjoyed the social aspect at the end, too. 10/10!
We've done many AirBNB experiences, and this is absolutely among the very best of those. Leonor's tour of Lisbon's queer history was incredibly well-organized & well-paced, and she was very attentive to our needs while leading us from neighborhood to neighborhood, stopping for stories & coffee & group conversations. She offered tremendous warmth, not only welcoming us but going out of her way to make us all feel connected to Lisbon, building rapport among tour participants who had just met. We loved getting to see how queer people lived throughout different eras of Portugal's history, weaving together elites & working class people, cis & trans people, and immigrants -- connecting today's Lisbon to five centuries of church, colonial, fascist, & post-fascist history to the lives of real people. The one-half of our group who is a history professor can also confirm that Leonor did a phenomenal job of making historical complexities super-accessible. We recommend this tour whole-heartedly!
We were taking part at a tour with leonor and we really enjoyed the tour a lot. It was very informative, interesting and enriching. It was connecting history and present in an accessible and profound way. The content was nuanced and critically presented!# i loved especially the very relaxed atmosphere in which i felt invited to listen and reflect. The tour brought up queer realities from different times, also focusing on less-told stories. I appreciate that topics like racism and colonialism were not excluded but actively woven into the narrative. This made clear how closely these aspects are intertwined with queer history and the present. Overall, the tour opened up new perspectives on the city and i would definitely recommend it!! <3 Thanks a lot!
One of the absolute highlights of our trip to Portugal. Leonor was the best -- kind, thoughtful, attuned and responsive to group needs/interests, and extremely well informed. The curriculum celebrates local/specific QT history with an eye to trans-national liberation struggles. I also learned a lot about modern Portuguese history more broadly. The 40+ page Queer Map of Lisbon is so thoughtfully curated and provided us with exciting information and destinations to explore after the tour was over. One of Leo's gifts is to approach teaching in a deeply relational way. By the end of the tour, we felt a real connection not only to our group, but to the movement building and activism all of us are a part of in our respective homes. It was certainly one of the best parts of our trip, but it was also a really heartening experience for such troubled times <3
I highly recommend this tour!! There is a lot to learn about the influence of colonialism in our society, our innate/educated persceptions and our lifes. Leonor guided us throughout Lisbon in a storytelling fashion, giving us an other vision of the city and portugal history. I live in Lisbon since 2011 and yet I learnt so much and really loved the tour.
Taking this tour after living in Lisbon for the last 6 months was fantastic! We learned about so many things I've walked by many times, but had no idea about the history. Lots of super interesting crossover between queer history, colonialism, the dictatorship years and more. Excellent, informative and most of all fun! Highly recommend.
We had an amazing time at the Queer Lisbon Historical Tour! Leo was a very knowledgeable and personable guide. We really appreciated that Leo took the time to speak about historical queer figures who may not be as well known. It was an eye-opening learning experience. This tour exceeded our expectations and this was one of our favorite activities during our time in Lisbon. This was one of our honeymoon activities and we were so glad we chose this experience!
