Best of Caldas da Rainha with a local guide

Overview

Available languages

Portuguese

English

2 hours

Mobile ticket

We will take you to the most ancient Thermal Hospital in the World- continually operating for over five hundred years.

Long before SPAs came along, Portuguese Queen D. Leonor had her own private “Pool”, which you will be visiting. This came after she saw people bathing in natural hot springs looking for cures for their ailments. Impressed, the Queen had a thermal hospital built on the site the very next year (1485).

This tour will also take you to the nearby Church of Nossa Senhora do Pópulo (“Our Lady of the People”), a small yet artistically rich place of worship, which holds some of the earliest examples of the "Manueline Architecture”, a famously unique Portuguese architectural style.

Afterward, we will take you to the beautiful and romantic D. Carlos I Park and share an overview of the city’s history highlighting its golden age in the 19th century, when it became an industrial and artistic hub and Rafael Bordalo Pinheiro and José Malhoa became household names.

Additional Info

Public transportation options are available nearby

Suitable for all physical fitness levels

Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

What‘s Included

Local guide

All activities

Food and drinks, unless specified

Hotel pickup

Hotel drop-off

What To Expect

We will visit the very first Thermal Hospital in the world. Inside we are going to explore the ancient Pool of the Queen and the Noble Salon

25 minutes • Admission Included

Praca da Republica

At the Praça da Republica we will find the only street market that is open every day of the year in Portugal. Were is all about local vendors that sell local products as Fruit, Vegetables, Bread, Cheese and flowers.

25 minutes • Admission Included

Options

Best of Caldas da Rainha with a local guide

Reviews

5.00

21 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

Interesting local insights with Ivo
377franziskav,
Aug 2, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
On this tour we got interesting historic and contemporary insights from our local guide Ivo. He also gave us recommendations for restaurants and other things to do. Highly recommend this tour!
A Must for Tourists!
Deb P Fullerton,
Jun 13, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
Ivo, our guide, is a native of Caldas who knows the ins and outs of his community. In other words, he was the perfect person to introduce us to some history and context about this charming city. Ours was a leisurely and purposeful tour with a lot packed into less than two hours. Highly recommend!
Fascinating local stories and insider food/drink recommendations
rachelhU7992GN,
Jun 7, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
Ivo shared so much inside knowledge with us and told wonderful stories of growing up here in Caldas da Rainha! He was kind and patient, and answered all our questions, no matter the topic! He also recommended the best place in town for brewed coffee (there was already a line waiting for opening the next morning) and pizza! And one of the stops of our tour was a well-loved shop, with ties to the revolution.
Great experience
stefanbO9565JD,
May 27, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
We have gained a comprehensive insight into the history of Caldas da Rainha. Ivo is very nice and looked after us very well.
An insightful view of Caldas
Curious565861,
Feb 1, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
Ivo was kind and full of terrific information about Caldas da Rainha. We appreciated his enthusiasm for history. In particular, we asked lots of questions related to art and cartooning and he was able to make connections to Portuguese art history and ceramics. And he provided relevant context about current events and the places he took us.
End of week
Dream37481482668,
Jan 18, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
I visited Caldas da Rainha on a weekend, found the city interesting, its people are very hospitable and very available to help. I visited the museums José Malhoa and Boldalo Pinheiro, which are worth it.
We recommend and we will be back
Ricardo C,
Jan 24, 2024
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
The visit to Caldas da Rainha was very interesting, we visited the iconic Praça da Fruta and the oldest Thermal Hospital in the world! We even tried Cavacas das Caldas! We recommend
Recommended!
Happiness38065414441,
Oct 31, 2023
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
For those traveling alone, Silver Coast Traveling's guided tours are a good option to discover the details of one of the most beautiful areas of the Portuguese West coast! A harmonious tour, guided by Ivo, a lover of its historical and cultural origins!
Great Silver Coast tour
noay278,
Oct 13, 2023
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
We had a great experience with Ivo and JP. They tailored the tour to our preferences and took us to Alcobaça, Caldas da Rainha, and Óbidos. They were both very knowledgeable and did an excellent job explaining the history of the region to us. We had a lot of fun!
Amazing tour with fabulous guide!
steve m,
Jun 14, 2023
- Review from Viator
5.00
My wife and I had a great time on this tour! Our guide, Ivo had such an amazing depth of knowledge of Caldas and Portugal overall. Ivo's English is great and he shared so many amazing stories. We highly recommend Ivo's Caldas tour! I'd actually love to do it again!