Rafael Pereira is a Certified Portuguese Guide. His idea with The Jeronimos Tour is to create a bridge between his long lasting interest and passion for the Jeronimos Monastery and traveleres who want to learn and connect with what is arguably the most important monument in Portugal.

The Beginnings

Rafael grew up in Cascais, with the Atlantic Ocean as a constant backround. After finishing high school, he had an important experience in the Portuguese Navy. It was in this historic institution that his interest for Portuguese culture and history began.

Learning and Growing

To finish his degree in Tourism Management, Rafael had to complete an internship at a wine estate in the Douro Valley - birth place and home of the famous Port Wine. It was summer of 2011, and Rafael tried for the first time guiding visits to the winery and farm. The outcome was a newfound path and professional direction grounded on the joy and natural vocation to learn about and share Portuguese culture.

Upon returning to Lisbon, Rafael decided to become a local guide doing mostly walking tours. This was a challenging but also extremelly rewarding period. The streets of Lisbon were full of surprises, challenges and life-changing opportunities.

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New Horizons

From local guiding, Rafael naturally evolved to becoming a national guide. This implied years of studying and further formal training. In 2016, he started doing tours to other cities and regions of Portugal.

Currently, Rafael lives in Belém with his wife and two small children, at a short walk from the Jeronimos Monastery.

The Jeronimos Tour is born from many converging necessities. At a personal level, working closer to home and spending less time in other cities is certainly a priority. Additionaly, Rafael observed that a comprehensive, accessible and insighful guided tour of the Jeronimos is lacking, especially for those travelers who want to learn but don’t want to invest hours of their time in a full-day tour of Lisbon or Belém.