Tomar Knights Templar Private Tour

Tomar Knights Templar Tour Itinerary

Hotel pick up
Boat ride - Almourol Castle
Church of Santa Maria do Olival
Tomar Castle & Convent of Christ
Tomar (free time for lunch - own expense)
Hotel drop off

Knights Templar Private Tour from Lisbon

Lisbon hotel pick up

Departing at 8:30 AM from your hotel, the Knights Templar Private Tour takes you north (1,5hr trip), to Almourol, the island castle.

Hop on a boat to visit the iconic Almourol Castle

After a very short boat ride, walk in the footsteps of the Knights Templar as you wonder the islet. Here you can find out more about the myths and legends surrounding the whereabouts of the "Holy Grail". Learn the role it had during the Discoveries Era.
The scenery is off the charts and you'll have plenty of photo opportunities.
Then, be whisked to Tomar, the city of the Templars - and their former headquarters.

Pantheon of the Portuguese Templar Masters

Highlights include a stop at the Church of Nossa Senhora do Olival (Our Lady of the Olive Grove), the burial church of the Portuguese Templar Masters, and the "Mother Church" for all parishes in the Portuguese overseas territories in Asia, Africa and America.

Guided tour of the Tomar Templar Castle and Convent of Christ

The guide will take you through the different parts of the impregnable fortress and convent, that has been used for centuries, and tell you its fascinating history. Discover the myths and legends surrounding the Warrior Monks.

Stroll through Tomar’s ancient streets

Have lunch in the Tomar center, where your guide can advise you on where to eat. Take a stroll around the historic center.

Lisbon hotel drop off

From Tomar, you will return to Lisbon, arriving at your hotel at approximately 5:00 PM.

Tomar Knights Templar Private Tour

Foundation of the Knights Templar

They are born in a Jerusalem already conquered for Christianity, in a war in the name of God: Crusade.

To protect pilgrims from attacks and robberies, on the way to the Holy Land, 9 knight-monks formed a brotherhood - the Order of the Temple is born! They stayed at what was thought to be the location of the ancient Temple of Solomon (destroyed long ago), hence the name Knights of the Temple or Templars.

Templars were a powerful war machine

For two centuries, the Order was a military elite. The first to arrive at a battle and the last to leave. The most powerful war machine of its time. All of them secondborn sons of nobility, trained in cavalry, who took a vow of perpetual crusade. A militia of Christ that only depended on the pope.

The Templars were the richest Order in Europe

Countless donations, relics trade, but mainly their banking activity, made the Knights Templar the richest Order in Europe, surpassing even the Church.

Managed internationally in commanderies/provinces, they received deposits, issued account statements and bills of exchange, made loans with interests.

Converted into bankers for kings and kingdoms, it was this activity that led to their downfall...

Fall of the Knights Templar

The fall of Jerusalem (1291) marks the beginning of the fall of the Templars, for they have lost their purpose.

On Friday 13th October of 1307, all french members of the Order were arrested, by order of king Philip IV, the Fair. Around 20,000 members were arrested simultaneously - 546 were knights - and accused of denying Christ. The French king used the Templar Order and its wealth: he owed them an exorbitant loan that he had no intention of paying back.

Later, Pope Clement V ordered to all Christian kings the confiscation of its assets and approved the extinction of the Order of the Temple. Jacques de Molay, the last grand master, was burned alive on the outskirts of Paris, cursing the king and the pope, who died shortly afterwards.

What happened to the Templars in Portugal?

Portugal owed the Templars the conquest and formation of the kingdom. And the story here is going to be very different!

Come and discover it in Tomar!

More about the Almourol Castle
Knights Templar Tour

Almourol castle was part of a set

One of the monuments that best evokes the memory of the Templars; the Almourol castle was one out of seven. Each castle was visible to the other and communicated by fire. A tower-to-tower communication technique used by the Templars.

This one was built to create a defensive line on the river, the southern border of this territory. An important strategic position for the defense of Coimbra, the kingdom's capital.

Almourol Castle still has traces of Templar military architecture

Of very ancient origins, probably pre-Roman; the castle of Al-morolan (high stone, in Arabic) was taken, in 1129, during the Christian Conquest, and handed over to the Templars.

Rebuilt by the Templars between 1160 and 1171, we can still find their traces in the architecture today. As in the carved Templar cross, the keep in the center of the castle, or the scarp, among others.

A Templar treasure is still hidden

As an ancient site, Almourol is full of myths and legends. According to one, a Templar treasure is still hidden somewhere on the islet.