An Unforgettable Offbeat Experience – Wine, Food & Friendship in Setúbal From the moment we met Rodrigo, we knew we were in for a special day. More than just a guide, he felt like a friend—easygoing, knowledgeable, and passionate about sharing the hidden gems of Setúbal’s wine countryside. Our journey took us through stunning landscapes, where rolling vineyards met the Atlantic breeze. Rodrigo curated a perfect balance of history, culture, and indulgence, making each stop feel intimate and unrushed. The wine tastings were exceptional, featuring unique local varieties we wouldn’t have discovered on our own. Paired with delicious regional food, it was a true sensory delight. Beyond the wine, Rodrigo’s personal insights and engaging storytelling made the experience truly memorable. Whether we were strolling through charming villages, castle of Palma, learning about traditional winemaking, or simply enjoying deep conversations, every moment felt authentic and special. If you’re looking for an offbeat, intimate, and immersive day trip from Lisbon, this is it. We left not just with incredible memories, but with a new friend in Rodrigo. Highly recommend!An Unforgettable Escape with Rodrigo

We had the pleasure of spending a day with Rodrigo. The tour started with a hotel pick up and drive to wine country in Setúbal. Rodrigo’s general knowledge of language, history, culture and the wine, along with his sense of humor and friendly demeanor kept us informed and entertained throughout the whole experience. We tired 7 different wines and ended the day having a lunch in a family owned local restaurant in Palmela. Food was authentic and fresh and the people were warm and kind. Overall a great experience! What a fantastic day.

I hate to say anything critical as we did have a great time and the meal was outstanding. Paul seemed to be in a rush to get to the restaurant by 12 which was ok but we didn't stop anywhere after lunch and the little store just up the street from the restaurant and got back to our car an hour early making hit a 5 hour tour. I had mentioned that I did pottery and he said there was a place time permitting and I had interest in seeing the old olive trees and the cork trees. No stops were made for either of these. We did go back 2 days later to Bacalhoa and saw those amazing 2400 year old olive trees and tasted some Moscatel but not a formal tasting and no tour of the museum. We passed right by this place with Paul and I thought we would be seeing more like those, but we did not. Those trees are unbelievable and you should consider stopping for people to see them.

We had a wonderful day with Joao visiting 2 wineries and stopping for a very nice lunch at a family owned restaurant. We had a large group of 9 people and some of us arrived late due to airline delays but Joao was very accommodating and flexible. He made arrangements to make sure we still were able to take a full advantage of our planned agenda. Joao is very knowledgeable about wines and the area’s history. He is also an interesting company to have a conversation. We really enjoyed our day and I highly recommend Joao. A great wine tasting tour with Joao

Thanks Paulo for showing us places we never would have ventured to on our own or with any other tour! Interesting tour today through the Arrabida Mountains Park with a few stops to see the views of the Arrabida Convent 1542, Trola Peninsula. Then onto Setubal to a huge Market. We stopped at the Fortress of St Filipe used as a prison during 70 yr Spanish rule. Then our guide Paulo ordered us a traditional Portuguese lunch at a locals restaurant in Palmela (Salad, Olives, Soup, Sword Fish, Sardines, grilled Cuttlefish, potatoes with onion, chocolate Mousse, grappa and ended with coffee) So full... it was an adventure. Great Day Away From The Hustle & Bustle!!

Very relaxed and informative trip to one winery and one cooperative wine center. Lunch at a small local restaurant. This gave me an idea of how people live their lives in this area.Setubal and its Wines

We had a wonderful time with Rod our host tasting wine in Setabal. The conversation was great, Rod spoke flawless English and took us to three different winers it was perfect weather and a beautiful ride. I would rate this tour a 10. Beautiful Day for Wine Tasting

We had a brilliant day out with our guide, Ricardo, who showed us around the Setubal wine region. He gave us information on the vineyards we visited and the wines we tasted (which were all amazing). We were picked up from our apartment in Lisbon and returned again after our wonderful day. At our last tasting venue, we enjoyed a charcuterie platter of local produce, which was very good. We enjoyed our day out and would definitely recommend a tour with Joao & Friends and especially Ricardo!Excellent Wine Tour

Muitos anos a virar frangos is a Portuguese saying. Literally, it translates to ‘many years turning chickens‘. Figuratively, it is a playful expression that means ‘to have a lot of experience doing something‘. This is so appropriate to our experience with Paulo in so many ways. Paulo has a lot of experience with food and wine, not only as guide and a local, but also as a professional cook and ardent and knowledgeable fan. I would say connoisseur, but I suspect Paulo would shoot that down as being snobby. Paulo is knowledgeable and enthusiastic and his enjoyment and pride in Portugeuse cuisine, wine, and culture/history is evident and approachable. He was always thoughtful to check in on what we were interested in and what we would like to do, and willing to tailor our experience to us, and I am sure he could handle tailoring this tour to anyone (kids, dietary restrictions, etc). One recommendation based on some of the reviews I've read - to better tailor your experience: I've always found withlocals guides to be responsive via email - let the guide know ahead of time (at booking) so they can better prepare. Your time with the guide is limited, preplanning ensures a better experience if you have special interests or special needs. We're easy - no allergies, adventerous, and open to anything but not everyone is like us. So you do you but do your part, too. That aside, I have full trust that Paulo could handle anything thrown at him on the fly. He's a great guide who wants you to love the cuisine and culture of Portugal as much as he does. Experience-wise: We were picked up on time and transported to three wineries in a modern, clean, and safe vehicle. Note: have breakfast before your pickup if you haven't arranged it as part of your tour - only water is allowed to be consumed in the vehicle, so no snacking! Also note: Our guide did not join us in tastings as he was driving, in case anyone was concerned about that. A safe experience is a good experience; and the tour took this all into consideration. Paulo took the transit time to talk to us about food and wine so that in Paulo's own words: " instead of *talking* about wine at the vineyard you can just *drink wine!*" We had a lovely chat about Portugal, the national park where the first winery was located, cork trees, tiles, food, wine, the challenge of preserving traditional meals and folkways in an ever-globalizing world, and the benefits and drawbacks of tourism, among other topics (but mostly focused on food and wine). This was my husband's first time and second time to Portugal, but the last visit I did not really make it much beyond the city center, so it was amazing to exit the city and get to Azeitão and Setúbal. A totally different vibe for sure! The wineries were all lovely, each in their own way, and it was a nice range of size / business model/ product. The pours were generous and the last stop included a really amazing charcuterie board to go with our drinks. Some of the winery visits are by appointment, so while we had a schedule to stick to, Paulo made sure we never felt hurried or rushed and was gentle and respectful about keeping us on track. Midday, we stopped for lunch (optional and self-pay). While the guides will never impose - don't be *that guy* and do treat them to lunch. Having Paulo help us select dishes and wine and learn about cuisine was well worth the (inexpensive) price of his lunch. I also got to eat freshly grilled whole sardine - my last visit I had missed the sardine run so ... Thanks to Paulo for showing me how to navigate a whole sardine like a local (without judgement and without making me feel ignorant)! I love canned sardines, but freshly caught then grilled ones are a revelation. I can now understand why fresh, grilled sardines are both Paulo's and a national favorite. In between winery visits, we also went to a tile studio - this one is legit. It was much, much smaller than I expected - as a consumer most everything I buy is so made by machine and automation and is soulless. As Paulo pointed out, the tiles or azulejos will cost a little more than what you find in the tourist shops (and are likely made in China) but are well-worth the money due to the excellent quality as well as the skills of a talented human being that go into them. They make wonderful gifts . What I loved is that I got to see the tile artists at work: Two very talented ladies doing the inital colorwork/drawings for tiles to be produced, working on giant easels in a compact, sunny, and bright studio area and then around a corner and into the ceramics section where I got to see a gentleman applying the first coat of glazes to a tile. By hand. With a little squirt/applicator-tip bottle. As someone who regularly glues their fingers together when using a bottle of glue, this blew my mind. Overall experience: a complete, interesting, and worthwhile experience with Paulo as charming, knowledgeable, enthusiasti, and caring guide. I highly recommend this experience (and Paulo), so much in fact, if I ever get back, I'd do the tour again. Right now the best I can do is recommend to everyone checking it out on WithLocals. Also, now I want to move to Setúbal, learn how to cut cork and work in a vineyard! Thank you, Paulo! Fab food, winning wine, amazing azulejos

Eine ganz besondere kulinarische Führung durch das ursprüngliche Lissabon; fernab vom Tourismus. Echt klasse.👍😊Kulinarische Führung