Peddy+ spy walking tours (Lisbon and Estoril)

Peddy+ is a Portuguese company, founded in 2015, that runs walking routes, guided visits, theatrical tours and team games around lesser-known corners of Portuguese heritage. Its name nods to the peddy paper, a Portuguese treasure-hunt game played in teams with clues and questions. It works with families, schools and companies.

Two of its walks share a theme that children tend to love: spies. Both are led by the guide Marisa Filipe, both cost the same and both work well for a family with older children, so we’ve put them on one page.

During the Second World War Portugal stayed neutral, and Lisbon became one of the few open doors between Nazi-occupied Europe and the rest of the world. That made it a crossroads for refugees, diplomats and agents from both sides.

Peddy+ describes this walk as a journey through the secrets of the war: secret meetings, undercover agents, codes and unlikely escapes, told through real stories in the places where they happened. The company says the walk shows a discreet Lisbon that played a strategic part in the “chess game” of world espionage.

The tour starts at the Hotel Tivoli Avenida on Avenida da Liberdade and takes about two hours. Peddy+ doesn’t list the route or distance, but you’ll be on foot in the city centre the whole time.

The second walk is billed as the sequel. Its title means “007, licence to have fun”, and it moves out to the Avenida Marginal, the coast road along the Estoril seafront. Peddy+ promises secret beaches, luxury hotels and memories of real espionage, and the tour looks at where real and fictional spies met. Along the way the guide reveals who Portugal’s real James Bond was and tells how a local hotel concierge ended up as part of the 007 story.

Estoril is a good place for this. Its hotels and casino sheltered exiles and wartime visitors, and the coast was later used as a Bond film location. It makes the walk a mix of history and film trivia that suits teenagers.

The Estoril tour starts at 15:00 from Avenida Marginal 7152-A, Estoril, and lasts about two and a half hours.

Both tours cost €16 per adult. Children up to 12 go free, up to two per adult, which makes this one of the cheaper guided activities for a family. You pick a date on the booking calendar on the Peddy+ website. For questions, email info@peddymais.com or phone +351 914 773 836.

The tour pages are written in Portuguese and don’t say which languages the walks are given in. If your children need English, ask before booking.

These are story-led walks for a general audience, not children’s tours. A 10-year-old who loves spy books will get a lot out of them. A six-year-old is likely to be bored by two hours of listening, however exciting the stories, and neither tour is designed around small children. Teenagers studying the Second World War will find the Lisbon walk a good way to make the history real.

• Wear comfortable shoes; Lisbon’s pavements are hilly and slippery when wet.
• Bring water and, in summer, sun hats. The Estoril walk runs along the seafront in the afternoon.
• Give children a notebook and a pencil. Writing down names and places turns it into a detective game.

The Lisbon tour meets at the Hotel Tivoli Avenida on Avenida da Liberdade, in the city centre. The Estoril tour meets on the Avenida Marginal in Estoril, on the coast between Lisbon and Cascais. Both are easy to reach without a car.

After the Estoril walk, the Parque Marechal Carmona in Cascais has space to run, and Santini is a classic stop for ice cream. Also in Cascais, the Borboletário de Cascais is a butterfly house for younger siblings.

Are the Peddy+ spy tours suitable for children?

They suit older children and teenagers who enjoy history and spy stories. Both walks last two hours or more and are aimed at a general audience, so younger children may find them long.

How much do the spy tours cost?

€16 per adult. Children up to 12 go free, with a maximum of two free children per adult.

Where do the tours start?

The Lisbon tour starts at the Hotel Tivoli Avenida. The Estoril tour starts at Avenida Marginal 7152-A in Estoril, at 15:00.

Are the tours in English?

The tour pages don’t say. They’re written in Portuguese, so email info@peddymais.com to ask.

How do I book?

Choose a date on the booking calendar on the Peddy+ website.