The Industrial Heritage Tours are a unique project at national level due to their innovative management model.
Visits to the project's various partner factories and institutions are carefully scheduled and programmed by the Industrial Tourism Welcome Center Reservations Center. A personalized proposal is drawn up for each visit request, taking into account the visitor's preferences, the characteristics of the group and the motivations behind their visit.
Once the visitor has validated the program proposal, Central Reservations begins a dialogue with its partner institutions to schedule their visit. This close relationship between Central Reservations and the partners allows us to keep up to date with any changes to visitor reception times, internal activities or periods when the institutions are not open for visits.
In this way, we guarantee a service of quality and excellence, providing visitors with a unique and enriching experience on the São João da Madeira Industrial Heritage Tours.
Changes or cancellations of visits must be notified 48 hours before the date of the visit. Failure to notify cancellations or changes to the number of visitors may result in:
- If the number of visitors is lower: full payment of the number initially indicated;
- If the number of visitors is greater: the visit will not be possible if the number of visitors exceeds the number initially indicated.
Payment should, preferably, be made by bank transfer up to 48 hours before the visit.
If the actual number of visitors is less than the number of tickets paid in advance, the Municipality of São João da Madeira will refund the difference, if indicated up to 48 hours before the visit, and when the amount is equal to or greater than €15.
Transportation between the places of visit is the responsibility of the group.
If you hire a bus, it must not have more than 55 seats or be longer than 15 meters, so that it can travel safely on all the city's roads and not compromise the tour program.
Drivers must be informed in advance of all journeys to be made between the arrival point at the Welcome Center and the places of visit.
The person in charge should speed up the division of the group, as indicated in the email sent with the final program.
In order not to cause disturbances within the companies, and to provide a rich and enjoyable experience, all visitors should be aware of the following rules of conduct:
- Respect the guide, the visiting space, the staff and other visitors;
- Respect the signs at the visitor site, for example: hygiene and safety rules, prohibition on taking photographs and filming, etc..;
- Always follow the trail that identifies the circuit or the guide's instructions;
- Collaborate with the flow of the circuit by always following the group and the guide;
- Avoid making noise in the places they visit, especially in administrative areas;
- They must keep the sites as they found them;
- For safety reasons, no object, machine or equipment may be touched without the guide's prior authorization.
- If you have any problems, please contact the guide directly.
If the group does not behave in accordance with these rules of conduct, they risk having their visit canceled, even if it has already begun.
The group should go to the Industrial Tourism Welcome Center - located in Torre da Oliva - and the person responsible for the group should identify themselves and confirm the total number of visitors.
The teachers accompanying the group must be accompanied by their identification cards, so that they can enjoy free entry.
The group should already be divided into smaller groups (if previously indicated), to facilitate the delivery of the materials needed for the visits (clothing and audio devices) and to speed up the visit.
After the reception, the group will be accompanied by the guides to the visit sites, and all the necessary travel will be done in the visitors' transport.
At the end of the visits, the group must always return to the Industrial Tourism Welcome Center to return the materials used during the visits.
It is of the utmost importance that the agreed timetable is adhered to so that the scheduled visit or activity can be carried out in full.
One teacher/adult must accompany each group of 10 students and is responsible for the group's behavior during the visit.
The person booking the visit should check the visiting conditions of the sites they intend to visit, as not all of them are accessible to visitors with reduced mobility.
It is compulsory for people with long hair to enter companies with it tied up.
It is compulsory to wear safe, non-slip shoes, given the need for steel toecaps in some companies.
We do not recommend wearing white shoes during visits, especially when including the Viarco factory, or shoes with platforms and high heels.