With its captivating history, distinctive architecture, and seasonal gastronomy, Lisbon is a city which rewards anyone who enjoys exploring on foot.
Lisbon is one of Europe’s oldest cities, with more than 3,000 years of history shaped by the Tagus and its position on the western edge of the continent. The Phoenicians may have settled here first, followed by the Romans, Moors and eventually the Portuguese. The fingerprints of each period are still visible across the city, from the winding streets of Alfama and the medieval Castelo de Sao Jorge, down to the bustling cafe bars of Baixa and the grand hotels on the Avenida da Liberdade. Downriver, Belem tells another chapter from Lisbon’s story: the beautifully preserved Jeronimos Monastery, the Torre de Belem, and Padrao dos Descobrimentos monument sit side-by-side with the capital’s contemporary, 21st century cultural spaces.
Lisbon’s Neighbourhoods.
Lisbon’s Neighbourhoods.Although the centre of Lisbon is nicely compact, each neighbourhood displays a proud character all its own. Baixa is grand and orderly, rebuilt on a regimented grid system following the devastating earthquake of 1755, and its broad streets and tiled facades lead you down to the Praca do Comercio and the banks of the River Tagus. Alfama is oldest neighbourhood: a maze of steep lanes, shaded squares and whitewashed houses which still occupy the same footprint as the old Roman city. Alfama’s one of the best places to wander without a particular destination in mind.
It can be tricky to distinguish where Chiado ends and Bairro Alto begins for a first-time visitor. They both combine elegant streets, old cafes, and independent shops – as Lisbon’s late-night neighbourhood, Bairro Alto takes on a very different character after dark, when its bars, restaurants and residents take over the narrow backstreets. To the north, Príncipe Real is one of the city’s more fashionable neighbourhoods, with its leafy square, handsome townhouses, and boutiques galleries, with the traffic on the tree-lined Avenida da Liberdade rumbling below.
On Principe’s edge, the Miradouro de Sao Pedro de Alcantara is the place to pause and take in the whole of the city – Rossio is at your feet, Bairro Alto behind, castle hill rises from jumbled Alfama, and the burnt-orange rooftops of Baixa cascade down to the Tagus.
Walking Old Lisbon – Baixa, Alfama, and the Castelo de Sao Jorge.
This walk begins downtown on the criss-crossing streets of Baixa. The dramatic 19th century Rua Augusta triumphal arch is your gateway to the Praca do Comercio, where old Royal Palace once stood – it was lost, along with much of the medieval city, during the great earthquake of 1755.
At the time, Lisbon was one of the richest cities in the world, thanks to the vast quantities of gold being extracted from its colonies in Brazil. Under the direction of Sebastiao Jose de Carvalho e Melo, the Marquis of Pombal and right-hand man to King Jose I, the Baixa was rebuilt along rational lines; a regimented grid of streets influenced by the other great capitals of Europe. Next door in Alfama, the poor simply rebuilt from the rubble on the original, disjointed Roman footprint.
Before heading into the old town, there’s a stop at Casa dos Bicos, one of the city’s most distinctive 16th-century townhouses. The casa survived the earthquake relatively intact, and its foundations, visible through a glass floor, are remnants of the stout Roman building which once stood on this spot. The upper floors house the Jose Saramago Foundation, and a permanent exhibition dedicated to the life and work of Portugal’s Nobel Prize-winning novelist. The bookshop is multilingual: Blindness and The Stone Raft are good English-language introductions to Saramago, whilst Journey to Portugal offers a fascinating account of his travels around the country in the late 1980s.
The Se de Lisboa cathedral is next. Built in the 12th century, its relatively austere interior is a reminder of how modest Lisbon’s churches could be before the Age of Discoveries transformed the city. Following a gold rush across the Americas, Portugal’s churches became increasingly elaborate, with gilded woodwork and ornate decoration reflecting the country’s newfound colonial wealth.
From the cathedral, your route climbs into Alfama, Lisbon’s oldest neighbourhood and the part of the city least altered by the earthquake. The Romans favour this elevated position, creating the settlement of Olisipo as an important gateway to the Atlantic. The Moors came later and occupied ‘Al-Ushbuna’ for more than 400 years – Christian forces ‘reconquered’ Lisbon in 1147, and in 1255 the city became the capital of the kingdom of Portugal. Alfama’s lopsided layout is pretty much the same today as it was in Roman times: have a wander and get a feel for the layered history of old Lisbon.
Alfama is also closely associated with Fado: a form of Portuguese folk music dating from the mid-19th century, popular for its melancholic lyrics and minor chord progressions. The nearby district of Mouraria has a disputed claim as Fado’s birthplace: Maria Severa was the owner of a fairly disreputable tavern in the district, and it’s said she was one of the first exponents of Fado to truly represent the everyday struggles of the working classes through her lyrics. As the music moved into the more respectable restaurants of Alfama, traditional working-class dishes such as Ameijoas a Bulhao Pato and Caldo Verde became part of the Fado evening.
To experience Fado in the flesh, I’d recommend dinner at either Parreirinha de Alfama (for somewhere quite traditional), or Tasca do Chico (for a more laidback atmosphere). The Museu do Fado is also worthwhile detour – you can access their archived audio recordings and performances, view Jose Malhao’s famous painting ‘O Fado’, and browse their extensive collection of Guitarra Portuguesa: the teardrop shaped, 12-string guitars which give fado its distinctive sound.
Above Alfama stands the Castelo de Sao Jorge – the Romans were the first to fortify the site, and successive rulers have all recognised the strategic importance of its commanding hilltop location overlooking the mouth of the Tagus River. The Moors built the majority of the citadel in the 11th and 12th centuries, including the formidable walls and towers which still dominate the skyline. Following Afonso Henriques’ capture of Lisbon, the castle became the centre of royal power – his Paco da Alcacova was a substantial complex of royal chambers, courtyards, kitchens, a chapel and a great hall, and was expanded and remodelled by successive Portuguese kings. Its importance waned after Manuel I built the Paco da Ribeira in 1505 (on the site of today’s Praca do Comercio)– the 1755 earthquake was the final nail in the former stronghold’s coffin, and its ruins were preserved pretty much as you see them today.
The final part of the walk takes you into Graça, one of Lisbon’s highest neighbourhoods, famous in recent times for its street art (thanks to the support of the Galeria de Arte Urbana initiative). Try timing your visit to the Miradouro da Graca for sunset, as the rooftops of Alfama catch the last of the light. The new Funicular da Graca is the best route back down in Baixa for tired legs.
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Walking Uptown Lisbon – Rossio, Bairro Alto, and the Avenida da Liberdade.
This walk begins in the Praca da Figueira, a busy square at the heart of downtown Lisbon. Prior to the earthquake of 1755, this was the site of the Todos-os-Santos Hospital, one of the largest medical complexes in Europe. The hospital was lost in the disaster, along with much of the medieval city – when the Marquis of Pombal set about rebuilding Baixa, he gave the Praca da Figueira a new role as Lisbon’s principal marketplace. By the mid-20th century, the market was desperately in need of investment; instead, the ruling Estada Nova regime decided to demolish the market. The equestrian statue of King Joao I which now stands in the centre of the square was added in 1970, deliberately designed in the style of the Pombal era. Modern-day Figueira is a major transport hub, with many of the city’s most-popular bus, and tram and Metro routes converging on the square.
Turning north, you’ll pass through Lisbon’s theatre district, home to the Coliseu dos Recreos concert hall and the Teatro Politeama. The Politeama was constructed in 1912 and has a traditional pros-arch design – the Coliseu dos Recreos predates it by twenty-two years, and its performance space is an unusual dodecagonal in shape. Its impressive wrought iron dome was one of the largest in Europe when the opera house opened its doors in 1890. Both theatres have witnessed the changing cultural life of Lisbon, particularly the censorship imposed during the Estado Novo, when many writers and performers were either censored or brutally detained by the Polícia Internacional e de Defesa do Estado, or PIDE. The dictatorship lasted for more than four decades, with Antonio de Oliveira Salazar attempting to keep Portugal politically and culturally isolated from the rest of Europe. A group of middle-ranking army officers, known as the April Captains, instigated a military coup on 25th April 1974 – soldiers occupied key institutions across the capital and the citizens of Lisbon took to the streets en masse. The government relinquished power six hours later in what become known as the Carnation Revolution.
Slightly misleadingly, the nearby Avenida da Liberdade, or Liberty Avenue, isn’t named after this 20th century revolution. Both its name, and the Monumento aos Restauradores at its southern end, commemorate the restoration of the Portuguese monarchy following sixty years of Spanish rule, from 1580 to 1640. The death of the heirless King Sebastiao in 1578 saw the extinction of the House of Avis, and prompted King Felipe II (of Spanish Armada fame) to lay claim to the Portuguese crown, initiating a period in which Portugal became an outlying, oppressed region of Spain. The ‘restauradores’ saw Portugal’s second royal dynasty, the House of Braganza, retake control with the crowning of King Joao IV in 1640. The Braganzas’ end came with the dissolution of the monarchy and the inauguration of the 1st Republic in 1911 – and its failure subsequently led to the rise of the Estada Nova in 1933.
The Estacao de Caminhos de Ferro do Rossio is nearby; better known as Rossio train station. Built in 1890, it was designed by Portuguese architect Jose Luís Monteiro – its intricately detailed front façade, with its ornate horseshoe entrances, takes inspiration from the Manueline architecture of the 16th century, much of which was lost in the 1755 earthquake. The over-extended arches, which form the entrance to the station, are shaped to match the departure and arrival tunnels which take the line west. Look closely above the right-hand door, and you’ll see a bust presenting ‘Father of the Railways’ George Stephenson – and over the left-hand door, Prime Minister Antonio Maria de Fontes Pereira de Melo: the driving force behind Portuguese railway expansion in the 1800s. Entering the station on foot, you’ll find the main concourse is actually the lower level – being spread across seven hills, Lisbon is notoriously undulating, and the platforms and trains are on the upper level, two stores up from street level. Two long tunnels were excavated through the hills to bring the railway into the centre of the city. Inside, the original iron columns and canopy remain above the platforms, and decorative mosaic panels celebrate Portugal’s agricultural traditions. The panels were commissioned in 1940 as part of the Exposicao do Mundo Portugues: the Portuguese World Exhibition, held in Belem in 1940 to mark the 800th birthday of the nation.
Turning south, you’ll pass through Rossio Square – officially it’s the Praca de Dom Pedro IV, named in memory of the 1st Emperor of Brazil and the leader of the victorious Liberal forces during Portugal’s 19th century civil war – however, it’s more popular name is Rossio. Just of the square, the Santa Justa Lift provides one of the city’s most ingenious shortcuts between the lower and upper parts of Lisbon. Designed by Raoul Mesnier du Ponsard in 1902, it’s quite a departure in design from his three ascensors here in Lisbon – the Gloria, Bica, and Lavr – and the funiculars in Nazare and at Bom Jesus do Monte in Braga. Santa Justa rises vertically in a striking neo-Gothic iron tower, carrying passengers seven stories (45m) above Baixa to a viewing terrace.
From here, a walkway connects you to the Largo do Carmo – you’ll see the skeleton of the 14th century Convento da Ordem do Carmo, which was destroyed during the great earthquake; its remains were preserved as a memorial. You’ve moved into the ‘high neighbourhood’, or Bairro Alto, which dates back to a period of urban expansion in the 16th century, when Lisbon’s growing population demanded an increase in living space outside of the walls of the existing medieval city. The Praca Camoes is a helpful landmark for first time visitors, as it’s easy to get lost in Bairro Alto’s labyrinth of cobbled streets. A statue of Luís de Camoes, Portugal’s most celebrated poet,stands at the centre of the square. It was erected in 1880 to mark the 300th anniversary of his death – his epic Os Lusiadas is considered one of the most important works of Portuguese literature, charting the 16th century voyages of Vasco da Gama and his contemporaries during the country’s Age of Discovery.
Your walk ends at the Miradouro de Sao Pedro de Alcantara. Lisbon is famously built upon seven hills, and the city is dotted with miradouros: public terraces with sweeping views across the capital. The lower terrace is usually the most peaceful, whilst the upper plays host to pop-up bars, buskers and street entertainers. It’s a fitting place to finish a walk which has taken you through several centuries of Lisbon’s political, cultural and architectural history.
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Walking Belem – the Torre de Belem and the Jeronimos Monastery.
If you’re staying in the centre of Lisbon, the simplest route to Belem is by train from Cais do Sodre station. The seven-minute journey passes beneath the magnificent Ponte 25 de Abril suspension bridge. Completed in 1966, it was originally named Ponte Salazar after Antonio de Oliveira Salazar, the authoritarian leader of the Estado Novo regime. Following the Carnation Revolution, the citizens of the city forcibly-removed Salazar’s plaque and painted ’25 de Abril’ in its place.
Alighting at Belem station, your first stop is one of Lisbon’s newest cultural attractions, the Museu de Arte, Arquitetura e Tecnologia: better known as MAAT. The museum explores contemporary culture through art, architecture and technology, exhibiting work by over 250 Portuguese artists. There’s also a permanent Power Station Circuit industrial archaeology exhibition, which charts the history of the now defunct Tejo Power Station located just next door.
Walking downriver, you’ll come to the Padrao dos Descobrimentos or Monument to the Discoveries. A first, temporary version of the monument was constructed in 1940 during Portugal’s World Exhibition. It was reconstructed from limestone and concrete in 1960 to mark 500th anniversary of the death of the Infante Dom Henrique. Known outside of Portugal as Henry the Navigator, Prince Henrique was the driving force behind the Age of Discoveries, and his navigators and captains established the first sailing route from Europe to India (also stumbling upon Brazil in the process).
The monument itself is made up of thirty-three massive sculptures, depicting the major figures of the Age. Henry stands at the prow with Bartolomeu Dias close by – Dias was the first captain to successfully sail around the Cape of Good Hope. Vasco da Gama is arguably the most-famous figure outside of Portugal – he was first European to reach India via the Cape of Good Hope, ending the Venetian dominance of the spice trade.The only female figure to be included is Henrique’s mother Philippa of Lancaster. The sister of English King Henry IV, Philippa’s marriage to Dom Joao I in 1387 sealed the English/Portuguese Treaty of Windsor, the longest surviving diplomatic treaty between two nations. The treaty is still active and guarantees mutual security – a copy resides in the National Archives at Kew.
The beautifully ornate 16th century Jeronimos Monastery and the Museu National de Arqueologia are just across the road. The latter is a small archaeological museum, with artifacts from the Bronze Age, and the Roman and Muslim occupations of Lisbon. If you buy a combined ticket to the Arqueologia museum and the Jeronimos Monastery, you can usually avoid the Monastery’s long queues by entering via the museum.
The UNESCO-protected Jeronimos Monastery is one of Lisbon’s great monuments and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Construction began in 1501 during the reign of King Manuel I, when Portugal’s maritime empire was generating enormous wealth. The style is Manueline, in reference to Dom Manuel I who commissioned many of Portugal’s most impressive gothic buildings. The Monastery’s ornately carved cloisters include various sailing motifs and references to sea exploration – harking back to the much smaller hermitage of Santa Maria which originally sat on the same site. Crews and captains spent their final evening on dryland in prayer for a successful expedition; Vasco da Gama was one such captain and his tomb now resides in the monastery.
No visit to Belem is complete without sampling the famously-moreish Pasteis de Nata custard tarts. Its recipes is a closely guard secret and has a long history dating back to the 15th and 16th centuries, when the Portuguese island of Madeira was Europe’s principal source of sugar cane. The tarts owe their existence to the monks who once resided in the Jeronimos monastery – they often acted as the city laundry, using eggs whites for starching and the surplus yolks for baking. Perhaps a victim of their own success, Pasteis de Nata are increasingly available throughout the UK, but nothing compares to tasting Pasteis de Belem at the source.
Returning to the waterfront, one of the district’s most recognisable landmarks is the Torre de Belem. Built by Manuel I once again, between 1514 and 1520, the tower was part of a wider network of coastal defences. The Fort of Sao Sebastiao de Caparica is positioned on the opposite side of the river, whilst the grand Forte de Santo Antonio da Barra keeps watch from the Cascais coast to the west. It’s hard to spot from Belem, but there’s also the small Fort of Sao Lourenco do Bugio which sits on a tiny island in the middle of the river. Known as the Torre do Bugio, this was a later addition completed until 1643 and included a barracks and a chapel. It was badly damaged in the 1755 earthquake, and became as a live-in lighthouse, manned by six lighthouse keepers and their families until its mechanism was automated in 1982.
Heading back into the city by train, Cais do Sodre station, you could end the afternoon with a visit to the Mercado da Ribeira. A market has occupied this site since the 12th century – the present building was contructed in 1882 to accommodate a growing trade in fish, fruit, and vegetables arriving by boat on the River Tagus. In 2014, part of the historic mercado was transformed into the Time Out Market: a food court, bringing together restaurants, chefs and food producers from across Greater Lisbon. The original market continues to operate alongside it, so you can still see something of the building’s traditional role before settling down for a drink or a meal. It’s a lively, informal place to finish the day – particularly useful if everyone fancies something different after a long walk around Belem.
