Lisbon travel guide
Lisbon is a city you climb as much as walk, and its hills decide a day more than the map does. Plan one big sight per day, leave the rest for viewpoints, a yellow tram and a late dinner, and wear shoes with grip: the polished limestone paving turns slippery in the rain.
How the city fits together
Lisbon lies on the north bank of the Tagus, and its old centre is a handful of hills with a flat valley between them. The valley is the Baixa, a grid of straight streets laid out after the earthquake of 1755, running from Praça do Comércio on the water up to Rossio. To the east the Alfama and Graça climb towards the castle; to the west Chiado and Bairro Alto rise the other way. Belém, with the monuments of the age of discovery, lies about six kilometres downriver and needs a half day of its own.
A short walk on the map can hide a steep climb. Take the elevators, funiculars and the metro whenever they save you a hill, and keep the downhill direction for walking.
How long to stay
- Two days work if you choose one monument in Belém instead of three and let the Baixa and the Alfama share the second day.
- Three days give you Belém, the old town on foot and one slow evening at a viewpoint with a glass in your hand.
- Four or five days add Sintra or Cascais, with room left for wandering.
Three days, in order
Day 1: Belém
Take the Cascais line train from Cais do Sodré to Belém and reach the Jerónimos Monastery for 9.30 am, before the coaches. Walk the riverfront to the Belém Tower and on to the Monument to the Discoveries. Save the custard tarts for the old bakery on Rua de Belém; they taste best warm, and the line moves faster than it looks. Both the monastery and the tower close on Mondays, so on a Monday go straight to the Alfama day below.
Day 2: Baixa and Alfama
Start on Praça do Comércio, walk up the Rua Augusta and cross Rossio, then ride tram 28 from its first stop before the queues grow. Wander the Alfama downhill, with no destination, until you reach a miradouro. Arrive at São Jorge Castle for the last two hours of light and stay for the sunset.
Day 3: Chiado, Bairro Alto and the far bank
Start in the roofless Carmo Convent, then drift through Chiado to the viewpoints of Bairro Alto. In the afternoon take the ferry from Cais do Sodré to Cacilhas and go up to Cristo Rei for the view back across the river. Dinner in Cais do Sodré, where the old market hall now holds the food hall.
Rainy-day plan
From November to March it rains on eight to ten days a month, mostly in showers, so a wet day rarely means a lost one. What spoils it is the paving, which turns slick on the steep streets and is a good reason to ride the hills rather than walk them.
- Morning: the Jerónimos Monastery, where the cloister arcades give shelter and the church is dry. Closed on Mondays.
- Afternoon: the Time Out Market at Cais do Sodré for a long lunch, then the National Tile Museum in the former Madre de Deus convent, which explains the azulejos that cover the city's walls.
- Evening: a fado house in the Alfama, where the music suits the weather and you can stay in one spot for hours.
- Any time: a ginjinha, the sour cherry liqueur, drunk standing up at one of the tiny counters near Rossio. A single glass takes two minutes and warms you completely.
Which neighbourhood to sleep in
- Baixa
- The flat grid between the river and Rossio: easy walking, metro and trains in every direction, and the most hotel beds. It is also the most touristy part of town.
- Chiado and Bairro Alto
- Chiado is elegant and central, Bairro Alto is where the city drinks until the small hours. Choose Chiado for sleep; a room above a Bairro Alto bar will keep you awake on weekends.
- Alfama and Graça
- The most atmospheric streets and the best views, with stairs to match. Taxis stop at the edge of the lanes, so pack light.
- Avenida da Liberdade and Príncipe Real
- Calmer and greener, with the best shops, cafés and a metro line at your door. You pay for the address and walk down to the Baixa in fifteen minutes.
- Cais do Sodré and Santos
- The ferries and the Cascais trains leave from here, and the nightlife on the Rua Nova do Carvalho never really stops. Santos, one stop west, is quieter.
- Parque das Nações and Oriente
- A flat, modern district on the river beside the Oceanário, with the Red metro line to the airport and the long-distance trains at Oriente. Convenient for a short stay and far from the old town.