Things to do in Lisbon
Lisbon combines grand monuments with small pleasures: a coffee with a view, an afternoon tram ride or a long seafood lunch. Here are the highlights.
Belém's monuments
The Jerónimos Monastery, commissioned by King Manuel I around 1501 and funded by the spice trade, is the masterpiece of the Manueline style, with ropes, sea creatures and armillary spheres carved into stone. Vasco da Gama's tomb is inside the church. Nearby, the Belém Tower once guarded the river entrance, and the Monument to the Discoveries, built in 1960, shows Henry the Navigator leading explorers; climb it for a view of the giant compass rose map in the pavement. Then queue for pastéis de Belém, made since 1837 to a secret recipe from the monastery.
São Jorge Castle and the viewpoints
The Moorish castle on Lisbon's highest hill in the old centre offers sweeping views across the rooftops and river. The city's miradouros are free alternatives: Senhora do Monte and Graça for panoramas, Santa Luzia for tiles and bougainvillea, and Santa Catarina for sunset with musicians.
Tram 28
The vintage yellow tram 28 rattles from Martim Moniz through Graça, Alfama, Baixa and Estrela, squeezing through lanes with inches to spare. It is crowded and a pickpocket hotspot, so board at the Martim Moniz terminus early in the morning, or try the less busy tram 12 or 24.
Fado
Fado, inscribed by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2011, is best heard in a small tasca in Alfama or Mouraria, where silence is expected during songs. Clube de Fado and Tasca do Chico are well-known venues; book ahead. The Museu do Fado gives context, including the story of Amália Rodrigues, the genre's queen.
Azulejos and museums
The Museu Nacional do Azulejo, housed in the former Madre de Deus convent, traces five centuries of Portuguese tiles, including a 23-metre panorama of Lisbon before the earthquake. The Calouste Gulbenkian Museum has an outstanding collection from ancient Egypt to René Lalique, set in modernist gardens. MAAT, the Museum of Art, Architecture and Technology, has a wave-shaped roof you can walk on.
LX Factory and the waterfront
Under the 25 de Abril Bridge, a suspension bridge often compared to San Francisco's Golden Gate, the LX Factory has converted a nineteenth-century industrial complex into bookshops such as Ler Devagar, restaurants and design shops. Across the river, the Cristo Rei statue offers views back to the city, reachable by ferry to Cacilhas and a bus.
Food and drink
Try bacalhau (salt cod) in one of its many forms, grilled sardines in summer, bifana pork sandwiches, polvo à lagareiro (octopus with olive oil) and a ginjinha cherry liqueur from the tiny A Ginjinha bar on Rossio. Time Out Market offers a curated selection of stalls under one roof, while traditional cervejarias such as Ramiro are famous for seafood.
Oceanário
Designed for Expo 98 by Peter Chermayeff, Lisbon's aquarium is one of the largest in Europe, with a huge central tank shared by sharks, rays and a sunfish, simulating the open ocean.
Feira da Ladra
On Tuesdays and Saturdays the "Thieves' Market" flea market spreads around the Campo de Santa Clara near the National Pantheon, selling antiques, tiles and junk.
Gulbenkian Museum
The Calouste Gulbenkian Museum holds the collection of the Armenian oil magnate who lived in Lisbon, from Egyptian antiquities and Islamic ceramics to Rembrandt and René Lalique jewellery. Its modernist gardens are a peaceful escape.
MAAT and the riverside
In Belém, the Museum of Art, Architecture and Technology (MAAT) has a curving, tiled roof you can walk over for river views. A riverside promenade links Cais do Sodré to Belém and is popular with cyclists.
Cristo Rei and Almada
Across the river, the Cristo Rei statue, inspired by Rio de Janeiro's Christ the Redeemer, offers views of the 25 de Abril Bridge and the city. Take the ferry from Cais do Sodré to Cacilhas and walk along the waterfront to seafood restaurants.
Viewpoints
Lisbon's miradouros include São Pedro de Alcântara in Bairro Alto, Santa Luzia and Portas do Sol in Alfama, and Senhora do Monte in Graça. They are free and perfect at sunset.
Pastéis de Belém
The Antiga Confeitaria de Belém has baked its custard tarts since 1837, following a secret recipe from the Jerónimos monks.
Day trips
Sintra, a UNESCO cultural landscape of palaces in misty hills, is 40 minutes by train from Rossio; the colourful Pena Palace and the Quinta da Regaleira with its initiation well are highlights, and timed tickets help. Cascais is a chic beach town at the end of the train line from Cais do Sodré, and Cabo da Roca is mainland Europe's most westerly point. Across the river, Costa da Caparica has long surf beaches.
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