Luxury hotels in Lisbon

Lisbon guide

Lisbon: Belém, Alfama and the light of the Tagus

The Jerónimos Monastery, pastéis de Belém, the old tram through Alfama and fado at night.

Belém, with the Jerónimos Monastery and the Tower of Belém, both UNESCO World Heritage Sites built in the age of discoveries, is Lisbon's most cited area, and the pastéis de Belém next door are a ritual. Go early, before the queues.

Alfama's lanes, the São Jorge Castle and the miradouros are best reached on foot or by the old tram 28, and an evening of fado in a small house is unforgettable. Sintra's palaces are forty minutes away, and spring and autumn bring the softest light.

Sintra: Pena Palace and Quinta da Regaleira

Sintra, about forty minutes from Lisbon, is a UNESCO cultural landscape and the most cited excursion from the capital: the colourful Pena Palace on its hilltop, the Moorish Castle on the ridge and the Quinta da Regaleira, with its spiral Initiation Well and mystical gardens.

Pena and the Regaleira use timed tickets, and arriving at opening with a driver avoids the traffic and queues. Monserrate Palace, quieter, has extraordinary gardens, and lunch in Sintra should include travesseiros pastries. Cascais and Cabo da Roca are close by.

Alfama, fado and the miradouros

Alfama, Lisbon's oldest neighbourhood, a maze of lanes below São Jorge Castle, is one of the city's most cited areas, and an evening of fado, the soulful music recognised by UNESCO, in one of its small houses is the essential Lisbon experience. Book a good casa de fado, where silence is respected.

The miradouros, viewpoints such as Santa Luzia, Portas do Sol and Senhora do Monte, look over terracotta roofs to the Tagus. The old tram 28 climbs through the neighbourhood; riding it early avoids the queues.