So you’ve landed at the city’s international airport, your Lisbon transfer driver has found you, you’ve got your luggage, and within half an hour or so you’ll be dropped off at your hotel. This city is fascinating every step of the way, a place where the bones of history are overlaid by a vibrant contemporary lifestyle. A Lisbon city break is a thing of beauty. But there’s so much to drink in.
Where do you start? You could slice your Lisbon experience into bite-size chunks, exploring the neighbourhoods or ‘Bairros’ one by one to get an intimate feel for the culture, the people, how they live, what they do and where they go. That’s what we call an exciting way to soak up the magic. Here’s what Lisbon’s Bairros offer.
Wander around old Lisbon
The oldest neighbourhoods in Lisbon, all central, are Bairro Alto, Belém, Baixa, Chaido, and Alfama, each with a unique flavour and vibe.
Baixa
Baixa is bang in the middle of town, the most lively of them all, flattened by the famously lethal earthquake in 1775 then rebuilt by the Marquis of Pombal. Expect lovely, wide, airy avenues lined with elegant classical buildings, grand squares and colonnaded walkways. Many of the house-fronts are tiled, typical of Lisbon and inspiringly Instagrammable.
Baixa’s brilliant shops, restaurants, bars and buzzy atmosphere make it a top destination. Home to visual delights like Restauradores Square, Avenida da Liberdade with its mosaic pavements, gardens, cafes and shade spots, and Praça Marquês de Pombal itself, it makes for excellent walking tours, enjoyed by urban hikers as well as party-lovers, foodies and wine afficionados.
Restauradores Square has nothing to do with restaurants. The name actually marks those who rebelled against the Spanish in the mid 1600s, complete with a monument to Portugal’s hard-fought independence. Don’t miss the stunning Edén Hotel, once a cinema. Ancient Rossio Square, next door, dates back to the 1200s, a popular meeting place for locals and always bustling.
The enormous Praça da Figueira and Praça do Comércio, with their classical buildings and statues, are perfect for pedestrians. Walk the Rua Augusta for more pedestrian-friendly elegance, see the Baroque Triumphal Arch, and wander the Rua do Ouro and Rua da Prat, where they once sold gold and silver. Then take the Santa Justa Lift, just for fun.
Alfama
Alfama sits between the Atlantic and São Jorge Castle, the place Portugal’s famed Fardo music was born and great for pedestrians. It’s lovely not having any traffic to worry about. The steep, narrow streets are not suitable for vehicles, and however fit you are you’ll end up pleasantly puffed out.
Alfama is a mellow old fishing suburb with colourful houses, tiled buildings, red-tiled roofs, trams and cherry trees. The scents are 100% Lisbon: great food, strong coffee, hot sunshine on the cobbles. It’s hard to imagine these days, but the invading Germanic Visigoths lived on this site, as did the Romans, and you’ll see a ruined Roman Theatre actually inside the Rua da Saudade’s Cathedral. If you’re wondering where all the churches are, usually such a common sight in Portugal, they were flattened by the great earthquake.
Head up to Alfama’s highest point for eye-wateringly dramatic views of the neighbourhood and the distant Tagus river port. Or visit the Fado Museum to know more about the city’s beloved mournful music.
Chaido
Chiado is an elegant bohemian neighbourhood next to Bairro Alto, mostly burned down in 1988, now rebuilt and very lovely. It looks and feels a lot like Paris’s infamous Montmartre area, in whose chilly garrets a host of famous artists once painted, sculpted and starved. Here’s where you’ll find culture and commerce side-by-side: luxury retail, historic marvels, jewellers, department stores, bookshops, theatres and museums. Explore the Rua do Carmo and its ruined church, the central Rua Garrett, and the many excellent cafes and world-class restaurants.
This is home to the National Museum of Contemporary Art, renovated in 1994 to mark the city’s stint as European Capital of Culture. Inside and out there’s an impressive collection of Portuguese art, including a gorgeous landscaped terrace lined with sculpture.
Bairro Alto
As the name suggests, Bairro Alto is high up. Here’s where you’ll find plenty of cosmopolitan charm, an alternative-style neighbourhood next to Chiado where there’s washing hanging between the streets, exciting graffiti, and some of Lisbon’s best Fado restaurants. The food is as good as the music, and this is a thrilling place.
Climb to the high point of the neighbourhood to the Miradouro de São Pedro de Alcántara, one of the city’s best viewpoints with panoramic outlooks to Baixa, the Tagus, and São Jorge Castle. This is the youngest of the city’s older districts, built from 1513 onwards and the first neighbourhood whose layout was actually planned rather than growing in a random, organic way.
Merchants and rich people used to live here until the late 1800s, then the media moved in. For a long time the area hossted newspapers and two streets named after them: the Rua do Diário de Notícias and Rua de O Século. Once party central with bars, bohemians, street revels and brothels lining the pretty streets, these days it’s still where the city’s rebels and creatives gather. Think about Brighton’s funky North Laine district and you get the vibe.
Belém
Belem is grand, sophisticated and very lovely. The main attractions are the Jerónimos Monastery and Belém Tower itself, and there’s a treat in store thanks to the famous pastéis de Belém, luscious egg tarts invented at the Mosteiro dos Jerónimos, baked to a recipe that remains a secret.
To the city’s south west, some way from the centre, this is the place where Portugal’s brave explorers set sail, either bringing back riches and tall tales of new lands or not coming back at all. The Monument to the Discoveries, Ponte 25 de Abril, and National Coach Museum are all worth exploring.
Visit modern Lisbon
Lisbon’s Marquess of Pombal Square and its surroundings are thoroughly modern, as is the area around the Park of the Nations, built for the city’s 1998 World Exposition. In complete contrast to the old city centre, they’re another voyage of discovery worth making.
Park of the Nations
The Parque das Nações is full if wide open spaces, an airy place that’s now a park for everyone to enjoy. Once the venue for the 1998 World Expo, you can expect really good restaurants, bars, theatres, parks, big pedestrianised areas to wander, plus an enormous shopping mall. If top class high street retail therapy is your thing, this is your go-to Lisbon neighbourhood.
Don’t miss the Oriente railway station, designed by the Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava and an epic modernist creation. It’s incredibly beautiful with its airy, light, tree-like roof, shell-like entrance and fabulous lighting after dusk. This is not just a railway station, it’s a work of art that’ll take your breath away.
Visit Europe’s second biggest aquarium in Europe, the Oceanário de Lisboa. Climb the Vasco da Gama Tower to the dizzying observation deck, then wash it all down with a good helping of the 11 mile long Vasco da Gama Bridge, the continent’s longest over-pass. Chill out in the pretty Water Gardens and the Palm Tree Garden, or take a cable car way above it all to enjoy more glorious urban and river views.
Marquess of Pombal Square
Last but not least, modern Praça do Marquês de Pombal forms a huge memorial to the Marquis of Pombal, the city’s governor from 1750 to 1777. The square and its busy roundabout are where the HQs of large international companies are based, along with fine 5 star hotels with reputations for the ultimate in luxury.
Get there by walking from all sorts of interesting directions: along the Liberdade, Duque de Loulé and Fontes Pereira de Melo, or via Braamcamp or Joaquim António de Aguiar street. Amble the awesome Avenida da Liberdade from Baixa is you like, or take in some fresh air in lovely Eduardo VII Park, Lisbon’s largest green area where the Botanical Garden is.
Pick the best Lisbon transfers
All this magic lies just a few miles from the airport, accessible quickly and smoothly using Lisbon Transfer companies you can trust. So go see what’s in store for you, book your transfer, and relax.