Lisbon's Gloria funicular classified in Bairro Alto in Lisbon, Portugal
244165612
downtown, uphill, street, electric, houses, national, european, central, urban, yellow, tramway, steep, history, streetcar, cable, lisbon, hills, rail, commute, train, portugal, gloria, funicular, elevator, historic, transport, center, architecture, city, colorful, public, railway, buildings, tram, connect, transportation, antique, track, car, vintage, tight, alley, monument, europe, cityscape, alfama, lisboa

©Krzyzak/Shutterstock

Alfama

Top choice in Alfama, Castelo & Graça


Wander downhill (to save your legs) through Alfama's steep, narrow, cobblestoned streets and catch a glimpse of the more traditional side of Lisbon before it too is gentrified. Linger in a backstreet cafe along the way and experience some local bonhomie without the tourist gloss.

As far back as the 5th century, Alfama was inhabited by the Visigoths, and remnants of a Visigothic town wall remain. But it was the Moors who gave the district its shape and atmosphere. In Moorish times this was an upper-class residential area. After earthquakes brought down many of its mansions (and post-Moorish churches) it reverted to a working-class, fisher-folk quarter. It was one of the few districts to ride out the 1755 earthquake.

With narrow lanes of residential houses and grocery stores, it has a distinct village atmosphere; you can quickly feel like an intruder if you take a wrong turn into someone's backyard. Early morning is the best time to catch a more traditional scene, when women sell fresh fish from their doorways. For a real rough-and-tumble atmosphere, visit during the Festas dos Santos Populares in June.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Alfama, Castelo & Graça attractions

1. Museu do Fado

0.06 MILES

Fado (traditional Portuguese melancholic song) was born in Alfama. Immerse yourself in its bittersweet symphonies at Museu do Fado. This engaging museum…

2. Miradouro de Santa Luzia

0.1 MILES

From bougainvillea-clad Miradouro de Santa Luzia, your gaze drifts over a mosaic of rooftops and spires to the river below.

3. Museu de Artes Decorativas

0.11 MILES

Set in a petite 17th-century palace, this museum creaks under the weight of treasures including blingy French silverware, priceless Qing vases and Indo…

4. Largo das Portas do Sol

0.12 MILES

This original Moorish gateway affords stunning angles over Alfama’s jumble of red rooftops and pastel-coloured houses, underscored by the true blue Rio…

5. Museu do Teatro Romano

0.21 MILES

The ultramodern Museu do Teatro Romano, reopened in 2015 after a two-year renovation and further excavation, catapults you back to Emperor Augustus’ rule…

6. Museu do Aljube

0.22 MILES

Both poignant and haunting, this new and highly important museum has turned the former Portuguese dictatorship's political prison of choice into a museum…

7. Mosteiro de São Vicente de Fora

0.23 MILES

Graça’s Mosteiro de São Vicente de Fora was founded in 1147 and revamped by Italian architect Felipe Terzi in the late 16th century. Since the adjacent…

8. Sé de Lisboa

0.24 MILES

The fortress-like Sé de Lisboa is one of Lisbon’s icons, built in 1150 on the site of a mosque soon after Christians recaptured the city from the Moors…