Alfama District
Alfama, Lisboa
Alfama is the neighborhood that refused to die.
Arco da Rua Augusta
2 Rua Augusta, Santa Maria Maior, Lisboa, 1100-053, Portugal
The Arco da Rua Augusta is the triumphal arch that took so long to build it forgot what it was triumphing over.
Castelo de São Jorge
Rua de Santa Cruz do Castelo, Santa Maria Maior, Lisboa, 1100-480, Portugal
Every civilization that conquered Lisbon started by taking this hill.
Chiado
Chiado, Lisboa
Chiado is where Lisbon goes to feel sophisticated.
Convento do Carmo
Santa Maria Maior, Lisboa, Portugal
Most ruins get rebuilt.
Feira da Ladra
Campo de Santa Clara, São Vicente, Lisboa, 1100-472, Portugal
The name translates roughly as "Thief's Market," which either refers to the fact that you might find your stolen goods on sale here, or that the vendors will steal from you with their prices — interpretations vary by century.
Igreja de São Roque
Rua da Misericórdia, Misericórdia, Lisboa, 1200-273, Portugal
From the outside, the Igreja de São Roque looks like nothing — a plain, beige facade that most visitors walk past without a second glance.
Mosteiro dos Jerónimos
Praça do Império, Belém, Lisboa, 1400-206, Portugal
If Portugal had a trophy case, this monastery would be the centerpiece.
Museu Calouste Gulbenkian
45A Avenida de Berna, Avenidas Novas, Lisboa, 1600-001, Portugal
The story of how Lisbon ended up with one of the finest private art collections in the world involves oil, revolution, war, and a very stubborn Armenian-British billionaire.
Museu do Fado
Largo do Chafariz de Dentro, Santa Maria Maior, Lisboa, 1100-288, Portugal
Fado is Portugal's answer to the blues — a music of longing, loss, and that untranslatable Portuguese word "saudade," which roughly means the bittersweet ache of missing something you once had, or might never have had at all.
Museu Nacional do Azulejo
4 Rua da Madre de Deus, Penha de França, Lisboa, 1900-312, Portugal
Portugal's love affair with tiles is so deep that an entire museum barely scratches the surface.
Padrão dos Descobrimentos
Avenida de Brasília, Belém, Lisboa, 1400-298, Portugal
This 52-meter concrete prow, jutting out over the Tagus like the bow of a ship frozen mid-launch, is either a triumphant celebration of human exploration or a monument to colonialism, depending on who you ask.
Panteão Nacional
Campo de Santa Clara, São Vicente, Lisboa, 1100-472, Portugal
The Portuguese have a phrase — "obras de Santa Engrácia" — that means a project that never gets finished.
Pastéis de Belém
84 Rua de Belém, Belém, Lisboa, 1300-085, Portugal
The recipe has not changed since 1837, and only three people alive know the full thing.
Ponte 25 de Abril
2 Travessa de Alcântara, Alcântara, Lisboa, 1300-029, Portugal
Yes, it looks exactly like the Golden Gate Bridge, and no, that's not a coincidence.
Praça do Comércio
Praça do Comércio, Santa Maria Maior, Lisboa, 1100-148, Portugal
Before it became one of Europe's grandest plazas, this was a crime scene.
Rossio Square
Praça D Pedro IV, Santa Maria Maior, Lisboa, 1150-320, Portugal
The official name is Praça Dom Pedro IV, but nobody in Lisbon has called it that in centuries.
Sé de Lisboa
Largo da Sé, 1100-585 Lisboa
Lisbon's cathedral looks like it can't decide whether it's a church or a fortress, and that's because it was designed to be both.
Torre de Belém
Avenida de Brasília, Belém, Lisboa, 1400-072, Portugal
This stubby little fortress sitting in the Tagus looks like it was designed by someone who couldn't decide between a castle and a wedding cake.
Tram 28
Various stops across Lisbon
Tram 28 is simultaneously the best and worst way to see Lisbon.
Explore history in Lisbon
GPS-guided narration at every landmark. Tap a spot on the map, hear the story. Every fact verified.