48 EDITED GUIDES · Lisbon

Attractions in Lisbon.

Explore Lisbon's castle, riverside monuments and historic streets, or spend a morning at the Oceanarium. Each guide covers what to see, the story behind it and what visitors make of the experience, with photographs.

Know what to expectUnderstand what the visit involves before you arrive.
Notice what others missLook for the details that are easy to miss without a little context.
Understand the storySee how the place became what it is, and why it matters.

The sculpted Rua Augusta Arch above pedestrians in Praça do Comércio, framed by yellow arcades and blue sky. — The Rua Augusta Arch seen from Praça do Comércio.

HISTORY IN THE CITY

Landmarks & history.

Castles, churches, palaces and public spaces that explain the shape of Lisbon.

17 guides

Stone towers and battlements above the bridge into São Jorge Castle.

Castle & historic site

São Jorge Castle

Castelo de São Jorge

São Jorge Castle has some of the best views in Lisbon. Explore its walls and courtyards, look out across the city to the River Tagus, and leave time for the small museum.

Two levels of richly carved arches around the cloister at Jerónimos Monastery.

Monastery & World Heritage site

Jerónimos Monastery

Mosteiro dos Jerónimos

Intricately carved cloisters and a vast vaulted church make Jerónimos one of Belém's finest sights. Leave time for both parts of the monastery.

Belém Tower beside the Tagus, with its footbridge and low bastion visible.

Historic monument

Belém Tower

Torre de Belém

Carved balconies, domed turrets and a bastion built to house the cannons that defended Lisbon's harbour: Belém Tower is one of the finest sights along the Tagus waterfront.

José I’s statue, the yellow arcades and Rua Augusta arch beneath a wide Lisbon sky.

Baixa & riverfront

Public square & waterfront

Praça do Comércio

Yellow arcades, a monumental arch and the Tagus just ahead: Praça do Comércio is a fine place to begin a walk through Baixa and along the river.

The illuminated stone sail and sculpted figures of the Monument to the Discoveries against the night sky.

Monument & viewpoint

Monument to the Discoveries

Padrão dos Descobrimentos

A stone ship points towards the Tagus, its decks crowded with figures from Portugal's past. Walk around both sides, study the map at its feet and look across Belém from the top.

Rua Augusta Arch between the yellow arcaded buildings of Praça do Comércio.

Triumphal arch & viewpoint

Rua Augusta Arch

Arco da Rua Augusta

Climb above the arch for a view along Rua Augusta in one direction and across Praça do Comércio to the Tagus in the other. Below, carved figures tell the story the rebuilt city wanted to present.

The twin stone towers, rose window and entrance of Lisbon Cathedral.

Cathedral & sacred art

Lisbon Cathedral

Sé de Lisboa

Behind the twin towers of the Sé are centuries of additions and rebuilding. Look up through the nave, study the rose window and leave time for the smaller treasures beyond the first impression.

The broad nave and side chapels of São Roque beneath its painted ceiling.

Chiado & Bairro Alto

Church & sacred art

São Roque Church

Igreja de São Roque

A plain façade gives little away. Inside São Roque, gilded chapels, coloured stone and an extraordinary painted ceiling reward a much closer look.

A bronze fountain and the column of Pedro IV in Rossio square.

Historic square

Rossio Square

Praça Dom Pedro IV (Rossio)

Follow the black and white waves across Rossio, pause beside the fountains and look up at the façades. This is a place to spend a little time between walks, not simply cross on the way elsewhere.

Red drapery, gilded chairs and chandeliers in the throne room at Ajuda Palace.

Royal palace & decorative arts

Ajuda National Palace

Palácio Nacional da Ajuda

Chandeliers, richly furnished sitting rooms and a table laid for a royal banquet fill Ajuda Palace. The smaller domestic details are often as absorbing as the rooms designed to impress.

The white façade and dome of the National Pantheon against a blue sky.

Santa Clara & Alfama

National monument & memorial

National Pantheon

Panteão Nacional

Beneath Santa Engrácia’s great dome, coloured marble surrounds the memorials of poets, singers and public figures. The upper galleries and roof terrace reveal the building from very different angles.

São Vicente de Fora’s towers above Alfama’s red roofs and flowering jacaranda trees.

São Vicente & Alfama

Monastery & historic collection

São Vicente de Fora Monastery

Mosteiro de São Vicente de Fora

Tiled staircases lead through cloisters and richly decorated rooms before the route reaches the roof. São Vicente de Fora has far more to show you than its twin-towered façade suggests.

St Anthony’s Church façade and curved steps beside Lisbon Cathedral

Church & pilgrimage shrine

St Anthony’s Church

Igreja de Santo António de Lisboa

Beside the cathedral, a small church marks the place where Lisbon’s best-loved saint is traditionally believed to have been born.

Fire-scarred stone columns beneath the warm red vault of São Domingos Church

Historic church

São Domingos Church

Igreja de São Domingos

Darkened columns and fractured stone remain visible beneath a restored red vault, making São Domingos an unusually affecting church to visit.

Sculpted façade and twin bell towers of Basílica da Estrela

Basilica & sacred art

Basílica da Estrela

A great white dome above the neighbourhood, coloured marble within, and a Nativity scene filled with the small details of everyday life.

Red façade of Fronteira Palace beyond clipped hedges and tiled garden walls

São Domingos de Benfica

Historic palace & gardens

Fronteira Palace

Palácio Fronteira

Follow tiled terraces and garden pools around a seventeenth-century palace that remains a family home.

Stone arches of the Águas Livres Aqueduct beneath a clear blue sky

Campolide & Alcântara valley

Historic aqueduct & elevated walk

Águas Livres Aqueduct

Aqueduto das Águas Livres

Walk high above the Alcântara valley on the structure that brought fresh water to the city.

COLLECTIONS & CULTURE

Museums & culture.

Art, design, music and city history, from focused collections to full museum visits.

14 guides

Broad steps and a reflecting pool in front of the low concrete façade of the Calouste Gulbenkian Museum.

Art museum & gardens

Calouste Gulbenkian Museum

Museu Calouste Gulbenkian

Lalique jewels, Ottoman tiles and European paintings fill a museum built around one collector's extraordinary taste. Leave time for the art, then step out into the gardens.

Stone arches above the roofless nave of Carmo Convent beneath a clear blue sky.

Church ruins & archaeology

Carmo Convent

Convento do Carmo / Museu Arqueológico do Carmo

Gothic arches rise into the open sky above a church that was never fully rebuilt. Beyond the nave, a small museum brings together carved tombs, Roman stonework and objects from much earlier lives.

The gilded Coach of the Oceans with sculpted figures and ornate wheels in the National Coach Museum.

Royal carriages & decorative arts

National Coach Museum

Museu Nacional dos Coches

Gilded figures, painted panels and enormous wheels turn royal transport into an extraordinary display of craftsmanship. Look beyond the gold and the coaches begin to tell you who wanted to impress whom.

MAAT’s curved white-tiled façade above the riverside walkway beside the Tagus.

Art, architecture & industrial heritage

MAAT

MAAT - Museu de Arte, Arquitetura e Tecnologia

A curving white gallery and a brick power station share the Belém waterfront. Walk around the architecture, then step inside to choose between contemporary art and the machinery that once powered the city.

Visitors around an interactive table beneath a globe in Lisbon’s Quake museum.

Immersive history museum

Quake: Lisbon Earthquake Museum

Quake - Museu do Terramoto de Lisboa

Step into a reconstruction of eighteenth-century Lisbon, experience the earthquake sequence and discover how the city was rebuilt. Quake puts the history behind the streets into an absorbing visitor experience.

Model vessels and nautical objects in a gallery at Lisbon’s Maritime Museum.

Maritime history museum

Maritime Museum

Museu de Marinha

Begin with ships in miniature and finish beside the long hulls of royal barges. Belém’s Maritime Museum rewards curiosity about boats, navigation and the people who worked at sea.

Stone courtyard and glazed bridge within Centro Cultural de Belém

Modern & contemporary art museum

MAC/CCB

MAC/CCB - Museu de Arte Contemporânea e Centro de Arquitetura

Modern painting, sculpture and contemporary art in Belém’s cultural centre, with courtyards and terraces for a pause between galleries.

Gold royal crown with red lining displayed in the Royal Treasure Museum

Royal treasury museum

Royal Treasure Museum

Museu do Tesouro Real

A royal crown, remarkable jewellery and silver made for grand occasions, displayed in a modern museum within Ajuda’s west wing.

Two levels of the Fado Museum with a large montage of performers’ portraits

Music & cultural history museum

Fado Museum

Museu do Fado

Meet the singers, hear the recordings and discover the music behind an evening in an Alfama fado house.

Lisboa Story Centre entrance beneath the yellow façade of Praça do Comércio

Praça do Comércio

City history & audiovisual experience

Lisboa Story Centre

Put the city around you into context, then step straight back into the square that tells part of the story.

Curved timber canopy and slender supports outside CAM Gulbenkian

Gulbenkian gardens

Modern & contemporary art centre

Gulbenkian Modern Art Centre

Centro de Arte Moderna Gulbenkian

Modern Portuguese art, a sweeping timber canopy and garden paths that make the setting part of the visit.

White façade and stone doorway of the Aljube Museum beside the cathedral

History & resistance museum

Aljube Museum

Museu do Aljube - Resistência e Liberdade

A former political prison tells the story of the people who resisted Portugal’s dictatorship.

Restored white corner façade of MUDE on Rua Augusta

Design & fashion museum

MUDE - Design Museum

MUDE - Museu do Design

Familiar objects take on new interest inside a bank transformed into a design museum.

White Museu do Oriente building beside the road on the Alcântara waterfront

Alcântara waterfront

Asian art & cultural history museum

Museum of the Orient

Museu do Oriente

Screens, porcelain and performing arts reveal connections between Portugal and the cultures of Asia.

OUT IN LISBON

Views & green spaces.

Terraces, gardens and parks where the setting matters as much as the destination.

6 guides

Lisbon’s red roofs and densely packed streets seen from Senhora do Monte.

Hilltop viewpoint

Senhora do Monte Viewpoint

Miradouro da Senhora do Monte

Climb above Graça for a broad view of the castle, the lower city and the Tagus. The small terrace beside the chapel is a place to stop and work out how the hills fit together.

The formal lower garden at São Pedro de Alcântara with Lisbon’s hills beyond.

Viewpoint & garden

São Pedro de Alcântara Viewpoint

Miradouro de São Pedro de Alcântara

Look across to the castle from a garden terrace on the edge of Bairro Alto. Trees, benches and a lower garden make this a place to sit for a while, not just stop for a photograph.

The garden pool, flowering pergola and church at the Santa Luzia viewpoint.

Viewpoint & garden

Santa Luzia Viewpoint

Miradouro de Santa Luzia

Red roofs fall towards the Tagus beyond a terrace of blue and white tiles. Santa Luzia’s small garden is as much a part of the pleasure as the view.

Lisbon’s rooftops and castle hill seen from the Graça viewpoint.

Viewpoint & public terrace

Graça Viewpoint

Miradouro da Graça / Sophia de Mello Breyner Andresen

Pine trees shade a terrace beside Graça’s church, with the castle on the next hill and the Tagus beyond. Come with enough time to sit down and enjoy the view.

Formal hedges in Parque Eduardo VII with central Lisbon and the Tagus in the distance

Park & city viewpoint

Parque Eduardo VII

Start at the top for the long view towards the river, then follow the tree-lined paths down towards the city centre.

A pale stone sculpture surrounded by palms, foliage and flowering plants in Estufa Fria

Parque Eduardo VII

Botanical garden & glasshouses

Estufa Fria

Estufa Fria de Lisboa

Leave the formal lawns of Eduardo VII behind for winding paths, water and dense planting beneath a lattice of shade.

A DIFFERENT KIND OF VISIT

Experiences & days out.

Transport, markets, science, sport and family visits that work differently from a conventional monument.

11 guides

Lisbon Oceanarium’s glass and stone building standing beside the water.

Parque das Nações

Aquarium

Lisbon Oceanarium

Oceanário de Lisboa

Sharks and rays glide past the windows of a vast central tank. Lisbon Oceanarium is just as absorbing for adults as it is for children.

A yellow Lisbon tram rounding a tight corner between pale buildings near the cathedral.

Graça, Alfama, Chiado & Estrela

Historic tram route

Tram 28

Elétrico 28E

Ride a yellow tram through the narrow streets and steep hills of old Lisbon. A short journey leaves time to explore the neighbourhoods along the way.

Stalls and diners beneath the high iron roof of Time Out Market in Lisbon.

Food market

Time Out Market

Mercado da Ribeira / Time Out Market Lisboa

Choose lunch from the stalls, find a place at a shared table and stay for a custard tart. Behind the bustle of Time Out Market is one of Lisbon's great nineteenth-century market buildings.

Decorative iron arches and the tall framework of Santa Justa Lift, seen from street level.

Historic lift & landmark

Santa Justa Lift

Elevador de Santa Justa

An iron tower rises between Baixa's buildings, with Gothic arches, intricate metalwork and a bridge high above the street. Santa Justa is worth a closer look from the pavement.

Painted portraits on the façades of the former factory buildings at LX Factory.

Shops & creative quarter

LX Factory

Browse books beneath the old printing machinery at Ler Devagar, look for murals on the factory walls and find somewhere to linger over lunch in Alcântara.

A group of Angolan giraffes standing together in their habitat at Lisbon Zoo.

Zoo & gardens

Lisbon Zoo

Jardim Zoológico de Lisboa

Spend a few hours among giraffes, big cats and leafy paths in Sete Rios. The cable car gives a different view over the zoo, but the best moments often come from standing still and watching.

The pitch and red seating beneath the roof of Benfica’s Estádio da Luz.

São Domingos de Benfica

Football stadium & club museum

Benfica Stadium & Museum

Estádio do Sport Lisboa e Benfica / Museu Benfica Cosme Damião

See the sweep of red seats inside Estádio da Luz, then follow Benfica’s story through trophies, photographs and objects in the museum. The two visits offer different sides of the club.

Cable-car cabins travelling beside the Tagus towards the Vasco da Gama Tower.

Parque das Nações

Riverside cable car

Lisbon Cable Car

Telecabine Lisboa

Glide above the waterfront at Parque das Nações, with the broad Tagus on one side and the park on the other. A one-way ride and a walk back make an enjoyable combination.

Broad entrance court beneath the projecting white wing of Pavilhão do Conhecimento

Parque das Nações

Hands-on science centre

Pavilion of Knowledge

Pavilhão do Conhecimento

Build, balance and test your senses at a science centre where finding out usually starts with having a go.

Visitors browse outdoor stalls beneath trees at Feira da Ladra

Flea market

Feira da Ladra

Old books, mismatched crockery and the occasional find you had no idea you wanted: Feira da Ladra rewards a good rummage.

Aerial view of the green bowl and roof of Estádio José Alvalade

Football stadium & sports museum

Sporting Stadium & Museum

Estádio José Alvalade e Museu Sporting

See Sporting’s home ground from inside, then discover a club whose history extends well beyond the football pitch.

MORE OF LISBON

Build the rest of your day.

Use the Lisbon guide for clear advice on areas, transport and timing, or compare places to stay by area.

Read the Lisbon guide Find somewhere to stay

Photography credits

The arch above the squarePhotograph by NorbertNagel CC BY-SA 4.0
São Jorge CastlePhotograph by Berthold Werner CC BY-SA 4.0
Lisbon OceanariumPhotograph by Jorge Franganillo CC BY 2.0
Jerónimos MonasteryPhotograph by Jakub Hałun CC BY 4.0
Belém TowerPhotograph by Felix König CC BY 3.0
Praça do ComércioPhotograph by Simon Burchell CC BY-SA 4.0
Tram 28Photograph by Paul Arps from The Netherlands CC BY 2.0
Time Out MarketPhotograph by flowcomm CC BY 2.0
Monument to the DiscoveriesPhotograph by Costajosemanuel CC BY-SA 4.0
Santa Justa LiftPhotograph by Pedro J Pacheco CC BY-SA 4.0
Calouste Gulbenkian MuseumPhotograph by Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian CC BY-SA 4.0
LX FactoryPhotograph by TJ DeGroat CC BY 2.0
Carmo ConventPhotograph by Aleksandr Zykov CC BY-SA 2.0
Senhora do Monte ViewpointPhotograph by Francisco Anzola CC BY 2.0
São Pedro de Alcântara ViewpointPhotograph by SchiDD CC BY 3.0
Rua Augusta ArchPhotograph by Daria Virbanescu CC BY-SA 4.0
Lisbon ZooPhotograph by Paulo Meireles Public domain
Lisbon CathedralPhotograph by Hugo Ferreira CC BY-SA 4.0
National Coach MuseumPhotograph by Joseolgon CC BY-SA 4.0
Benfica Stadium & MuseumPhotograph by Florent Dusonchet CC BY 2.0
MAATPhotograph by Dale Cruse CC BY 4.0
São Roque ChurchPhotograph by José Luiz CC BY-SA 3.0
Rossio SquarePhotograph by Berthold Werner CC BY-SA 4.0
Santa Luzia ViewpointPhotograph by Vitor Oliveira CC BY-SA 2.0
Graça ViewpointPhotograph by Mister No CC BY 3.0
Ajuda National PalacePhotograph by Lisboa1143 CC BY-SA 4.0
Quake: Lisbon Earthquake MuseumPhotograph by Vitor Oliveira CC BY-SA 4.0
National PantheonPhotograph by Reis Quarteu CC BY-SA 4.0
Lisbon Cable CarPhotograph by Felipe Tofani CC BY-SA 2.0
Maritime MuseumPhotograph by Vitor Oliveira CC BY-SA 2.0
São Vicente de Fora MonasteryPhotograph by Jakub Hałun CC BY 4.0
Pavilion of KnowledgePhotograph by Joseolgon CC BY-SA 4.0
Parque Eduardo VIIPhotograph by Alexkom000 CC BY 4.0
St Anthony’s ChurchPhotograph by Miguel Ángel García. CC BY 2.0
São Domingos ChurchPhotograph by Uhooep CC BY-SA 4.0
MAC/CCBPhotograph by xiquinhosilva CC BY 2.0
Estufa FriaPhotograph by 0000ff CC BY-SA 4.0
Feira da LadraPhotograph by Carlos Luis M C da Cruz Public domain
Basílica da EstrelaPhotograph by Sonse CC BY 2.0
Royal Treasure MuseumPhotograph by Jules Verne Times Two CC BY-SA 4.0
Sporting Stadium & MuseumPhotograph by Wilnel José Verdú Guerrero CC BY-SA 4.0
Fado MuseumPhotograph by 69joehawkins CC BY-SA 3.0
Fronteira PalacePhotograph by GualdimG CC BY-SA 4.0
Lisboa Story CentrePhotograph by Elliott Bledsoe CC BY 2.0
Gulbenkian Modern Art CentrePhotograph by GualdimG CC BY-SA 4.0
Aljube MuseumPhotograph by Ardfern CC BY-SA 4.0
Águas Livres AqueductPhotograph by Juntas CC BY-SA 3.0
MUDE - Design MuseumPhotograph by DiogoBaptista CC0
Museum of the OrientPhotograph by Manuel Correia Public domain

Image resized for display; full source and licence linked.