Mid-range · 12-hour walk · Lisbon
Lisbon in a day: Belém to the castle
The monastery and the tower at Belém, the tram back along the river, lunch at the market, then the Baixa, the Alfama climb and the castle, with fado to close.
A day in Lisbon starts at the western end and works back. Belém is where the tour coaches go, so be at the monastery when it opens and at the tower before eleven. The 15E tram brings you back along the river to lunch, and the afternoon climbs from the Baixa through the Alfama to the castle for the last of the light. The hills are steep and the pavements are polished limestone: wear shoes with grip.
The route, stop by stop
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Pastéis de Belém
Breakfast. The original custard tarts, made to the same recipe since 1837; the takeaway queue at the counter moves faster than the tables inside.
20 min here Walk here → -
Jerónimos Monastery
Begun in 1501 on the proceeds of the spice trade, with Vasco da Gama buried in the church. The church is free; the two-storey Manueline cloister is the ticket, and the reason to be early.
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Padrão dos Descobrimentos
Across the gardens and under the road to the river: a concrete caravel prow of 1960 with Henry the Navigator at its head. The compass rose and world map set into the pavement in front are the thing to look at.
20 min here Walk here → -
Belém Tower
A 16th-century fortress that once stood in the river and now stands at its edge. The queue for the narrow interior stair is long by late morning; the outside, with a rhinoceros carved under one turret, is most of the point.
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Time Out Market
Arrive by tram from the previous stop
Back along the river on the 15E to Cais do Sodré for lunch in the old Ribeira market hall. Choose from the counters of the city's better restaurants and fight for a seat at the long tables.
60 min here Walk here → -
Rua Augusta Arch
East along the river to the square the 1755 earthquake cleared, and the arch on its landward side. A lift inside goes up to the top for the view down over the square and the Tagus.
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Sé de Lisboa
Up the hill beside the tram tracks. The city's cathedral since the 12th century, built like a fortress because it had to be.
20 min here Walk here → -
Miradouro de Santa Luzia
A tiled terrace over the Alfama roofs and the river, with bougainvillea, a busker and the best view in the city that is not from a paid tower.
20 min here Walk here → -
Castelo de São Jorge
The Moorish castle at the top of the city, rebuilt in the 1940s rather more thoroughly than it was ever built. Walk the ramparts in the last hour of light, when the Baixa grid and the bridge turn gold below.
75 min here Walk here → -
Fado in Lisbon
Dinner with fado in the old quarters, where the rooms are small and the singing is unamplified. Book ahead, expect a minimum spend and stay quiet while they sing — the room will make sure you do.
More in Lisbon
Every walking route in Lisbon, or the full Lisbon guide for where to stay and what a day costs.