Alfama Free Tour

Travel through Phoenician, Roman and Arabic heritage, and understand Lisbon’s identity and culture and discover our white, narrow Old Town.

}  Time: 10:30 & 15:30
  Duration: 2 hours 30 min
  Price: Free

Forget about Tram 28: we are venturing inside Old Lisbon, a labyrinth of streets and squares, where Google Maps don’t help and fado is heard at every corner. Together we will discover the essence of Lisbon and its most ancient roots.

We will begin our tour from Casa dos Bicos, the House of Spikes, and discover the secret behind the diamond-shaped façade. That is now José Saramago‘s Foundation, Portugal’s only Nobel Prize of Literature winner and one that paid a very singular homage to our city.

Following the narrow streets along the river we will arrive at Largo do Chafariz de Dentro. This square was once the most important in the city and had this name because the fountain was built inside the Fernandina wall. With the Fado Museum in front of you, several streets lead up the hill from this square and this is where we will enter the heart of Alfama.

Alfama is the oldest district of Portugal, where everything began. It is a real life tile museum, where you will eat the best sardines in Lisbon and where you will listen to real fado. The steep stairs, the rusted balconies, the secular Lisbon tiles… This is true Lisbon, as real as it gets.

After a moderate climb, we will visit one of Lisbon’s most incredible viewpoints at Portas do Sol. Above us, Tram 28 slowly climbs the hills towards the São Vicente de Fora church. Below us, we can see the Tagus River in all its extension, its blue waters reflecting the warm sun. Nothing beats the beautiful light of Lisbon in the Santa Luzia viewpoint. Breathtaking.

Our Alfama Free Tour will end our tour near the Lisbon Cathedral, where we will share many stories about St. Anthony and the city’s many traditions, festivities, and spirit.

N  Wander through the narrow, white, fado-filled streets of Alfama
N  Discover Lisbon’s essence, combining multiple cultures and times
N  Imagine yourself in one of the many traditional local festivities
N  Be amazed by the views from the best viewpoints in the city
N  Stop for a while, while you wonder how they managed to fit Tram 28 here

  Sé (Cathedral)
  City wall
  Saints, festivities, and traditions

  Meeting Point: Casa dos Bicos