Blog

Alfama, Portugal

Alfama is Lisbon’s oldest extant neighbourhood, its street plan shaped in the centuries of Muslim rule that followed the 8th-century conquest of Portugal and neighbouring Spain. Under the Umayyads of Córdoba, Lisbon grew into a walled port city with a fortified citadel on the hill above. “Alfama” – from the Arabic al-Hamma, “public baths” – constituted the whole of the city in this period. Alfama is a warren of streets and alleyways on a hilltop facing the Tagus River, its labyrinthine layout a legacy of Islamic settlement. Parts of the city’s Moorish walls, the Cerca Moura, still stand today. Moorish rulers also strengthened the hilltop citadel that later became Castelo de São Jorge (St George Castle).

Christians would retake the city in 1147 as part of the Second Crusade. However, unlike most of Lisbon, the area keeps much of its medieval street plan, having largely survived the great earthquake that destroyed most of Lisbon in 1755. On Odyssey Traveller’s Discover Portugal small group tour, we stroll Alfama’s cobbled streets on Day 2 and look out over the city from the Santa Luzia and Portas do Sol viewpoints.

Small Group Tour

Discover Portugal

18-Day Tour · Lisbon to Porto · Small group, up to 16 travellers, solo travellers welcome

Our tour begins with four days in Lisbon. On Day 2 we stroll the cobbled streets of Alfama, take in the views from the Santa Luzia and Portas do Sol viewpoints and end the day in the area of São Jorge Castle; on Day 4 we gather for dinner and a Fado performance at a local restaurant. Small groups of up to 16, and solo travellers are welcome.

View the Tour

Alfama’s rooftops with the Monastery of São Vicente de Fora, Lisbon

A view of colourful Alfama in Lisbon, Portugal.

Overlooking Alfama and the rest of Lisbon is the hilltop Castelo de São Jorge, a royal residence until the early 1500s, when Manuel I moved to a bigger, more magnificent riverside palace (Paço da Ribeira) that mirrored Lisbon’s staggering new wealth in the Age of Discovery. São Jorge offers a great view of the city, but Alfama itself has other terraces (miradouros) which serve as lookout points, such as the Miradouro de Santa Luzia, which is near a church of the same name. Also nearby is the Museum of Decorative Arts (Museu de Artes Decorativas Portuguesas), housed within a 17th-century mansion.

For a closer look, a walking tour of Alfama is the best way to explore this medieval district. There are free walking tours you can join, taking you through Alfama’s steep, cobblestoned streets. You can wander the narrow lanes of houses and grocery stores, and even buy fish direct from doorways.

Cobbled square with a wooden pergola in Alfama, Lisbon

Alfama was once the home of Lisbon’s upper class, but after the 1755 earthquake damaged many of their majestic homes, the area became more working class. These historical changes are reflected in the maze-like, hodgepodge structure of the district. There are also many churches in the area, including the 12th-century Lisbon Cathedral and the Monastery of São Vicente de Fora, founded in the 12th century and rebuilt from the late 16th century.

The Feira da Ladra is a flea market on the edge of Alfama, operating in this location since the late 1800s. You can get various trinkets and items here, such as handmade jewellery or authentic Portuguese tiles.

Finish your explorations at one of the many lovely cafes and restaurants serving traditional Portuguese cuisine and international dishes. Enjoy your meal while listening to fado (“fate”) music. This expressive, melancholy form of Portuguese music originated in the 1820s in Lisbon and is often played in pubs and restaurants. In 2011, it was added to UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Alfama is home to the Museu do Fado (Fado Museum), on Largo do Chafariz de Dentro. Amália Rodrigues, born in Lisbon in 1920, is considered one of the greatest fado singers. Her home on Rua de São Bento, west of the city centre, is now a museum, the Casa-Museu Amália Rodrigues.

On your trip to Lisbon, you can also follow the tram tracks on one of its antique yellow 1930s trams. The number 28 tram goes through Alfama.

Yellow Bica funicular on a steep street in Lisbon

You can also take the tram from Figueira Square in the city centre to Belém (number 15E, though check current routes) and get off at the Jerónimos Monastery. You can then continue your walk and sample Portugal’s famous dessert, pastel de nata.

Seeing Alfama on our Discover Portugal tour

Our Discover Portugal tour begins with four days in Lisbon. On Day 2, after the monuments of Belém, we stroll through Alfama’s cobbled streets and take in the views over the rooftops and the Tagus from the Santa Luzia and Portas do Sol viewpoints. The day ends in the area of São Jorge Castle, where we view the Moorish castle from outside; there is no visit inside, so our São Jorge Castle guide covers going in on your own. Day 4 is a free day, and in the evening we gather for dinner and a Fado performance at a local restaurant. For the rest of the country, see our Portugal travel guide.