Here is a suggestion of a stroll to discover Bairro Alto and Estela hills in Lisbon.

On the programme: some spectacular views, impressive churches, beautiful gardens, bars and even some cemetaries if Death doesn’t scare you.


Let’s start by one of the most beautiful lookout of the city. A big market square full of trees with a solemn statue and a pleasant stand: Miradouro de São Pedro de Alcântara.

From the promenade, the Void and in the foreground, the flat and orderly centre of Baixa punctuated by large squares. In the background, the Castle Hill and Graça hill. Lisbon is a majestuous town and this is one of the places that confirms it.

We could start the stroll at Saint-Roch Church below, a baroque illustration of Portugal’s wealth, which was an empire at the time. Gold flows in an amazing show, grand and almost bizarre.

Or we could start some 300 metres below in the ruins of the Church of the Carmelites. The earthquake in 1755 and the hands off approach of a God who left his house fall on its faithful on All Saints’ Day. A crepuscular and quirky place.

Bairro Alto is made of lanes in a grid pattern, known for being lively at weekends. Many bars and restaurants, many tourists and dealers. Although some nice places to go out remain, the whole progressively loses its charm with the growth of tourism.

But let’s start again towards Principe Real Gardens. Along Pom Pedro V street, trendy bars and restaurants and especially jaracondas from South America, in bloom in May covering the sky and the pavements with purple flowers.

Principe Real is the heart of this posh district with many luxurious boutiques.

It is above all a beautiful garden full of trees which can be sometimes exceptionally big. You will also find here several stands with welcoming terraces. Benches, lawns, a market on Saturday mornings and a magnetic easy-going way of life.

We are 2 steps from the University Botanical Garden. One of the many in town. Don’t miss on a romantic and educational wander in its shady alleys. Many species of palm trees, bamboos, bougainvillea , yucca, monkey puzzles… The outdated but charming Natural History Museum can complete the visit.

If you like religious architecture and azuléjos, don’t miss visiting the Cardaes Convent. An educational guided tour of an exceptional place strangely hardly visited.

Going down, Netter Park looks like a village square with many bars, cafes and restaurants more or less original such as a craft beer bar, a Persian restaurant or a Danish cafe, amongst others. One of the best cocktail bars is 2 minutes’ away.

Foxtrot is a charming and low key place where you can drink some of the best cocktails in Lisbon. The mixes are made with talent to your taste and the mixologist’ suggestions. It is divine and pool tables enthusiasts will even find some tables in a retro style. Watch out: it only opens at 6 pm.

The next step is the inhabitants of Lisbon’s favourite garden. Estrela Garden is near the Cathedral bearing the same name. The famous tramway 28 goes through there. Here we are in another posh district of the Portuguese capital. The garden is rather big, well-kept and lively. Budding botanists will find many trees species, cacti and flowers. A cafe surrounded by water and kids playgrounds.

Opposite, the English cemetery has been for centuries the last resting place for non-Catholics and strangers who had the not so silly idea to die in Lisbon. Romantic and lush.

If you are into cemeteries, the one called “ of pleasures” “dos prazeres” is the equivalent of the Parisian Pere Lachaise. The tramway 28 will take you there. The former Royal hunting ground became a massive necropolis dominated by the smell of slender cypresses and where rectangular mausoleums of dignitaries rival in elegance with each other.

The last leg will delight cacti lovers. This may be the first botanical garden partly dedicated to them. Necessidades Park borders the Royal Palace, which became the Foreign Affairs Ministry. A magical and surprising place and hardly even known by the inhabitants of the city where cacti and yuccas impress with their plethora and size. Simply fantastic.

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Be curious and enjoy the stroll!



More about Lisbon in french :


// Lisbon travelguide : [ Ссылка ]
// Map of Lisbon : [ Ссылка ]
// Itineraries for a weekend : [ Ссылка ]
// Places to stay : [ Ссылка ]


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