5H Walking Tour “Lisbon+Street Art”

Graça is characterized by its historic architecture, with old buildings and typical Portuguese tiles. The narrow, winding streets add a unique charm to the neighborhood, creating a warm and picturesque atmosphere. Tram 28 crosses Rua da Graça in both directions, offering the opportunity for exceptional photographs.

Graça neighborhood has always attracted street artists, but the year 2021 witnessed the explosion of this type of urban art.

American artist Shepard Fairey (Charleston, 1970) and Portuguese Vhils (Lisbon, 1987) are both world-renowned artists. A mural decorated by any of them would always be interesting, but what makes this work in Graça brilliant is the perfect combination of two such different styles. A case where the whole is greater than the sum of the parts.

In Santa Clara there we have two of the iconic buildings of Lisbon, the Pantheon, and the St.Vincent monastery. On Thursdays and Saturdays, the flea market is the grand finale, but on all other days, there is no shortage of attractions in Campo Santa Clara.

Saint Vincent monastery is my top one recommendation in Lisbon. It offers a lot of interesting reasons to visit, such as the cloisters, the large collection of Baroque tiles, the Braganza family pantheon, the cardinals’ pantheon, the fables of La Fontaine presented in 18th century tiles and, the icing on the cake , the roof of the church that can be walked along the entire length and constitutes the best viewpoint of the old city.

Santa Luzia viewpoint is the most Instagramable spot of Lisbon. Built on the old wall, offers a privileged view over Alfama, the oldest neighborhood of Lisbon, over the Tagus and the south bank.

The view from this viewpoint is exactly the same as the one you get from the nearby Portas do Sol viewpoint, but the place itself is much more pleasant, with the setting given by the bougainvillea and the live music.

No one can say they know the capital of Portugal without getting lost in Alfama, where Lisbon was born.

During the first millennium BC. the great civilizations of the Mediterranean (Greeks, Phoenicians, Carthaginians) established permanent occupation in Alfama (which was not yet called that) as a support base for their navigations between the Mediterranean and northern Europe and vice versa.

In century VIII, long after the departure of the Romans, the Moors (Islamic populations of North Africa) dominated the city but were not happy to live in a Roman city and built a madina (city of North Africa) in the image of the cities of Casablanca, Marrakech or Tanger in Morocco.

During the 2nd Crusade (1147), knights from almost all of Europe, including French, German, Dutch, Italian, English and Scots carried out a siege that resulted in the fall of Lisbon to Christendom.

The area between churches of Saint Michael (with two towers) and Saint Stephan (with one tower) is the most picturesque in Alfama. The visitor who decides to join this tour in Alfama, in a safe and fun activity, will find an opportunity to take a picture in every alley and wherever they turn.

Baixa, the city of Pombal, is the flat area of Lisbon that starts at Squares of Rossio and Figueira to the north and extends south to Square of Commerce where the city opens onto Tagus river.

On November 1, 1755, the city of Lisbon was hit by a major earthquake, followed by a tsunami and a fire that lasted several days. No neighborhood in Lisbon was hit as hard as Baixa. Simultaneously with the tragedy, the historic opportunity also arose to build a modern city in the center of Lisbon.

The general plan for Baixa was drawn up in just 5 months. The royal palace of Ribeira was removed from Palace Courtyard, which was renamed Square of Commerce. The main street of Baixa became Rua Augusta, which starts at Rossio and ends at Arco Triunfal of Square of Commerce.

19th century saw many of the current buildings being built in the Pombaline style, following the model of the Baixa buildings. The emergence of Chiado as Lisbon’s sophisticated and elegant neighborhood dates from this century.

Chiado was the epicenter of Portugal in the roaring 1920s. In this area of the city, clubs, restaurants and gambling halls multiplied. Seeing and being seen as a criterion of social relevance made Lisbon society roam itself in Chiado.

In the 50 meters restricted to cars at the top of Garrett St there are several establishments that, a century ago, already had the same name and the same decoration that you can see today. Start by going to “Paris in Lisbon” to do your shopping. Then cross Garrett St for a coffee at Pastry shop “Benard”. Further up you will find another pastry shop, “Brasileira”, which was frequented by the poet Fernando Pessoa, who is immortalized in the bronze statue. Between the two pastry shops is the Hotel Borges, the oldest in Lisbon.

With a little imagination you can even travel back in time. Sit down on one of the terraces and imagine listening to the jazz-band playing Charleston as if you were in the roaring 20s.