Alfama
The Alfama is the oldest neighborhood of Lisbon, spreading on the slope between the São Jorge Castle and the Tagus river.
The Alfama is the oldest neighborhood of Lisbon, spreading on the slope between the São Jorge Castle and the Tagus river. The district includes the freguesias (parishes) of São Miguel, Santo Estêvão, São Vicente de Fora and part of the two streets, "Freguesia da Sé: Rua do Barão" and "Rua São João da Praça". It contains many important historical attractions, as well as an abundance of Fado bars and restaurants.
Adapted from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Worth seeing in and around Alfama
10 places within 25 km that the world writes about, in the order of how widely: the ones a visitor has heard of first, then the ones only a local would name.
- 01Praça do Comércio
The Praça do Comércio, more commonly known in Portuguese as Terreiro do Paço, is a large, harbour-facing plaza in Portugal's capital, Lisbon, and is one of the largest in Portugal, with an area of 175 by 175 m, that is, 30,600 m2. Facing the Tagus river to the south, the square hosted Ribeira Palace, the King of Portugal's residence, until the latter was destroyed by the great 1755 Lisbon earthquake.
800 m · square in Lisbon, Portugal · Wikipedia - 02Lisbon Cathedral
The Cathedral of Saint Mary Major, often called Lisbon Cathedral or simply the Sé, is a Roman Catholic cathedral located in Lisbon, Portugal. It is the oldest church in the city, built in 1147.
400 m · Roman Catholic Cathedral located in Lisbon, Portugal · Wikipedia - 03Castle of Saint George
São Jorge Castle, sometimes known in English as Saint George's Castle, is a historic castle in the Portuguese capital of Lisbon, located in the freguesia of Santa Maria Maior. Human occupation of the castle hill dates to at least the 8th century BC while the oldest fortifications on the site date from the 2nd century BC. The hill on which Saint George's Castle stands has played an important part in the history of Lisbon, having served as the location of fortifications occupied successively by Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Romans, and Moors, before its conquest by the Portuguese in the 1147 Siege of Lisbon.
300 m · Moorish castle in Lisbon, Portugal · Wikipedia - 04National Museum of Ancient Art
The Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga, also known in English as the National Museum of Ancient Art, is a Portuguese national art museum located in Lisbon. With over 40,000 items spanning a vast collection of painting, sculpture, goldware, furniture, textiles, ceramics, and prints, MNAA is one of the most visited museums in Portugal.
2.8 km · museum in Lisboa, Portugal · Wikipedia - 05Calouste Gulbenkian Museum
Lisbon's Calouste Gulbenkian Museum houses one of the world's most important private art collections. It includes works from Ancient Egypt to the early 20th century, spanning the arts of the Islamic World, China and Japan, as well as French decorative arts.
3.4 km · art museum in Lisbon, Portugal · Wikipedia - 06Santa Justa Lift
The Santa Justa Lift, also called Carmo Lift, is an elevator, or lift, in the civil parish of Santa Maria Maior, in the historic center of Lisbon, Portugal. Situated at the end of Rua de Santa Justa, it connects the lower streets of the Baixa with the higher Largo do Carmo.
800 m · cultural heritage monument in Lisboa, Portugal · Wikipedia - 07Church of Santa Engrácia
The Church of Santa Engrácia is a 17th-century monument in Lisbon, Portugal. Originally a church, it was converted into the National Pantheon, in which important Portuguese personalities are buried.
500 m · church in Lisbon · Wikipedia - 08NOVA University Lisbon
NOVA University of Lisbon, or just NOVA, is a Portuguese public university whose rectorate is located in Campolide, Lisbon. Founded in 1973, it is the newest of the public universities in the Portuguese capital city, earning its name as the "New" University of Lisbon.
3.5 km · university in Portugal · Wikipedia - 09São Bento Palace
The São Bento Palace is the seat of the Assembly of the Republic, the parliament of Portugal. It is located in the Estrela district of Lisbon.
2 km · building in Lisbon, Lisbon District, Portugal · Wikipedia - 10Teatro Nacional de São Carlos
The Teatro Nacional de São Carlos is an opera house in Lisbon, Portugal. It was opened on June 30, 1793 by Queen Maria I as a replacement for the Tejo Opera House, which was destroyed in the 1755 Lisbon earthquake.
1.1 km · opera house in Lisbon, Portugal · Wikipedia
Ranked by the number of language editions of Wikipedia with an article on each, from Wikidata; the sentences are the openings of those articles, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Things to do
- 01Coliseu dos Recreios
Rua das Portas de Santo Antão 96 (Restauradores Azul Rossio Verde ), bilheteira@coliseulisboa.com.
From Wikivoyage: Alfama, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.
Where to eat
All these are around the Castelo de S. Jorge:
- 01Restaurante Santa Rita
Rua de São Mamede 24c, teresajesus@santaritarestaurante.com.
- 02Velha Gaiteira
R.
- 03O Trigueirinho
Largo dos Trigueiros 17.
- 04Café Parreirinha
R.
- 05As Bifanas do Afonso
Portugal, R.
From Wikivoyage: Alfama, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.
Getting to Alfama
- Airports
- Lisbon Humberto Delgado (LIS), 8 km · Faro - Gago Coutinho (FAO), 214 km · Francisco de Sá Carneiro (OPO), 285 km
- Stations
- Rossio railway station, 1.1 km · Santa Apolónia Station, 700 m · Cais do Sodré railway station, 1.4 km · Alameda station, 2.7 km · Baixa-Chiado station, 900 m
- Faro → Alfama216 km · quickest by road, 3h 53m · €28–39
- Porto → Alfama275 km · quickest by air, 4h 14m · €90–140
- Seville → Alfama311 km · quickest by road, 6h 17m · €46–65
- Plan a tripFrom anywhereThe planner compares every way there from wherever you are.
Road and air are today’s quick answer; timetabled trains, buses and ferries load on the results page from the operators’ feeds.
No local-transport research exists yet for Alfama
Our researched notes are written from a sourced entry: every shared taxi, boat and village bus with its operator, its rule, its fare and the year we saw it, and what could not be confirmed. Nobody has done that work for Alfama. What is above is what we hold from open sources; nothing here pretends to be more.
- Get inThat said, regular shuttle ferry traffic is limited to joining the banks of the Tagus river, i.e.
- Get inthere are no ferries to Lisbon other than the small ones from neighbouring municipalities.
- Get aroundIt consists of a bus and tram network operated by Carris, the separately-run Lisbon Metro underground rail, as well as commuter trains and ferries which connect Lisbon to its neighbouring suburbs.
- Get aroundMost public transport in Lisbon uses an integrated ticketing system, allowing the same smartcard to be used across metro, buses, trams, suburban trains and many ferries.
- Get aroundIt's valid on the metro, trams (electricos), urban trains, most buses and ferries.
From Wikivoyage: Lisbon, CC BY-SA. Not yet checked by us; that article was last edited 2026-09.
- 01522 km
- 02966 km
- 031,429 km
- 041,466 km
- 051,602 km
If you know how people move in Alfama – the stand, the rule, the fare – tell us, and the note gets an entry.
Next door to Alfama
Alfama is 2 km from Lisbon, the nearest large city, whose note carries the wider picture.
- Lisbonmunicipality and capital city of Portugal900 m
- Lisbon Baixaneighborhood of Lisbon, Portugal700 m
- Bairro Altoneighborhood in Lisbon, Portugal1.3 km
- Alcântaracivil parish in Lisboa3.9 km
- Alvaladecivil parish in Lisboa3.9 km
- Penha de Françacivil parish in Lisboa2 km