Alfama: The Kaleidoscopic District - Private Walking Tour
- 3 hours
- Free cancellation up to 24h before
- 3 languages
- Instant confirmation
Highlights
Alfama is where it all started, the oldest and most picturesque district of Lisbon. The core of the old town was built and enlarged, then shaken and destroyed, reborn and rebuilt again, only to start all over again, for more than two thousand years. That’s why we propose an unusual tour, with a good deal of improvisation and a handful of dazzling discoveries. All-time favorites include a restaurant framed by Roman walls, public restrooms six feet below -with a residential building inside-, a majestic royal palace converted into a dark prison, or a collection of decorative tiles that no one knows (not even thieves) whether they are cheap replicas or precious originals. By the way, does anyone still live in what increasingly resembles an amusement park for tourists?
Inclusions
What's included
- Local guide
- Professional local photographer guide
- Private walking tour
What's not
- Food and drinks
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
- Use of bicycle
- Alcoholic Beverages
Itinerary
Ore first stop offers an open view over Alfama whimsical skyline, the majestic Straw River and its South Bank
First and only Romanesque monument remaining in town, the Lisbon Cathedral is half a church, half a fortress. Some say it's almost a new medieval cathedral, as it was radically rebuilt in the 30's of the 20th century.
An awesome medieval fake window, opened in south wall of the Cathedral's Cloister and, on the other side of the road, a XIXth century smithy with a facade covered with rare ceramic tiles
A place of miracles and public hangings. One of the best fado houses and also a wonderful baroque small church are just around the corner
That's where you finally found out what "Alfama" means, in the midst of a dazzling urban puzzle, including a fado restaurant with an archaeological museum inside
One of the rare surviving manor houses of the Age of Maritime Exploration, now also hosting Foundation José Saramago. Astonishing archeological findings in the ground floor.
The old Onion Market now converted into a garden and all the refurbished shops around it. At this very moment, it's certainly one of the most lively places in town.
One of the 12 doors that where daily opened in Medieval Lisbon, framed by two noble houses, one waiting to be refurbished, the other a five stars hotel with its own archeological treasures
Cancellation
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the experience starts, for a full refund.
Reviews
4.9
- 511
- 41
- 30
- 20
- 10
Ratings come from 12 reviews collected by our booking partner. They are travellers' own words, in the order they were written — never reordered to flatter the experience.
Know before you go
- Meeting point
- I'll wait for you next St. Vincent statue
- Pickup
- Everyone meets at the starting point; there is no pickup.
- Ticket type
- Mobile or paper ticket accepted
- Operated by
- Lisbon Art & Soul
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
How it compares in Lisbon
- Its from-price is 84% below the median of the 629 city tours we list in Lisbon.
- It is shorter than most of them.
- By number of reviews it ranks 189 of 629.
- The operator lists free cancellation on it.
About Lisbon
Lisbon spills down its hills to the Tagus estuary, a city of tiled façades, rattling yellow trams, viewpoint terraces and late, unhurried dinners.
The old quarters hold most of the charm. Alfama's tangle of lanes climbs to São Jorge Castle and echoes with fado in the evening, the Baixa's orderly grid runs down to the vast Praça do Comércio on the river, and Bairro Alto and Chiado mix bookshops and cafés by day with bars by night. Viewpoints such as Santa Luzia and Senhora do Monte frame red rooftops and shining water.
Top-ranked sights in Lisbon: Commerce Square (Praça do Comércio), Pena National Palace (Palacio Nacional da Pena), Alfama.
Special offers in Lisbon
Was/now prices come from the operator, never from us.
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