visit Lisbon

Alfama is the oldest district of Lisbon, spreading on the slope between the St George Castle and the Tagus river.

The Lisbon earthquake in 1975 did not destroy the Alfama district, which has remained a picturesque labyrinth of narrow streets and small squares. Lately the neighbourhood has been invigorated with the renovation of the old houses and new restaurants where Fado can be enjoyed.

Visiting Alfama is to visit the architecture, the sounds and the smells of old Lisbon.

If you are looking for apartments in Alfama, Lisbon, see the accommodations we recommend:

Apartment in Lisbon 30 - Santa Clara/Alfama
This wonderful design apartment in Alfama is on the first floor of a building on Campo de Santa Clara, the place where the most famous flea market of Lisbon (Feira da Ladra - thieves' market) is held, every Tuesday and Saturday.

Apartment in Lisbon 37 - Alfama
Apartment 37 is wonderful flat located on the 3rd floor of a building from the 18th century, at Alfama one of the oldest parts of Lisbon.

Apartment in Lisbon 39 - Alfama
Apartment 39 in Alfama is a studio located on the ground floor of an ancient building. In the way it is renovated you can still see the structure of the old building's construction (an amazing stone arch). This apartment in Alfama is a short walking distance from the other picturesque neighbourhoods of Baixa and Castle.

Apartment in Lisbon 48 - Alfama
Apartment 48 is a charming, sunny apartment for your holidays in the beautiful old Alfama district of Lisbon. In this one bedroom apartment, though small, sleeps three people. It was recently renovated with old Portuguese style.

Apartment in Lisbon 49 - Graça/Alfama
This stylish high standard apartment is on the first floor of a building in Graça neighbourhood. Nearby you have various forms of traditional commerce, and it is walking distance from the majority of the most popular sightseeing destinations in Lisbon.

The Guardian Newspaper selected the Portuguese Custard Tarts (Pasteis de Belém) as the 15th best thing to eat in the world.

From cake, steak and tapas, to oysters, chicken and burgers, Killian Fox roamed the world to find the 50 best things to eat and the best places to eat them in, with a little help from professionals like Raymond Blanc, Michel Roux, Ruth Rogers and Rose Gray.

Here is what they wrote about Pasteis de Belém:

15. Best place to eat: Custard tart
Antiga Confeitaria de Belem, Lisbon
Creamy, flaky custard tarts - served warm with cinnamon - are one of Portugal's great culinary gifts to the world. The original pasteis café in the Belém district of Lisbon, next to the monastery where the dessert was invented, is still the best: their secret recipe has been guarded since 1837. Sit down with a plateful, and a strong coffee, and you'll understand why more than 10,000 tarts are baked here every day.

Visit the Belém district of Lisbon and go to Antiga Confeitaria de Belém. The crowds may be overwhelming, but the super-heated ovens at this 171-year-old bakery on the western edge of Lisbon make arguably the city's flakiest custard tarts. Buy some extra and enjoy the powdered-sugar-and-cinnamon-dusted confections like a local.

If you want an accommodation in Lisbon, we have suggestions for you. Search for your apartment in Belém area.

The Bairro Alto is one of the most characterful and attractive neighbourhoods in Lisbon. It's a place where people meet in an eclectic and multicultural atmosphere.

Small restaurants, Fado houses, bars, pubs and Cafés as well as some unusual, expensive shops are all around the streets, lanes and alleys. It is interesting that Bairro Alto presents a fundamentally different face during the day than from night time. Throughout the day the busy hustle and bustle of the inhabitants, who mostly know one another, predominates.

At night, everything is different. Restaurants, Bars and some eccentric and trendy shops, that stay open until late at night, are full of tourists and people of all ages. With its narrow, up and down streets, Bairro Alto is a place that never sleeps, promising an enjoyable night to its visitors.

The main streets of Bairro Alto are Rua da Rosa where most of Restaurants, Bars and clubs are located and Rua do Norte where you can find the alternative fashion shops.
At times, the Bairro Alto area was strongly influenced by the newspaper industry with many small printing works and editorial offices setting up business here. The roads Rua do Diário de Noticias and Rua do Século still bear witness to the offices of two of the larger daily newspapers which were once produced here.

Walking up the vantage point is Principe Real, where along with some second-hand bookstores and antique shops can be found. In some ways, this place is an extension of Bairro Alto and a friendly place in which there are plenty of bars and clubs.

If you want to visit Lisbon and choose to stay in a self-catering apartment in Bairro Alto, we have suggestions for you. Search for apartments in Bairro Alto or any other Lisbon historical neighbourhood.

Opened in 1998, the Lisbon Oceanarium (Oceanário de Lisboa) was the centrepiece of the Expo 98, the last World Fair, themed "The Oceans, a Heritage for the Future". It is located in Lisbon's newest and most modern quarter of Parque das Nações and it is one of the Lisbon sights that kids love best.

The Oceanário de Lisboa, or Lisbon Oceanarium, is the second-largest aquarium of its kind in the world, and the largest in Europe. The biggest draw of the aquarium is the massive, central tank inside that is home to many ocean species such as sharks, tuna and large groupers. Approximately 100 species from all corners of the Ocean peacefully share this gigantic aquarium.

The four towers around the central tank of the building house four different habitats with their native flora and fauna: the North Atlantic rocky coast, the Antarctic coastal line, the Temperate Pacific kelp forests, and the Tropical Indian coral reefs.

Transportation to the Oceanario can be had by Lisbon's convenient metro. Take the metro to Oriente - Parque das Nações, which is the red line, and walk through the Vasco da Gama shopping mall.

Lisbon Oceanarium (Oceanário de Lisboa) is one of the most selected Lisbon attractions in contemporary Parque das Nações.