Lisbon old town small group walking tour

Experience Lisbon's old town and see its historic sights on this small-group walking tour. Visit the Moorish quarter of Alfama (the oldest neighborhood in Lisbon) and the multicultural district of Mouraria. Walk by the colorful flea market, St George Castle (Castelo de São Jorge), the citadel of Santa Cruz and Portugal's National Pantheon. Plus, jump on a vintage tram, and admire the picturesque city from a spectacular lookout point unknown to many locals!

Your small-group walking tour of Lisbon’s old town starts as you go back in time more than 1,000 years in the Moorish quarter of Alfama, Lisbon’s oldest neighborhood. Like other Arab towns, Alfama was laid out in a maze of narrow, twisting streets and blind alleys with roofs that nearly touch each other to afford protection from the hot sun. Then visit multicultural Mouraria, one of Lisbon’s oldest and most traditional neighborhoods, where you’ll learn about the civilizations that occupied Portugal over the years, from prehistoric settlers to Romans to Moors.

As you walk through the picturesque Martim Moniz Square, discover the tale of Martim Moniz, a knight that became the hero of the Portuguese siege of Lisbon when he participated in the Christian invasion. Then head to Our Lady of the Hill (Miradouro de Nossa Senhora do Monte) viewpoint, where you’ll be one of the privileged few to see the beauty of Lisbon from this 328-foot-high (100 meters) lookout. This viewpoint is somewhat forgotten, and many Lisboners don’t even know it exists! Enter the Chapel of Our Lady to see the story of St Gen’s Chair, a Roman marble chair.

Next, admire the magnificence of Portugal’s Baroque years as you walk pass the National Pantheon and the beautiful St Vincent Church. Visit St George Castle (Castelo de São Jorge) and the citadel of Santa Cruz and imagine being there in 1147, when the Portuguese and their allies took the city from the Moors.

Visit the ruins of the Roman Theatre, still being excavated, and visit the Roman Theatre Museum, housed in a 17th-century building. Wander around Feira da Ladra, Lisbon’s flea market, before ending your tour in Campo das Cebolas. Here you can see the House of the Spikes (Casa dos Bicos), a 16th-century palace designed by Manueline architect Francisco de Arruda and one of only three buildings of its kind in Europe.