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Lisbon in a Day Tour with Bairro Alto and a View of São Jorge Castle

Your comprehensive exploration of Lisbon’s quintessential sites and neighborhoods
From US$680 privately
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Tour Details
Duration
7 hours
Product Type
Tour
Venues
  • Alfama Neighborhood
  • Bairro Alto Neighborhood
  • Baixa Neighborhood
  • Church of São Roque
  • Lisbon Cathedral (Sé de Lisboa)
  • Miradouro das Portas do Sol
  • São Jorge Castle
  • Rossio Square
Photos & Highlights
  • A comprehensive view into the history and culture of Lisbon for first-time or returning visitors
  • Led by an expert local guide or scholar
Tour Description
Our seven-hour Lisbon in a Day tour will offer the perfect overview of the many layers of this charming city — from medieval ramparts to modern architecture, and of course, picturesque views. We'll spend our time exploring some of the best neighborhoods and quintessential venues while learning about the city’s unique history and cultural identity with a local expert.

Your walk begins at São Pedro de Alcântara, a picturesque lookout point with sweeping views of Lisbon’s hills. From the lookout, you’ll continue on to Lisbon’s oldest Jesuit church, the São Roque, best known for its lavish, gemstone-encrusted Baroque interior. You’ll visit the beautiful Largo de Carmo, the square from which you can see the exterior of the famous Carmo Convent, whose partial ruins open to the skies and illustrate the impact of the devastating 1755 earthquake.  
 
Continue your stroll through Baixa and the iconic Praça do Comércio where you'll take in the impressive panorama of the Río Tejo, the famous river that solidified Lisbon as an important Roman port. You will stop for lunch at a local restaurant (at your own expense) before you continue your exploration of Lisbon’s old town: Alfama. You will ascend to the neighborhood around the São Jorge Castle, one of Lisbon's most iconic sites. Your expert will give you background on its extensive history, which saw the fall of the Romans, the Moorish occupation in the 10th and 11th centuries, and a range of sieges, occupations, and earthquakes. At the end of our most immersive Lisbon itinerary, you’ll have ventured across the city to the most quintessential sites in Lisbon's evolution.
 
If you’re looking to see more of Lisbon, check out our Savoring Lisbon or Bélem Neighborhood Tour. Or get out of the city and visit the enchanting Sintra on a half-day or full-day excursion.

Experts
Jose Jose
Historian
Ilidia Ilidia
Local Guide/Tour manager
Sara Sara
Local Guide
Ian Ian
Archaeologist
Zé
Architect + Local Guide
Cecilia Cecilia
Local Guide
Jaime Jaime
Local Guide
Bert Bert
Historian
Pedro Pedro
Food Writer
Rita Rita
Local Guide
Raquel Raquel
Local Guide
Estela Estela
Art Historian
Tiago Tiago
Architect
Guilherme Guilherme
Local Guide
  • You're short on time but want to experience the highlights of Lisbon in a single day.
  • You're traveling with a group with diverse interests; history, culture, architecture... this tour will cover it all
  • Church of São Roque
  • Carmo Convent (exterior)
  • Bairro Alto neighborhood
  • Chiado neighborhood
  • Praça do Comércio
  • Alfama Neighborhood
  • São Jorge Castle (exterior)
  • Lisbon Cathedral (Sé de Lisboa) (exterior)
São Jorge Castle
  • You will not visit the interiors on this tour. Your expert will give you historical background on all of these buildings, and advise if you wish to go back and visit on your own. You won't wait in the long lines to enter the castle during the tour, but instead you will be able to catch views of the building from several vantage points as you wander the area. 
Lunch
  • The cost of lunch is not included on the tour. Depending on your expert guide's route, you may enter certain sites that ask for a nominal entry fee or donation. It is a good idea to have small coins on hand for this.

Resources
  • Wheelchair accessibility
    • Lisbon is a very hilly city, and unfortunately, we cannot recommend this tour for wheelchair users. Although we have designed this tour to generally walk downhill, there may still be stairs and inclines that are difficult to navigate.
For more information about Context tours, please visit our FAQs.

 Is this walk suitable for families?
Absolutely! It’s a long day but we have some expert guides specifically trained to work with younger learners who can adapt the material on this tour for families.

Can you arrange a car service for the day?
We can arrange transfers to and from the meeting point from your accommodation. Lisbon’s streets are very narrow and driving is not the suggested method of touring the city. Adding a vehicle would significantly alter the walk route. Please contact us for pricing or any specific questions regarding a car service.

Book with confidence — see Context's flexible cancellation policy here.

Where You'll Start
(4.92) 90 Reviews

Reviews can only be left by Context customers after they have completed a tour. For more information about our reviews, please see our FAQ.

We had a great walking tour with Bert! He is very personable and knowledgable and had a wonderful day with him. The tour was pretty comprehensive, considering its short length and we would love to come back and explore more of Lisbon and Portugal.
Great day with Ian. Very knowledgeable, but more importantly very personable. We covered a lot of ground. Ian made it feel very spontaneous and the day flew by. Highly recommended!
An interesting and informative tour . Estela has a wealth of knowledge regarding Lisbon. its history and the current state of Portugal. We throughly enjoyed our day and highly recommend the tour to anyone interested in history as it relates to current Lisbon .