Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
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The Alfama Stroll
(See “The Alfama Stroll” map,
here
.)
Explore the Alfama, the colorful sailors' quarter that dates back to the age of Visigoth
occupation, from the sixth to eighth centuries
A.D
. This was a bustling district during the
Moorish period, and eventually became the home of Lisbon's fishermen and mariners
(and of the poet Luís de Camões, who wrote, “Our lips meet easily, high across the narrow
street”). The Alfama's tangled street plan is one of the few features of Lisbon to survive
the 1755 earthquake. It helps make the neighborhood a cobbled playground of Old World
color. Visit at the best time, during the busy mid-morning market, or in the cooler hours
in the late afternoon or early evening, when the streets teem with residents. While much
of its grittiness has been cleaned up in recent years (as traditional residents have been re-
placed by immigrant laborers), the Alfama remains one of the most photogenic neighbor-
hoods in all of Europe.
• Start your walk at the highest point in town, São Jorge Castle. Get to the castle gate
by taxi (€4) or by minibus #37 from Praça da Figueira. (Trolleys #28E and #12E go to
Largo Santa Luzia and Largo das Portas do Sol, respectively, a few blocks below.)
São Jorge Castle Gate:
Just inside the castle gate (on left) is a little statue of Ge-
orge, named for a popular saint in the 14th century. St. George (São Jorge; pronounced
“sow ZHOR-zh”) hailed from Turkey and was known for fighting valiantly (he's of-
ten portrayed slaying a dragon). When the Christian noble Afonso Henriques called for
help to eliminate the Moors from his newly founded country of Portugal, the Crusaders
who helped him prayed to St. George...and won. If you're on a budget, this place is
skippable—at €7, it has the steepest admission in town, and offers only a hill-capping
park with a commanding city view and the stark ruins of a rebuilt medieval castle (daily
March-Oct 9:00-21:00, Nov-Feb 9:00-18:00). Along with your classic big-city viewpoint,
there's a café and a WC in the park.
