7 hills 7 viewpoints of Lisbon

I believe one of the reasons I like Lisbon so much is because of its geographical similarity to Istanbul (my home city). Tagus River like Bosphorus, 25 de Abril Bridge like Bosphorus Bridge, Tram 28 like the nostalgic tram in Beyoglu and last but not least 7 hills these beautiful cities are built on.

Of course these hills offer splendid views of Lisbon. No matter in which neighbourhood you are it is for sure you’ll find a panoramic viewpoint (called Miradouro in Portuguese) near by. The good thing is that most of the miradouros have cafes where you can sit down and start day dreaming with a while contemplating the beautiful scenery.

I listed the ones I’ve been to myself. Let me know which one is your favourite.

St. George Castle

Photo by Ingmar Sörgens

The Castle São Jorge is located on a hilltop and offers beautiful views over Lisbon’s countless rooftops, Tagus River and majestic 25 de April Bridge. You can see this castle almost from everywhere in Lisbon, what obviously means that you can see almost the whole city from the walls of Castelo de S. Jorge.

Miradouro de Santa Luzia

Photo by Ingmar Sörgens

When you walk down from the castle heading to Alfama you’ll walk by this terrace by the church of Santa Lucia. Imagine yourself for second as if you were a monk who grew grapevine in a balcony covered with blue tiles. Yes, it is kind of magical here. Have a glass (or two) green vine in the cafe and listen to the street musician playing jazz tones with his saxophone.

Miradouro das Portas do Sol

Photo by Ingmar Sörgens

I think among the tourists this one is absolutely the most popular viewpoint of Lisbon to make the best selfie ever you’ll take home. Here you have the whole neigbourhood Alfama in front of you presenting itself from its best side with its red rooftops protected by St. Vincent whose statue holds a boat and two ravens, Lisbon’s historical symbols.

Photo by Ingmar Sörgens

Miradouro de San Pedro de Alcântara

Photo by Ingmar Sörgens

Now let’s go to the hill on the opposite side to enjoy the view to St. George’s Castle. Take the Gloria Elevator from Avenidad de Liberdad and have a snack and a drink while listening to sound of the water floating from the fountain in the middle of the small park.

Miradouro de Santa Catarina

Photo by Ingmar Sörgens

If you’re looking for the bohemians of Lisbon come to this miradouro  – viewpoint which offers a terrace with spectacular view of the 25 de April Bridge, which makes you think you’re in San Francisco. Enjoy the sun going down sitting in the cafe at the terrace of this laid back neighbourhood Santa Catarina.

Photo by Ingmar Sörgens

Forget about your worries while watching the skaters who contemplate the view together with the mythical giant sea monster Adamastor who symbolises the natural forces the Portuguese navigators had to overcome during their discoveries.

Parque Eduardo VII

Now, let’s go to the northern part of the city to have a clear view from top of the Park Edward VII down to Avenida da Liberdade. When you walk up from Marques de Pombal Square to reach the viewpoint of the largest park of Lisbon you’ll feel like walking in the backyard of the British royals. Across the street of the viewpoint there are couple of food tracks where you can have snack and a drink.

Cristo Rei Statue

Photo by Ingmar Sörgens

Let’s cross the Tagus River to reach Rio de Janeiro. Just kidding… Well, thanks to the Cristo Rei statue holding his arms open you’ll feel like you’re in Rio. From the hilltop where the statue is watching over the city, you obviously have spectacular views of the whole city of Lisbon and 25 de Abril Bridge. Take the Bica Elevator for a great scenic river view down to Cais do Sodré, where you can take the ferry to across the river to get to Cacilhas. From here you can either walk along the river (my favourite way), or take the bus line 101 to reach the monument.

If you want to read more about Lisbon, have a look at my blog post “4 neighbourhoods of Lisbon“.

Tips

For more insights get Lonely Planet Travel Guide for Portugal.

For price worthy accommodation check Booking.com, Agoda.com or airbnb.com.

Don’t forget to check my Packing List for useful travel gear.

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