Lisbon is a city best understood on foot and uphill. It's built across seven hills, tiled in azulejos, and laced with funiculars and the famous yellow trams that groan up gradients no sensible vehicle should attempt.
I gave up on plans pretty quickly and just followed the prettiest alley each time. That's how I found Alfama — the old Moorish quarter — where laundry hangs between buildings and fado drifts out of tiny restaurants after dark.
And the pastéis de nata. I made it my mission to find the best, which is a delicious mission to fail at. The originals at Belém are worth the queue, but honestly the warm one from the bakery near my apartment, dusted with cinnamon, won.
Trip highlights
- Riding tram 28 through Graça and Alfama
- Fado in a tiny Alfama tavern after dark
- Pastéis de nata, warm, with cinnamon
- Sunset from a miradouro viewpoint