Highlights of Lisbon Self-Guided Walking Audio Tour

It features a simple skinny white facade with red doors. The plaza around the church has probably already grabbed your attention -- green shrubs, an azure reflecting pool, and a wild bougainvillea running over a trellis creates a peaceful atmosphere. In fact, many consider this terrace the most romantic spot in the entire city!

5 min

If you plan on visiting the castle, now’s a great time to do it. While this castle’s interior isn’t part of my tour, I have a few bonus stories for you to enjoy once you’re inside. The ticket office is through the arch and you can get admissions info via the Learn More button. Clicking on that button will also tell you more about how this tour works.

5 min

This tunnel is truly one-of-a-kind! Lisbon’s entire history is distilled into a fun comic strip panel covering both walls by Nuno Saraiva.

10 min

You’ll see street art on nearly every wall as we walk. Some of it is truly Art with a capital A and some of it is… well, let’s call it the work of enthusiastic amateurs.

10 min

A staple of Spanish and Portuguese architecture, these Azulejos grace all kinds of structures, from churches and palaces to ordinary houses and subway stations. The glazed tiles often showcase major events in Portugal’s history.

10 min

This is Praça do Comercio. Built in the early 1500s to handle all the new trade with India, this spot represents Portugal at its mightiest. A country of just a few million people monopolized the entire spice trade from India, bringing in enormous new wealth that rivaled the gold trade and slave trade. In fact, spices made up almost half of Portugal’s state revenue in the 1500s.

10 min

Those are the Cais das Colunas. They’re modeled after the mythic bronze pillars of Solomon's Temple. We’re not going to walk over there just yet. Instead, take a seat on these steps directly ahead of us, facing the water. Once upon a time, these steps led kings and queens into Lisbon. We’re literally following in the footsteps of royalty.

10 min

Originally designed to be a simple belltower during the reconstruction plans, the intricately-carved structure grew into something much grander. Of course, that also means it took nearly a century to complete!

10 min

A ton of Portugal’s sweets are egg-based, but why? In the 18th century, convents and monasteries used dozens of egg whites to starch robes, and whatever was left over went into food! Pastel de Natas were born of this trend, too—monks created the breakfast treat right here in Lisbon, at Jerónimos Monastery!

10 min

In the mid 1800s, the Portuguese forbade their colonies from importing alcohol in an attempt to monopolize the market. This was bad news for wine merchants, who were forced to set steep prices to account for the loss of business from imported wines. One such merchant, Francisco Espinheira went hunting for a way to reduce costs.

10 min

That large equestrian statue at the square’s center was unveiled in 1971. It’s none other than King John…. Do you remember the battle of the 3 Johns? This is the victorious John!

10 min