Lisbon's Miradouros: The City's Best Viewpoints

Lisbon is built across steep hills that drop to the wide mouth of the Tagus, and almost every one of them has a terrace at the top where people stop to catch their breath and stay for the view. These are the Lisbon miradouros, and they are the best free entertainment in the city. You climb a cobbled lane, turn a corner, and the whole place is laid out in terracotta and white below you, with the river shining beyond.

There are dozens. These are the ones I go back to, and the time of day each one is best.

Santa Luzia and Portas do Sol

These two sit almost side by side on the edge of Alfama, and the tram rattles past both. Santa Luzia is the romantic one: a small terrace with blue and white azulejo tiles, a pergola covered in bougainvillea, and a view down over Alfama's roofs to the river. Portas do Sol, a few steps further, is wider and busier, with the white dome of São Vicente de Fora on the left and the church towers of Alfama tumbling down to the water.

Go early in the morning, before the tour groups, when the light comes in low across the river and the cafés are still setting out chairs. Then walk down into Alfama on foot. Get lost on purpose. Every lane goes downhill eventually.

Senhora do Monte

This is one of the highest viewpoints in the city, and for many people it is the best. From a small terrace beside a chapel above Graça, you look across to the castle, down over the Baixa and out to the river and the long red bridge. The pine tree in the middle frames everything.

It is a steep walk up, which keeps the crowds smaller than you would expect. Come in the hour before sunset, when the light turns the whole city gold.

Miradouro da Graça

Officially named after the poet Sophia de Mello Breyner Andresen, the Graça viewpoint is just below Senhora do Monte, in front of a church and a convent. It has shade from tall pines, a kiosk selling drinks and a view straight across to the castle. It is a lovely place to sit for an hour with a glass of wine while the city goes about its evening.

Climb first, then sit. Lisbon always pays you back for the hill.

São Pedro de Alcântara

On the other side of the valley, at the top of the Glória funicular, this long garden terrace looks east across the Baixa to the castle and Graça. There is a map in tiles to tell you what you are looking at, trees for shade and often a kiosk or a market on weekends. It is at the edge of Bairro Alto, which makes it a natural first stop before dinner.

Santa Catarina

Santa Catarina faces west and south over the river, toward the 25 de Abril bridge and the Cristo Rei statue on the far bank. A stone figure of Adamastor, the sea giant from Portuguese poetry, broods over the terrace. At sunset it fills with a young local crowd, guitars and a lot of conversation. It is not quiet, but it is very Lisbon.

For a quieter view

Monte Agudo, in the residential neighbourhood of Penha de França, is where Lisbon people go to avoid everyone else. It is a little out of the way, has a kiosk, and looks back across the whole city. The rooftop of the Castelo de São Jorge and the terrace of the National Pantheon also have wonderful views, though both charge for entry, so check opening times before you go.

A walk that links them

If you have one full day, you can string several of these together on foot. Start at Santa Luzia and Portas do Sol after breakfast, climb on through Graça to the Miradouro da Graça for a coffee, then keep going up to Senhora do Monte. Drop down through the Baixa for lunch, ride the Glória funicular up to São Pedro de Alcântara in the afternoon, and finish with the sunset crowd at Santa Catarina. It is a lot of hills, but none of the walks between them is long, and you see the city from every side.

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Good to know

• Wear proper shoes. The polished limestone pavements, the calçada, are slippery, especially after rain.
• Use the trams and funiculars to climb, and walk down. Your knees will thank you.
• Watch your bag on the busy tram routes and at crowded viewpoints.
• Sunset faces west. Santa Catarina and Senhora do Monte are the best evening choices; Santa Luzia and Portas do Sol shine in the morning.
• Bring water in summer. The climbs are short but steep, and shade can be scarce.
• Kiosks open and close with the seasons, so do not count on one being open in winter.

The best way to see Lisbon is to pick two miradouros a day, one in the morning and one at dusk, and walk between them. By the end of the week you will know the city by its hills, and you will have your own favourite terrace.