Your guide will pick you up at your Lisbon hotel to start the tour, setting off for a half-day’s walk around the city’s most interesting districts. En route, you’ll learn about Lisbon’s history, from its establishment as a Phoenician trading hub 3,000 years ago to its time as part of the Roman and Moorish empires. Your exact route depends on your starting point, but will include a visit to the grand riverfront Praça do Comércio. Here, your guide will explain the strategic importance of the settlement at the mouth of the Tagus.
The city has a distinct Moorish aura, despite falling to the Christian Reconquista in the 12th century. As you walk through the streets, you’ll see evidence of this in the hilltop fortress and in the elaborate tilework and stone arches. Although Lisbon blossomed during the Age of Discovery, the city was nearly completely destroyed by an earthquake in 1755.
You’ll stroll through central Baixa, an area completely rebuilt by the Marquês de Pombal after the earthquake, where you’ll find wide boulevards flanked by tile-covered townhouses. You also get a chance to explore fashionable and lively Chiado, where the streets are lined with shops, cafés and museums.
In the Bairro Alto, you’ll get sweeping views of the city and coast, pass through streets full of cafés, bars and restaurants, and get a sense of Lisbon’s diversity and lively atmosphere. En route, you’ll stop at various shops or bars to taste some local Portuguese delicacies and traditional snacks, including the city’s ginjinha cherry liqueur.
Once you’ve had a good overview of the city, your guide will take you back to your hotel or can suggest further areas for you to explore independently.
Please note this tour is designed to be a walking tour, commencing from your hotel. If your hotel is farther out of Lisbon, your guide will meet you there and then arrange for a taxi to take you into the heart of the city to then continue on foot.