Three slow days in Lisbon

Lisbon is a city of seven hills, cobbled lanes and trams that groan around corners. It rewards the traveller who doesn't rush. These three days follow the starting route in the OffBeatHoliday app, built from Visit Portugal's own highlights, with one neighbourhood per day so you spend your time looking around, not crossing town.

Day 1 · Alfama and the castle

Start high. Castelo de São Jorge sits on the hilltop above the old town, and the walk up through Alfama is half the point: steep lanes, washing lines and small squares that open without warning.

On the way down, stop at Miradouro das Portas do Sol, a terrace that looks over Alfama's terracotta roofs to the river. Finish at Lisbon Cathedral, the Sé, the city's oldest church, begun in the twelfth century.

Keep this day light. The distances are short, but the gradients are real.

Day 2 · Belém

Belém lies west of the centre along the Tagus, so give it a day of its own rather than squeezing it in.

• Jerónimos Monastery: carved stone cloisters. Together with Belém Tower it forms a single UNESCO World Heritage site.
• Padrão dos Descobrimentos: the riverside monument to Portugal's age of exploration.
• Belém Tower: the small fortress at the water's edge, a short walk along the river.

The three stops sit close together along the river, which makes this the flattest and easiest walking day of the trip.

Day 3 · Baixa and Chiado

Begin by the water at Praça do Comércio, the great arcaded square that opens onto the river. Walk up through the grid of Baixa to the Santa Justa Lift, then climb on to Miradouro de São Pedro de Alcântara for a wide view back across the city to the castle where you started.

Pace notes

• Group Belém separately. It is far enough from the centre that mixing it with Alfama or Baixa means more time in transit than in either place.
• Walk slower than the map says. Hills and polished cobbles make walking estimates optimistic. Wear shoes with grip.
• Leave the afternoons loose. On a Chill pace the app plans two stops a day, which suits Lisbon: one big sight in the morning, then a long lunch and wherever the lanes take you.

Check opening hours and transport before you go. The day themes and stops here come from Visit Portugal's Lisbon highlights.