A quick journey through sunny Lisbon

Source: National Geographic 

Trams and tuk-tuks roller coasters through the hills of the Portuguese capital, a city of enticing lookouts, al fresco lunches, and daring street art.

Morning breaks over Lisbon’s seven hills. In the medina-like lanes of Alfama — one of the city’s oldest, loftiest neighborhoods — the light is beginning to creep through window shutters, washing over the azulejo tiles and bathing the terracotta rooftops in an amber glow; in the distance, the Tejo river glitters.

Slowly, pearl-white domes and spires come into focus, and then the facades in a fresco painter’s palette of pastels, at the Largo das Portas do Sol, the original Moorish gateway to the district. It’s a vantage point that offers views over Lisbon’s historic heart that are worth rising early for.

Ever since the Moors built their castle here in the 11th century, this has been a city that has made the most of its lofty position. Miradouros (viewpoints) cling to the hilltops like eyries, each one giving a different eagle’s-eye view. While Alfama is high, Graça is even higher still, set on the tallest hill. Over the past decade, the district has been reimagined as a blank canvas for street artists, enabling it to reach new heights on Lisbon’s cultural scene.

Such daring street art contrasts with the graceful Renaissance spires of Graça’s Monastery of São Vicente de Fora, overlooking the broad, blue arm of the river and the dome of the baroque National Pantheon. 

Graça City View || Source: Time Out Lisboa 

At the nearby Miradouro São Pedro de Alcântara, people are already sipping piña coladas to reggae beats mid-morning, with the city spread at their feet. There’s a hint of spring in the air, with the first puffs of blossom evident on the trees between the tinkling fountains scattered around.

Lisbon’s hills have made fairground rides out of its public transport. Bee-yellow vintage trams — including the famous tram 28, which rumbles through much of the historic center — roller coaster along the streets, while the funiculars buzz up the steepest inclines, just as they have for more than a century. In downtown Baixa, Lisbon’s only street lift, the neo-gothic Elevador de Santa Justa (designed by Raul Mésnier, Gustave Eiffel’s protégé) presents passengers with 360-degree views of the skyline. Much newer on the scene is Lisbon’s fleet of tuk-tuks.

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