Castelo de São Jorge

Lonely Planet review

The Castelo de São Jorge has stupendous views across the city. From its Visigothic beginnings in the 5th century, it was later fortified by the Moors in the 9th century, sacked by Christians in the 12th century and used as a royal residence from the 14th to 16th centuries - and as a prison in every century.

The building itself is a series of open courtyards, filled with trees and birdsong, and you can climb and walk around the battlements. Inside one of the towers, a camera obscura offers fascinating 360° views of the city, with demonstrations every half hour. Near the castle entrance is Olisipónia, an exhibition with multilingual commentary about Lisbon's history. It uses a video wall to jazz up the already exciting history, but glosses over anything unpalatable (did anyone say slave trade?). Northwest of the castle is the former Mouraria Quarter, the Moorish district after the Christian reconquest.