Bairro Alto, Chiado & Cais do Sodré

Three neighbourhoods, three very different personalities. Chiado invites days spent boutique-shopping, gallery-hopping and lingering in literary cafes. Its more rakish, party-loving neighbour is Bairro Alto, a tangle of lanes harbouring dozens of shabby-chic shops, late-night bistros and hole-in-the-wall bars. Swinging south, Cais do Sodré has reinvented itself from red-light district to nightlife hub.

Explore Bairro Alto, Chiado & Cais do Sodré

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    Miradouro de São Pedro de Alcântara

    Hitch a ride on vintage Ascensor da Glória from Praça dos Restauradores, or huff your way up steep Calçada da Glória to this terrific hilltop viewpoint…

  • Igreja & Museu São Roque

    The plain facade of 16th-century Jesuit Igreja de São Roque belies its dazzling interior of gold, marble and Florentine azulejos – bankrolled by Brazilian…

  • C

    Convento do Carmo & Museu Arqueológico

    Soaring above Lisbon, the skeletal Convento do Carmo was all but devoured by the 1755 earthquake, and that's precisely what makes it so captivating. Its…

  • Convento dos Cardaes

    The inconspicuous, graffitied white facade of this 17th-century fort-like convent contrasts with the rich blue-and-white tiles and gilded carvings of the…

  • Atelier-Museu Júlio Pomar

    Set in the same street where Júlio Pomar lives and works, this museum, with two spaces housing temporary exhibitions, feels like an art gallery showcasing…

  • Convento de São Pedro de Alcântara

    This convent is small in size but grand in baroque decor. The inconspicuous box-like facade hides a chapel (1690s), and a church (1681) that survived the…

  • E

    Elevador de Santa Justa

    If the lanky, wrought-iron Elevador de Santa Justa seems uncannily familiar, it’s probably because the neo-Gothic marvel is the handiwork of Raul Mésnier,…

  • I

    Igreja de Santa Catarina

    Igreja de Santa Catarina is a gilded baroque masterpiece, originally part of a convent built in 1647. Pay particular attention to the stucco rococo…

Top attractions

These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout Bairro Alto, Chiado & Cais do Sodré.

  • See

    Miradouro de São Pedro de Alcântara

    Hitch a ride on vintage Ascensor da Glória from Praça dos Restauradores, or huff your way up steep Calçada da Glória to this terrific hilltop viewpoint…

  • See

    Igreja & Museu São Roque

    The plain facade of 16th-century Jesuit Igreja de São Roque belies its dazzling interior of gold, marble and Florentine azulejos – bankrolled by Brazilian…

  • See

    Convento do Carmo & Museu Arqueológico

    Soaring above Lisbon, the skeletal Convento do Carmo was all but devoured by the 1755 earthquake, and that's precisely what makes it so captivating. Its…

  • See

    Convento dos Cardaes

    The inconspicuous, graffitied white facade of this 17th-century fort-like convent contrasts with the rich blue-and-white tiles and gilded carvings of the…

  • See

    Atelier-Museu Júlio Pomar

    Set in the same street where Júlio Pomar lives and works, this museum, with two spaces housing temporary exhibitions, feels like an art gallery showcasing…

  • See

    Convento de São Pedro de Alcântara

    This convent is small in size but grand in baroque decor. The inconspicuous box-like facade hides a chapel (1690s), and a church (1681) that survived the…

  • See

    Elevador de Santa Justa

    If the lanky, wrought-iron Elevador de Santa Justa seems uncannily familiar, it’s probably because the neo-Gothic marvel is the handiwork of Raul Mésnier,…

  • See

    Igreja de Santa Catarina

    Igreja de Santa Catarina is a gilded baroque masterpiece, originally part of a convent built in 1647. Pay particular attention to the stucco rococo…