Graça

Above Alfama, above the crowds: two of the best viewpoints, real neighbourhood restaurants, and honest prices.

Graça is the flat top of the hill that Alfama clings to, reached by tram 28 grinding up Calçada de São Vicente or by twenty-five minutes of walking from Baixa that you will feel in your calves. Once you are up, it is level and residential: Largo da Graça with its church and its terrace of cafés, Rua da Graça running north, Vila Berta and the other early-1900s workers' housing courtyards tucked off it, and the Miradouro da Senhora do Monte on the highest point in the city.

The two viewpoints are the reason most people come up. The Miradouro Sophia de Mello Breyner Andresen beside the Graça church has a kiosk, pine trees and a view straight down over the castle and the whole grid; Senhora do Monte, five minutes further, is higher, has no kiosk and is where people bring their own bottle to watch the sun go down behind the Cristo Rei statue. Both are packed by 7.30pm in summer. Come at 8am instead and you will have either of them to yourself with a coffee.

Prices are the other reason. A good guesthouse room here is €65-110 in January and €130-200 in September, which is €40-60 below Chiado for a location that is fifteen minutes' walk from the cathedral. Food follows: O Pitéu da Graça on Largo da Graça does a proper €13-16 lunch, Damas on Rua da Voz do Operário is a bar, kitchen and gig room in one, and there are three or four tascas where a plate of grilled fish and a glass of wine still comes to under €15.

At 9pm Graça is quiet in a way that feels like a small town: televisions through open windows, a dog barking at the tram, half a dozen people outside a bar. Nightlife means one live-music venue and a couple of late bars, not a scene. Stay here for a week if you like walking and want value; skip it if you cannot manage hills, if you plan late nights out in Bairro Alto every night, or if you need a metro station within five minutes — the nearest is Martim Moniz, twelve minutes down and twenty-plus back up.

Where to sleep

Aim for the streets around Largo da Graça, Rua da Graça, Calçada da Graça and Rua Damasceno Monteiro — flat, residential, and served by tram 28 and bus 734. Expect €65-110 in January, €130-200 in high season, and €250-plus only at the two or three design hotels with pools and river views. Rooms directly on the tram route rattle from 6am, so ask for a back room or a courtyard. Avoid anything down the eastern slope towards Rua da Penha de França unless you like a long walk home, and be sceptical of listings marketed as Graça that are actually low on Calçada de São Vicente — a steep, tram-loud, taxi-unfriendly stretch. Confirm a lift exists; several older buildings here are five floors of stairs.

The essentials

Two viewpoints and down to the flea market (3.2 km)

Start at Largo da Graça and the Sophia de Mello Breyner viewpoint, walk north up Rua da Senhora do Monte to Largo Monte, then double back past Vila Berta and Rua da Voz do Operário. Descend to São Vicente de Fora, on to the Panteão Nacional and Campo das Cebolas via Campo de Santa Clara and the flea market, finishing at the river by Casa dos Bicos.

Getting there & around

Tram 28E is the classic way up, from Martim Moniz through Graça, but it is often full — tram 12E and bus 734 from Praça da Figueira are more reliable, taking about 15 minutes. From the airport, red line metro to Alameda, green line to Martim Moniz, then bus 734 or a 20-minute uphill walk; total around 45 minutes for €1.80. A taxi from the airport is €13-18 and reaches the door, which is a real advantage over Alfama. On foot it is 12-15 minutes down to the Sé and Baixa, 25-30 minutes back up, and 10 minutes down to Santa Apolónia station for trains north.