The energetic Bairro Alto district where shops new and old, alfresco bars, bookstores and nightspots expose Lisbon at its quintessential, fashionable best. Forget time and embrace the adventure: discover ancient shops, seemingly unknown monuments and the secrets of Lisbon past and present.
Forget time and embrace the adventure in Bairro Alto
Lisbon’s cool district, Bairro Alto (the ‘high district), is home to artists, designers, antique shops, chic bars, esplanades and harmonious coexistence of picturesque curiosity shops and designer boutiques. The 245-meter Ascensor da Bica (Bica Funicular), built-in 1892, is the most spectacular way to ascend to the bohemian Bairro. And it’s well worth the trip…. Peaceful by day, the 16th-century alleyways transform by night into the epicentre of Lisbon’s nightlife—an al fresco frenzy of buzzing bars and traditional fado houses spilling onto narrow cobbled streets.
Bairro Alto epitomizes the city’s colourful vibe: terracotta rooftops against an azure sky; flower-filled balconies and brightly painted walls; endless white and blue azulejos that turn ordinary streets into works of art. Overhead, the crisscrossing shadows of tram lines dance with lines of laundry that blush pink in the early evening light.
We recommend:
– Ascensor da Bica for a great photo opp!
– PARK for the fantastic view and great cocktails
– 100 Maneiras for a great dinner
– Caza das Vellas Loreto for handcrafted candles
– O Faia, for a Fado night
