Lisbon is built on hills, and half the pleasure here is the views: from the castle, from the miradouros, from the Tejo waterfront in Belém. This is a selection of the main sights from my list of saved places. The descriptions are put together from Google Maps reviews, and I'll add my own notes as I visit.
Ticket prices are taken from Google Maps reviews, valid as of 1 October 2026. Rate: 1 € ≈ $1.13.
In short
- The big view: Castelo de São Jorge (17 € ticket), or free from Miradouro da Graça.
- Most atmospheric: the roofless Gothic arches of the Museu Arqueológico do Carmo.
- Belém in half a day: Mosteiro dos Jerónimos and Torre de Belém are close together; both close on Mondays, so book tickets ahead.
- Quiet and green: the Jardim Botânico de Lisboa in Príncipe Real.
Alfama, Castelo and Graça
Castelo de São Jorge
Castelo · castle · ticket 17 € (≈$19) · daily 9:00–21:00
Google Maps · website · Rua de Santa Cruz do Castelo
According to Google Maps reviews (4.5 from 103,000+): an 11th-century Moorish castle on the city's highest hill, later a royal residence. Inside there's no furnished palace, just walls, eleven towers, palace ruins and an archaeological site with a small museum; people come mainly for the panorama over the rooftops and the Tejo. Camera obscura tours take 20 people at most, and places run out fast.
Sé de Lisboa
Alfama · cathedral · entry 7 € (≈$8) · Mon–Sat 10:00–18:00, closed Sun
Google Maps · website · Largo da Sé, 1
According to Google Maps reviews (4.4 from 36,000+): Lisbon's oldest church, from the 12th century, rebuilt several times in different styles after earthquakes. Reviewers praise the rose window, the chapels and the calm inside. The downsides: crowds and tour touts at the door, a paid visit with no leaflet or explanations, and a route that starts with stairs, awkward with kids or a pushchair.
Miradouro da Graça
Graça · viewpoint · free · open 24 hours
Google Maps · website · Calçada da Graça
According to Google Maps reviews (4.7 from 13,000+): a viewpoint (officially Miradouro Sophia de Mello Breyner Andresen) by the Graça church and convent, looking over the rooftops of Alfama, the castle, São Vicente de Fora and the Tejo, with a café terrace next to it. It's crowded at sunset. It's a lot of steps up; you can take tram 12 and ride the funicular back down.
Chiado and Príncipe Real
Museu Arqueológico do Carmo
Chiado · museum in convent ruins · Mon–Sat 10:00–19:00, closed Sun
Google Maps · website · Largo do Carmo
According to Google Maps reviews (4.5 from 21,000+): the 14th-century Gothic church of the Carmo convent, which lost its roof in the 1755 earthquake, leaving huge arches open to the sky. The museum itself is small, about half an hour: tombs, artefacts and a film projected onto the walls. The ticket is cheap, and the shop sells souvenirs featuring Carlota, the resident cat. One downside: some of the information is only in Portuguese.
Jardim Botânico de Lisboa
Príncipe Real · botanical garden · daily 9:00–20:00
Google Maps · website · Rua da Escola Politécnica, 58
According to Google Maps reviews (4.0 from 8,900+): a quiet hillside garden with plants from around the world and a bank of rare seeds; through the trees you can see the Ponte 25 de Abril and Cristo Rei. There's a combined ticket with the natural history museum next door. The downsides: parts of it are run-down and overgrown, and it's uphill on the way back.
Belém
Mosteiro dos Jerónimos
Belém · monastery · Tue–Sun 9:30–17:30, closed Mon
Google Maps · website · Praça do Império
According to Google Maps reviews (4.4 from 63,000+): a late Gothic monastery in the Manueline style, and the carved stone cloister is the highlight. Its wings house the archaeology and maritime museums. Entry is by time slot, so buy tickets ahead, although the website is partly in Portuguese and laggy. Part of the façade is currently under restoration, and many find the cloister smaller than they expected.
Torre de Belém
Belém · fortress on the Tejo · Tue–Sun 9:00–17:30, closed Mon
Google Maps · website · Avenida Brasília
According to Google Maps reviews (4.5 from 117,000+): a 16th-century Manueline fortress on the Tejo and a symbol of Portugal's Age of Discoveries. It's beautiful from outside and from the promenade, with lawns and benches around it. The queue to go in can be huge: take the first slot of the day, and some say entry isn't worth the price and the outside view is enough.
One last thing
The main sights in Belém, Jerónimos and Torre de Belém, are closed on Mondays, and the Sé and Carmo on Sundays. The easiest plan: go to Belém on a Tuesday to Friday at opening time, and keep Sunday for the castle and the viewpoints.
More on Lisbon: shops.