Bairro Alto and Príncipe Real

The central island of Praça Luís de Camões features a tall bronze statue of the sixteenth-century poet standing atop a pedestal surrounded by eight smaller stone figures. This square serves as the boundary between the Bairro Alto and…

The Church of São Roque features a stark, unadorned white facade that hides one of the most opulent interiors in Lisbon. When the Jesuits arrived in the sixteenth century, they chose this site for their headquarters, and by the seventeen…

The Miradouro de São Pedro de Alcântara features a double-tiered garden terrace lined with bust-mounted pedestals of heroes from Greco-Roman mythology and Portuguese history. Established in eighteen sixty-four, the park provides a…

The Jardim do Príncipe Real centers on a massive, umbrella-shaped cedar tree that stretches its wide branches over almost the entire gravel plaza. The garden occupies what was once a private reservoir and public space meant to serve the…

The neo-Moorish arches and intricate tile work of the EmbaiXada building mark it as the former Ribeiro da Cunha Palace. Constructed in eighteen seventy-seven, the palace served as a private residence for a wealthy merchant before it housed…

The Botanical Garden of Lisbon clings to a steep hillside beneath the Polytechnic School, defined by a dense, unruly canopy of dragon trees and palms that look out of place in the city center. It holds one of the most important collections…

A cluster of bright pink bougainvillea climbs the iron trellis at the center of Praça das Flores, distinguishing this small square from the surrounding grey stone streets. Originally laid out in the nineteenth century, the garden served as…