Lisbon

Lisbon is built on seven hills above the point where the Tagus River opens into a wide estuary before meeting the Atlantic. The city orients itself toward the water — the riverfront Praça do Comércio, the Belém district to the west, the ferries crossing to Almáda on the south bank — and the sense of connection to the sea is present throughout. It was from Belém’s docks that Vasco da Gama departed in 1497 to find the sea route to India, and the Jerónimos Monastery and the Torre de Belém were built shortly after to mark and celebrate what that voyage had made possible. The Manueline architectural style that both buildings exemplify — stone carved to resemble ropes, coral, armillary spheres and the equipment of navigation — is specific to Portugal and to this precise moment in its history.

The Alfama is Lisbon’s oldest district, built into the hillside below São Jorge Castle. It was settled by Romans and Visigoths before the Moors shaped its current form in the 8th century — the name derives from the Arabic al-hama, meaning springs. The lanes were laid out as a defensive maze, which is why they still resist easy navigation today. The São Jorge Castle above the Alfama was the Moorish citadel; the views from the walls take in the full spread of the city and the Tagus. Baixa, the flat commercial district between the hills, was rebuilt in a strict neoclassical grid after the 1755 earthquake that levelled most of the lower city.

The Lisbon Central Mosque on Avenida José Malhoa is the main mosque in the city and is included in the Iberian Historia tour itinerary. Halal restaurants are available in the centre, particularly in the Martim Moniz area where the city’s South Asian and North African communities are concentrated — the most practical halal dining district for visitors staying centrally. The best time to visit is spring or early autumn; June to August is warm and manageable but busy, and July and August bring the crowds from northern Europe. March to May gives the best combination of pleasant weather and accessible sights without the summer peak.