Lisbon's Highlights
The first-visit route in one guide: Belém Tower, Jerónimos, the riverside, Tram 28, Alfama, São Jorge Castle, Rossio and Avenida da Liberdade.
Lisbon · Portugal · Updated October 2026
Lisbon audio guidesHear the city where it happened.
28 self-guided audio tours for Lisbon: neighbourhood walks, monuments, museums and the stories behind them. Play them on your phone, walk at your own pace, and ask the guide anything along the way.
- Guides
- 28
- Stops
- 282
- Languages
- 6
- Offline
- Yes
Start here
Three guides for a first visit
Not sure where to begin? These cover the city's best-known places. Press play to hear how the first stop sounds.
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Castelo and Alfama
Up the stairs of Alfama to the Santa Luzia viewpoint and São Jorge Castle, past the Sé, the narrow becos and the corners where fado was born.
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Jerónimos Monastery
The portals, the royal tombs, the vault and columns, the cloister and the refectory of Lisbon's great Manueline monastery.
All guides
Every Lisbon guide, by theme
28 guides and 65 language versions. The letters on each card open the guide in that language.
City-wide guides
Lisbon's Highlights
The first-visit route in one guide: Belém Tower, Jerónimos, the riverside, Tram 28, Alfama, São Jorge Castle, Rossio and Avenida da Liberdade.
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Lisbon Unlocked: hills, history & quirks
A companion more than a walk: your first 24 hours, getting around the seven hills, the neighbourhoods, food, fado, local customs and day trips.
Tram 28 Annotated Journey
Ride the 28 from Martim Moniz through Graça, Alfama, Baixa, Chiado and Estrela to Prazeres Cemetery, with a story for each stretch of the line.
Neighbourhood walks
Castelo and Alfama
Up the stairs of Alfama to the Santa Luzia viewpoint and São Jorge Castle, past the Sé, the narrow becos and the corners where fado was born.
Baixa & Chiado
From Praça do Comércio and the Rua Augusta arch to Rossio, the Santa Justa lift, Carmo, Bertrand bookstore, A Brasileira and Camões square.
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Bairro Alto & Bica
The Santa Catarina viewpoint, the Bica funicular, fado houses, São Roque church, street art and the tascas of the old upper town.
Lapa
The quiet hill of palaces and embassies: Estrela Basilica, the Trinas convent, Rua do Sacramento and a tiled house you will not forget.
Parque das Nações
Expo '98 and after: Oriente station, the Portugal Pavilion, the Oceanário, the water gardens and the view of the Vasco da Gama Bridge.
Monuments & churches
Jerónimos Monastery
The portals, the royal tombs, the vault and columns, the cloister and the refectory of Lisbon's great Manueline monastery.
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Sé de Lisboa: the cathedral
Lisbon's cathedral from the Romanesque nave to the cloister, the treasury, the baptistery and the chapel of São Vicente.
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Convento do Carmo
The roofless Gothic church left by the 1755 earthquake, its archaeological museum, and the square where the 1974 revolution played out.
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Five Churches in Chiado
São Roque, Loreto, Encarnação, Mártires and Sacramento: five churches within a few streets, and what 1755 did to them.
Igreja de São Domingos
A church marked by the Inquisition, the 1506 massacre and a great fire, still standing with its scars beside Rossio.
Igreja de São Roque
A plain Jesuit façade hiding a painted wooden ceiling, the chapel of São João Batista and a collection of sacred art.
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Panteão Nacional
Santa Engrácia, the church that took centuries to finish, now Portugal's National Pantheon, beside Campo de Santa Clara.
Museums & palaces
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National Coach Museum
From Philip II's 16th-century coach to the triumphal coaches of João V's 1716 embassy to Rome and the mail coach.
MACAM: The Armando Martins Collection
A palace, a private collection and a contemporary museum: Almada Negreiros, exile and abstraction, the garden and the chapel that became a bar.
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Palácio dos Marqueses de Fronteira
The Battle Room, the tiled Terrace of the Liberal Arts, the Gallery of Kings and the gardens of a 17th-century palace.
Casa-Museu Medeiros e Almeida
A collector's house museum: the private chapel, the Louis XIV room, Napoleon's tea service and the clock collection.
Museu de Lisboa: Palácio Pimenta
Lisbon's city museum: Roman Olisipo, Moorish and Christian Lisbon, the great model of the city before 1755, and gardens with peacocks.
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Walls That Speak: Azulejo Masterpieces
Portugal's tile story, from the National Tile Museum and Madre de Deus to the Viúva Lamego factory and the art of the Metro.
Stories of Lisbon
1755 Lisbon Earthquake
1 November 1755 and what came after: Praça do Comércio, the new Baixa, the Carmo ruins, São Domingos, the Sé and Alfama.
Route of the Portuguese Discoveries
Why a small country sailed for the world: the Padrão dos Descobrimentos, Belém Tower, the caravel, Jerónimos and Praça do Comércio.
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Fado Evening Explained
Where fado comes from, Amália Rodrigues, saudade, the Portuguese guitar, and how to behave in a fado house. Listen before your evening out.
Street Art Tour of Lisbon
Fourteen walls and works: Vhils' Amália portrait in stone, Shepard Fairey's Carnation Revolution mural, Bordalo II and more.
Vhils: Art Archaeology of Lisbon
Follow Alexandre Farto's carved portraits across the city, from Alfama and Graça to Monsanto and Braço de Prata.
Lisbon Culinary Delights
Tinned fish, the sea on every plate, convent sweets, bifanas, ginjinha, wine beyond port, the tasca and the pastel de nata.
The 'My Airbnb is killing neighbourhoods' apology tour
An honest look at how tourism is changing Lisbon, from Alfama and Bairro Alto to LX Factory, Alvalade, Arroios and Marvila.
By area
Lisbon, neighbourhood by neighbourhood
Where each guide takes you, so you can plan by part of town.
Alfama & Castelo
Lisbon's oldest quarter keeps its medieval street plan and came through the 1755 earthquake better than the flat downtown. São Jorge Castle sits on the hilltop above it.
Baixa & Chiado
After 1755 the Marquis of Pombal rebuilt the Baixa on a grid of straight streets. Chiado, the old café and bookshop district above it, was rebuilt again after the fire of 1988.
Bairro Alto & Bica
Laid out in the 16th century, the upper town is quiet by day and busy at night. The Bica funicular climbs the steep street below it.
Belém
The riverside district where the ships of the Discoveries set out. The Jerónimos Monastery and Belém Tower have been UNESCO World Heritage since 1983.
Lapa & Estrela
A hillside of palaces, embassies and quiet streets, crowned by the white dome of Estrela Basilica.
Parque das Nações
Built for Expo '98 on former industrial land on the eastern riverfront, with the Oceanário and the long Vasco da Gama Bridge.
Plan your visit
Three days in Lisbon with our guides
A simple plan that keeps each day in one part of town, so you walk more and travel less.
Day 1
Baixa, Chiado and Alfama
- Baixa & Chiado in the morning
- Castelo and Alfama after lunch, uphill to the castle
- Fado Evening Explained before a fado evening
Day 2
Belém
- Route of the Portuguese Discoveries along the river
- Jerónimos Monastery the monastery
- National Coach Museum if you still have time
Day 3
Your pick
- Tram 28 Annotated Journey across the old city
- Bairro Alto & Bica at sunset
- Street Art Tour of Lisbon or a day of murals
Got a fourth day? Take the train to Sintra: we have 13 guides for its palaces and gardens. See the Sintra guides →
Wear shoes with grip
Lisbon is built on steep hills, and the stone pavements get slippery, especially when wet.
Download before you go
Download your guides over Wi-Fi. They play outdoors with GPS and no mobile data.
Ride Tram 28 early
The 28 gets crowded in the middle of the day. An early ride is calmer, and the guide works from the street too.
Keep one ear free
Use one earbud in busy streets so you can hear trams and traffic.
History
Lisbon in seven moments
The short version. Each moment links to the guide that tells it on the spot.
- 1147
Afonso Henriques takes Lisbon
The first king of Portugal captures the city with the help of crusaders, and work begins on the cathedral.
Hear it: Sé de Lisboa: the cathedral → - 1497
Vasco da Gama sails from Belém
His fleet leaves the Tagus and reaches India the following year. The spice trade makes Lisbon rich.
Hear it: Route of the Portuguese Discoveries → - 1500s
The Jerónimos Monastery rises
King Manuel I builds the monastery in Belém in the style later named after him, Manueline.
Hear it: Jerónimos Monastery → - 1755
The earthquake
On 1 November an earthquake, a tsunami and days of fire destroy much of the city.
Hear it: 1755 Lisbon Earthquake → - After 1755
Pombal's new Baixa
The Marquis of Pombal rebuilds downtown on a grid, with buildings designed to resist the next quake.
Hear it: Baixa & Chiado → - 1974
The Carnation Revolution
On 25 April a nearly bloodless coup ends the dictatorship. Its last act plays out in Largo do Carmo.
Hear it: Convento do Carmo → - 1998
Expo '98
The world exhibition turns the eastern riverfront into a new district, Parque das Nações.
Hear it: Parque das Nações →
FAQ
Questions about Lisbon audio guides
Is there an audio guide for Lisbon?
Yes. GuideSofia has 28 self-guided audio tours for Lisbon. You play them on your own phone in the GuideSofia app and walk at your own pace.
Do the Lisbon audio guides work offline?
Yes. Download your itinerary and audio guides over Wi-Fi, then use them outdoors with GPS without spending mobile data.
Which languages are the Lisbon guides in?
The guides on this page are published in English, Portuguese, Spanish, French, German and Italian. Each card shows which languages that guide has. In the app, the guide is narrated in 30+ languages.
Is it free?
The GuideSofia app is free to download, and it's free to start your first tour.
Where should I start?
If it's your first visit, start with Lisbon's Highlights. If you only have one morning, take Castelo and Alfama: it covers the castle, the cathedral and the oldest streets in the city.
How many days do I need for Lisbon?
Three days is enough to walk the main guides without rushing: Baixa, Chiado and Alfama on day one, Belém on day two, and Tram 28 or Bairro Alto on day three. Add a day if you want to go to Sintra.
Can I ask the guide questions?
Yes. Open the chat in the app and ask about what you are looking at, local history, food or nearby places.
Take Lisbon in your pocket
Download GuideSofia, pick a guide and start walking. It's free to start your first tour.