If there is one portion of Europe which was made by the sea more than the other, Portugal is that slice, that portion, that belt. Portugal was made by the Atlantic—Hillaire Beloc

In the spirit of Vasco da Gama, Portugal’s most famous explorer, my family headed to Lisbon in May of 2024. Of course da Gama had a crew of 170 sailors and four ships as he headed around Africa toward India, we on the other hand had six grandchildren in tow…who’s the real explorers here.

My son-in-law says, “All old European cities look alike, a small ancient part of the city with narrow streets that are hard to navigate, surrounding a large cathedral from medieval times, shops and cafes to draw in the tourists, an few smattering of plazas, and outer modern neighborhoods with large streets.” Now this is a rather simplistic view of European cities, but he is a realist and the dreamer in me refuses to give in to this view.

Granted we have seen a number of old cities in Europe and I would be hard pressed to immediately tell the difference if you dropped me blindfolded in the middle of one the ancient parts of Rome, Munich, Salzburg, Paris, London, Athens, Istanbul…You get the gist. Only the language and some surrounding vistas would give me a clue.

Be that as it may, I loved Lisbon. And yes it followed the pattern of the other cities, however the hills and the ocean and the river made this city different. Lisbon reminded me of San Francisco without the survivors of the Summer of Love. There are lots of vistas atop hills with views of the sea and the Tagus River, vibrant colors against a backdrop of bleached-white exteriors and redbrick tiled roofs that seem to come to life in the setting sun.

After writing many blogs, most of which involve traveling with small grandchildren and family, I have decided my blogs are not for you younger travelers or retired couples with more sense than me, moving about these cities, unfettered by the whims and needs and occassional temper tantrums of small children. After all, most of you are writing your own blogs. There are so many good travel blogs, that’s how I knew where to go in Lisbon. This is about how we handled Lisbon. We went to Portugal in early May so there were plenty of flowers in bloom to add to the beauty.

We stayed in the Alfama district of Lisbon. It’s old and an easy walk to see some of the popular sights, unless you have an aversion to walking uphill.

This is the gate to the Castle of Sao Jorge atop a large hill with a great view of Lisbon. We didn’t go in, just walked around a little, wearing out the kids. It is crowded, so get tickets before you go.

Our kids loved playing on these steps in Alfama they didn’t care about touristy stuff.

Well let’s see some touristy stuff…

The Lisbon Cathedral is located in the Alfama district of Lisbon. I loved walking through this Medieval cathedral and also going up to the top to see the views of Lisbon was special.

I love seeing the old baptistries of the cathedrals. This is the baptistry of the Lisbon Cathedral (Church of St. Mary Major).

A view from atop the Lisbon Cathedral. You can see Christ the King statue on the distant hill and the suspension bridge, 25 de Abril Bridge, connecting Lisbon to Almada spanning the Tagus River.

The famous 28 streetcar is a popular way to see the city. Of course if I knew this, many, many other people knew it too. Get in line…we didn’t. You remember… six grandchildren.

The Rua Augusta Arch was built in 1755 to commemorate the reconstruction after the 1755 earthquake. Going through this arch leads to the large Commerce Square (Praco do Comercio).

This is the Praco do Comercio. What is it about large open spaces that triggers kids to run wild, my grandkids anyway. I observed them from the top of the arch, they were easy to find, I just looked for movement.

You can go up top of the Rua Augusta Arch and stand by the sculpture.

The statue of St. Vincent, the patron saint of Lisbon, is in the Alfama district on a hill near the Lisbon Cathedral.

Iconic view of Lisbon on the Tagus River atop a hill in Alfama. It’s in a little garden behind the Santa Luzia church. Get there in late afternoon for the sun to hit the rooftops just right.

Another beautiful scene in late afternoon in Lisbon.

The Praca do Municipio, Lisbon’s city hall and public square with the spiral sculpture and octagonal platform make a great place to sit and watch people be annoyed by your grandchildren running amok.

The Pink Street with its hanging umbrellas is a quirky little surprise you may come upon.

This is a beautiful, serene little plaza outside St. Paul’s Church.

There are plenty of narrow streets that are colorful and have views of the sea and river. Notice the stone streets. Wear shoes with good tread because its get slick when they are wet.

The large Christ the King statue is worth the trip across the Tagus River to Almada.

It is a beautiful view looking back at Lisbon from the grounds of Christ the King statue.

Lisbon is a beautiful European city with wonderful views. The people are friendly and were never really intimidated by our horde of small marauders. If they could handle us, you will not be a problem.