Alfama

Alfama is the neighbourhood that makes people fall for Lisbon. Spilling down the hillside between the castle and the river, it is the oldest quarter of the city, and its tangle of lanes, stairways and blind alleys still follows the street plan of Moorish Lisbon — the name itself comes from Arabic. Because it sits on solid rock, Alfama largely survived the 1755 earthquake that destroyed the Baixa below, so this is where you feel the pre-modern city: houses faced in patterned azulejo tiles, washing strung between balconies, wrought-iron lamps, little churches, and squares the size of a living room where neighbours gossip on doorsteps and old men play cards. The way to see it is on foot and without a plan. Start at the top, at the Miradouro de Santa Luzia, a terrace with a bougainvillea-draped pergola and tiled panels, and the adjacent Largo das Portas do Sol, where the view drops over a jumble of red roofs and white walls to the domes of São Vicente and Santa Engrácia and the wide blue Tagus. Then simply walk downhill, following whatever stairway looks most interesting, until you reach the riverfront near the Fado Museum. Along the way you will pass the Sé, tiny grocery shops, tascas grilling fish on the street, and churches that open at unpredictable hours. Twice a week, on Tuesdays and Saturdays, the Feira da Ladra flea market fills the Campo de Santa Clara on the Alfama's eastern edge. At night the neighbourhood belongs to fado, Lisbon's song of longing, which you can hear in small restaurants where the lights dim and silence is demanded for every song.

Alfama rewards the curious but it helps to have a few anchors. The two viewpoints, Santa Luzia and Portas do Sol, are on the tram 28 route and make the obvious starting point; they are free, open at all hours, and at their most beautiful early in the morning or in the hour before sunset. From there, the Rua de São Miguel and the lanes around the Largo de São Rafael and the Beco do Carneiro lead deep into the old quarter; the Church of São Miguel and the little square in front of it are lovely places to pause. Further east, the monastery of São Vicente de Fora and the white dome of the National Pantheon at Santa Engrácia rise above the Feira da Ladra market, and to the north the neighbouring hill of Graça has two more superb viewpoints, the Miradouro da Graça and the higher Senhora do Monte.

This is a lived-in neighbourhood rather than a museum, and it has changed fast as short-term rentals have replaced long-time residents in many buildings. Be a good guest: keep voices down in the narrow lanes at night, do not photograph people's homes or laundry through open windows, and buy from the small shops and cafés that keep local life going. In June, Alfama is the epicentre of the Festas de Lisboa and the feast of Saint Anthony, when the streets are hung with garlands, every corner has a grill of sardines, and the party runs until dawn, especially on the night of 12 June. It is spectacular and very crowded.

For fado, choose a small house where music is the point and the menu is secondary. Expect a set price or minimum spend, a meal that is decent rather than memorable, and several sets through the evening with the room falling silent for each singer. Reserve ahead for good tables, arrive for the first set or go later for a more local crowd, and if you prefer just the music, look for the informal fado vadio nights where amateurs take turns. The Fado Museum on the Largo do Chafariz de Dentro, at the bottom of the hill, is the best introduction to what you are hearing.