podtour
Lisbon's Baixa: from Terreiro do Paço to the Rossio
On the morning of All Saints' Day 1755, an Englishman was writing a letter when the table began to shake; not long after, from the riverbank, he saw the Tagus rise like a mountain.
Alfama, the Sé and the Castle: the Conquest of 1147 and its Legends: audio walk in Lisbon
Eleven stops uphill, from St Anthony's to the castle: what a crusader saw at the siege of 1147, two bishops killed in the same cathedral, Nero on a hillside, Ulysses as a legendary founder, and the gate that had a name before it had a hero.
What this walk is about
In 1147 a crusader wrote down what he saw at the siege of Lisbon: hunger, the dead left unburied, and a surrender pact broken by looting. It looks nothing like the heroic assault on the tiles. This walk climbs from the Church of St Anthony to the Sé, the cathedral where two bishops were killed two centuries apart; passes a Roman theatre paid for by a man of slave origin; looks out over the river from the miradouros where the legends of Ulysses and of St Vincent's ravens are told; and ends by the castle, which is a good deal younger than it looks, with the legend of Martim Moniz traced back to its first date. Every legend is told as a legend.
- Start
- The saint whose miracles came later
- Finish
- A name in search of a hero
- Who it is for
- A walk for anyone curious about Medieval history and legends and mysteries. You don’t need any prior knowledge.
- Languages
- Spanish and British English
- Underfoot
- The walk has slopes or changes in level. There are cobbles or uneven surfaces. The route notes mention stairs or steps on the walk or its approaches.
The route, stop by stop
An outline of the walk. The full stories are in the app.
Loading the map…
Open a marker to see its page. Use two fingers to move the map on mobile.
- 1
The saint whose miracles came later
- 2
The bishop inside the walls
- 3
The bell that never rang
- 4
What lies beneath the cathedral
- 5
Nero on the hillside
- 6
A founder from fiction
- 7
The tile and the eyewitness
- 8
The dead from the east
- 9
The never-ending works of Santa Engrácia
- 10
A castle remade in 1940
- 11
A name in search of a hero
Walking directions are based on mapped pedestrian routes. Check local access and signs; the route is not an accessibility guarantee. Times are approximate.
Lisbon, before you go
Light over the Tagus, patterned pavements and streets that change gradient without warning. Lisbon rewards a mixture of walking, shade and a pause to look at the river.
More walks nearby
Good to know
What is Podtour?
An app for self-guided audio walks. Choose a city and a route, then listen to the stories behind its streets. You decide when to start and when to stop.
When can I download the app?
Podtour is coming to iOS and Android. There is no confirmed launch date yet. Join the waitlist and we will let you know when it is ready.
Does Podtour include attraction tickets?
No. Street walks and monument audio tours do not include admission tickets, transport or a guide accompanying you.
Can I listen without an internet connection?
Download the audio in the app before heading out, then listen offline. Loading the online base map and calculating a new route from your location require a connection.
What languages are included?
Every route includes Spanish and British English. The English version is adapted for English-speaking travellers, rather than translated word for word.
How do I get a whole city for free?
Join the waitlist, choose a city and confirm your email address. When the app launches, we will email you with access details. No card is required. You can also try one free route in every city.
Can I buy for myself or for a group?
Yes. Your own access is included and you can choose 0–5 guests: up to 6 people including you. Each guest saves up to €0.50 on a walk, €1 on a pack or €2 on a whole city compared with buying separately. The counter shows the total before you confirm one payment.
How do I share, and when must guests accept?
After paying, share your purchase’s invitation link. Each guest opens it in Podtour and accepts their place on their own iPhone or Android phone. They must redeem it within 30 days of purchase. Unclaimed places then expire and cannot be recovered or renewed. Access accepted in time is kept. Opening the link does not use a place; one account takes just one place, and no more people can join once all places are taken.
Can I add guests after buying?
No. Choose all your guests before confirming the first purchase. Afterwards you can share the places you paid for, but you cannot increase their number or restart the 30-day deadline.
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on Podtour.
Join the waitlist and get one whole city free when Podtour launches. You choose where.
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One city per person. All its Podtour routes in Spanish and English. Available at launch. Offer details.