podtour
Lower Alfama: From the River to Fado
Lower Alfama lived off the river and its water: quays, fountains, baths and tanneries.
Lisbon's Baixa: from Terreiro do Paço to the Rossio: audio walk in Lisbon
Eleven stops, flat and in the open air, from the river to the Rossio: a quay the Tagus swallowed in 1755 that its witness never actually saw, the square where shots rang out in 1908 and where nobody fired in 1974, Romans under a bank, and two myths that fall apart the moment you look.
See the walkFree route
What this walk is about
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. This walk starts beside that same river and heads up through the city that was built on top: drawn with a ruler, with a wooden cage hidden in its walls and an arch that took more than a century to finish. Along the way, a square that saw a king killed and, sixty-six years later, soldiers who refused to fire; a café that sold snow; a Roman fish-sauce factory under a bank; and two stories everyone repeats that don't survive a careful look. Free and complete.
- Start
- The quay nobody saw sink
- Finish
- An emperor in Rossio?
- Who it is for
- A good starting point for your first visit. A walk for anyone curious about city history. Plan your walk by day or at dusk. You can also enjoy it as a family. You don’t need any prior knowledge.
- Languages
- Spanish and British English
- Underfoot
- The walk is mostly level.
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 quay nobody saw sink
- 2
Raze it, then reach for a ruler
- 3
Two shots in the square
- 4
The House of Snow
- 5
An arch a century in the making
- 6
A trapdoor in the street
- 7
A ring and a Roman fish sauce
- 8
The cage inside the walls
- 9
The tower Eiffel didn't build
- 10
A sea of stone in Rossio
- 11
An emperor in Rossio?
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
Alfama, the Sé and the Castle: the Conquest of 1147 and its Legends
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.
Cais do Sodré and the Bica: spies, sailors and a giant of stone
Cais do Sodré has been a filthy beach, a quay for distinguished arrivals and Lisbon's roughest street.
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.
Your first city,
on Podtour.
Join the waitlist. When we launch, your chosen city is yours to explore.
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Your first city,
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.