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.
Lower Alfama: From the River to Fado: audio walk in Lisbon
Twelve stops through lower Alfama, from the Conceição Velha to the Museu do Fado: a church with another church's door, a palace that became a salt cod warehouse, an olive tree with a Nobel laureate's ashes, a fountain whose spouts were shared out by status, sex and skin colour, a Jewish quarter with a curfew, and how fado went from the tavern to the professional licence card.
What this walk is about
Lower Alfama lived off the river and its water: quays, fountains, baths and tanneries. This walk starts at a church that carries another church's door and a third one's name, built over a synagogue that stood in a different street. It passes a palace covered in diamond points that smelled of salt cod for decades, and the olive tree where Saramago lies, then enters the neighbourhood by the fountain where a regulation of 1551 shared out the spouts by status, sex and the colour of your skin. It carries on through the Jewish quarter of the evening bell, the fishermen's church and the streets of the knife-carrying faia, and ends at the Museu do Fado, once a water pumping station, with what happened to fado when the State decided to keep an eye on it.
- Start
- The borrowed doorway
- Finish
- A licence to sing fado
- Who it is for
- A walk for anyone curious about social history and fado and music. You don’t need any prior knowledge.
- Languages
- Spanish and British English
- Underfoot
- The walk is mostly level. 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 borrowed doorway
- 2
Diamonds and cod
- 3
The olive tree from Azinhaga
- 4
A boat beneath the square
- 5
A different spout for different people
- 6
The Jewish quarter at the evening bell
- 7
The parish that moved house
- 8
The archangel's fishermen
- 9
A knife and a guitar
- 10
Baths, leather and a duke
- 11
Bronze horses and a water pump
- 12
A licence to sing fado
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.
From the Rossio to the Mouraria: the Inquisition, 1506 and fado
In 1506, in a chapel by the Rossio, someone said the glow on a crucifix was only a candle.
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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One city per person. All its Podtour routes in Spanish and English. Available at launch. Offer details.