The ancient history and culture from medieval period remains pristine in the secret quarter; Mouraria.

I kept falling in love with Lisbon as I walk through the colorful neighborhoods, narrow cobbled streets  and pretty black and white marbled pavements.

I love how everything is centered and you can reach almost anywhere on foot.

The only time I took the train was to go to Belem; not to go to the tower but to have the original and most delicious Pasteis de Nata. 😛

It is believed that only 5 monks know the original recipe of the delicious Pasteis De Nata.

So, because I had only 24 hours in Lisbon, (initially planned for 3 days) I decided to just walk around the streets and skip other places for another day.

Mouraria

Mouraria is Lisbon’s off the beaten neighborhood that is a must visit especially if you want to get away from the crowded Al Fama. I saw only a handful of tourists walking through Mouraria.

Mouraria was a Moorish district and one out of two quarter that was not destroyed by the great Lisbon earthquake and tsunami which affected Spain and other countries in 1755.

This is because Mouraria is located on a hill and it also leads to the highest point in Lisbon that gives you a nice overview of the city; at the Mount of Our Lady.

Mouraria is believed to be the birthplace of Fado as well as the birthplace of the famous fado performer; Amalia  Rodrigues. You will find colorful street arts of many Fado musicians as you walk through the narrow alleys.

What struck me most is that the Moorish architecture and are still evident and intact after centuries; not only in Mouraria, all around Lisbon. It’s a beautiful contrast of architecture.

Currently, it is home to many immigrants from China, Mozambique, India and others. These immigrants run hush hush restaurant businesses to avoid tax.

They open up their home as a business and it is quite discreet as there isn’t any signboard or advertising that promotes the restaurant. It mainly goes by word of mouth or if you can spot people eating on a table through the window which may seem like a restaurant arrangement.

How to get around:

Lisbon is very centered so you can get almost anywhere on foot. If you do need to take public transport, avoid the bus. Lisbon’s infrastructure has many narrow alleyways and streets that are used for cars, tram, and buses. The traffic is quite heavy in Lisbon so it is always best to take the train/metro.

Also, due to heavy traffic, there isn’t any set bus schedules and delays are very common.

I definitely owe Portugal another visit. I am yet to visit Sintra, Algarve, Porto, Douro River Valley, Azores and a lot more!

Is there any particular neighborhood you loved most in Lisbon?! Comment below 🙂

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