Like Barcelona, Amsterdam and many other European capitals, Lisbon is sometimes a victim of its popularity and suffers from an illness now well known to travellers: the mass tourism that hits its historic hyper-centre, where most museums, monuments and points of interest.
However, some Lisbon nuggets remain preserved from the constant influx of visitors from all over the world, most often because of their relative remoteness or a location poorly served by public transport.
To discover
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If you want to get off the beaten track, here is our selection of places shunned by tourists.
Between palaces with baroque gardens, convent crossing the ages and perils, refreshing underground cistern, bucolic cemetery or romantic urban park, the Portuguese capital contains some little-known gems whose secrets we reveal to you.
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Convento dos Cardaes, the convent that spans the centuries
With its carved gilded wood, its azulejos panels and its statuary, the Cardaes convent is an ode to Portuguese Baroque.
J Vicente
A little gem nestled in the heart of the Bairro Alto district, better known for its hectic nightlife than for its religious buildings, the Convent of the Cardaes (or Cardais, thistle in French) is one of the few Lisbon monuments to have emerged unscathed from the great earthquake. of land of 1755. Founded in 1681 to accommodate the sisters of the Discalced Carmelite Order and dedicated to the cult of the Spanish Carmelite Saint Teresa of Avila, it contains a rich collection of marvelously preserved azulejos and very beautiful paintings from the 17th century. and 18th centuries, which contrast with the austerity of its exterior.
A curiosity: the convent also survived the extinction of the religious orders decided in 1834. Its monastic activity has therefore been uninterrupted since its creation, an unusual fact in Portugal.
Transformed into an asylum for the needy (especially the blind), it was entrusted to an association and to the care of a community of Dominican sisters in 1877. Four of them still live there, as well as 32 boarders, severely handicapped women housed in old cells.
You will probably come across them during your visit to this lively convent, which includes, among other things, the church, the cloisters, the oratory, the sacristy and the refectory.
Do not leave the place without passing by the small shop of jams, marmalades and "piri piri" peppers made by the sisters.
Convento dos Cardaes
, Rua de O Século 123, 1200-434 Lisbon.
Guided (and exciting) tour in French.
Read alsoWhat to do and what to visit in Lisbon, from the Jeronimos Monastery to Saint George's Castle
Estrela Garden, the loveliest in Lisbon
The very family-friendly Estrela garden and its exuberant vegetation invite you to take a nature break in the heart of Lisbon.
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Family-friendly and full of charm, of English inspiration, the very romantic Jardin d'Estrela is one of the most popular green spaces for Lisbon residents.
It may even be their favorite public garden… Inaugurated in 1852, its 4.7 hectares were then favored by Queen D. Maria II, who liked to walk her offspring there.
With its dragon trees, its cedars of Lebanon, its century-old jacarandas and the star of the place, a gigantic fig tree from Australia (
Ficus macrophylla
), the Jardin d'Estrela is a botanical marvel.
And the perfect place for a family moment, sheltered from the bustle of the capital.
Children will particularly appreciate the playgrounds reserved for them, the ducks and swans gliding peacefully on the waters of its small lakes and the exuberance of its vegetation.
Adults will fall under the spell of its majestic wrought iron kiosk, the oldest in town, its bucolic and relaxing calm, without missing out on the possibility of having a drink there, while keeping an eye on the playgrounds!
Picnic allowed on the lawns of the park.
Events are frequently held there on weekends, especially in the summer.
Be sure to visit the nearby Estrela Basilica and its panoramic terrace.
Estrela Garden, Praça da Estrela 12, 1200-694 Lisbon.
Read alsoSintra: palaces, castles... Our unmissable sites to visit at the gates of Lisbon
Cemitério dos Prazeres, the Portuguese “Père-Lachaise”
The Prazeres cemetery houses the vaults of many Portuguese and foreign personalities.
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All things considered, the “cemetery of pleasures” (
cemitério dos prazeres
) is the equivalent of our Parisian Père-Lachaise.
Founded in 1833 to respond to a violent cholera epidemic, this cemetery almost exclusively made up of mausoleums (including the largest in Europe) occupies some 12 hectares on an exceptional site, overlooking the Tagus.
An invitation to contemplation, it is home to the largest and oldest concentration of cypress trees in the Iberian Peninsula (more than 7,000 trees) and enjoys a superb view of the 25th of April Bridge.
The Italian writer Antonio Tabucchi, the Portuguese ex-president Mario Soares, the painter Columbano Bordalo Pinheiro or the (too) young singer Sara Carreira are some of the Portuguese and foreign personalities who rest there in peace.
Don't miss its chapel, its collection of funerary ritual objects and its former autopsy room.
Cemitério dos Prazeres, Praça São João Bosco 568, 1350-295 Lisbon.
Palacio Fronteira, the palace still inhabited
The azulejo panels in the gardens and the Fronteira Palace are among the most beautiful in Lisbon.
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Located in the outlying district of Benfica, on the edge of Monsanto Park, the Fronteira Palace is well worth the little effort required to get there.
This former hunting lodge and vacation residence of João Mascarenhas, first Marquess of Fronteira, is still inhabited by his descendants, but some of its rooms can be visited.
This is the case for its ceremonial rooms, its arts terrace and its chapel.
Built in 1671 and enlarged after the earthquake of 1755, it contains a splendid collection of azulejos, among the most beautiful in Lisbon.
The garden and its sublime panels illustrating period country scenes, of Baroque inspiration, are in themselves worth the trip.
Open to the public by appointment, the palace library contains some 3,000 works, some of which date from the 16th century.
Compulsory guided tours (except for the garden), in French and in English.
Palacio da Fronteira
, Largo São Domingos de Benfica, 1500-554 Lisbon.
Reservatório do Patriarchal, aquatic melody in the basement
The bowels of Lisbon, right in the historic city centre.
Water Museum / Photo press
The "Patriarchal" reservoir extends its underground galleries from a huge octagonal cistern, under the Principe Real garden, in the historic district of the same name.
The work of the French engineer Louis-Charles Mary, built between 1860 and 1864, this 800 m3 cistern was intended to supply the lower town (Baixa), which it did until the end of the 1940s.
Completely renovated in the 1990s, the reservoir is part of the Water Museum, managed by the Portuguese Water Company.
Its 31 pillars, 9.25 m high, support a vault on which rests the fountain in the Principe Real square.
The entrance is in the garden, where a route begins on a gallery of some 400 meters, to the viewpoint of São Pedro de Alcântara and its view of the Baixa and the São Jorge castle.
An original and refreshing break when the mercury takes off in Lisbon.
Reservatório do Patriarchal
, Praça do Príncipe Real, 1250-184 Lisbon.
Saturday visit only.
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