Lisbon

The Alfama is the soul of Lisbon — the city's oldest quarter, a labyrinth of narrow, stepped streets, tiled houses and hidden squares that tumbles down the hill below São Jorge Castle, largely spared by the 1755 earthquake. Getting lost in it is the point: washing hangs between balconies, cats doze in doorways, and around every corner a miradouro (like Santa Luzia or Portas do Sol) opens a view over the river and rooftops. The hilltop São Jorge Castle, a Moorish citadel with ramparts to walk and peacocks in its grounds, gives the widest panorama of the city. And after dark the Alfama is the home of fado, Portugal's hauntingly beautiful, UNESCO-listed song of longing (saudade), performed in intimate taverns over dinner — the Fado Museum nearby tells its story. The vintage Tram 28, which grinds up through the Alfama and across the city's hills, is itself one of Lisbon's great experiences.

West along the Tagus, Belém is where Portugal's seafaring history is written in stone, and two UNESCO World Heritage monuments anchor it. The Jerónimos Monastery, a masterpiece of the ornate, maritime-themed Manueline style, was built with the riches of the spice trade and shelters the tomb of the explorer Vasco da Gama beneath its soaring cloister and church. On the riverbank, the fanciful Belém Tower, a fortified Manueline gateway, once guarded the harbour from which the caravels set sail, and the great Monument to the Discoveries lines the water with the figures of Portugal's navigators. The area also holds the modern MAAT art-and-architecture museum, the lavish Coach Museum, and — essential — the original Pastéis de Belém bakery, serving the warm, cinnamon-dusted custard tarts (pastéis de nata) from a secret recipe since 1837. Belém makes a rich half-day, easily reached by tram or train along the river.

Central Lisbon is made for wandering. The Baixa, rebuilt on an elegant grid after the 1755 earthquake, runs from the grand riverfront Praça do Comércio up the pedestrian Rua Augusta (under its triumphal arch) to the lively squares of Rossio and Figueira, with the wrought-iron Santa Justa Lift climbing to the ruined Carmo Convent. Above it, Chiado's belle-époque cafés (the historic A Brasileira), bookshops and theatres give way to the steep, bohemian Bairro Alto, quiet by day and packed with bars and restaurants by night. Lisbon's hills mean viewpoints everywhere — the miradouros of São Pedro de Alcântara, Senhora do Monte and Graça are sunset rituals with a drink in hand. And the food is a joy: grilled sardines and bacalhau (salt cod) cooked a hundred ways, fresh seafood, the bustling Time Out Market food hall at Cais do Sodré, the petiscos (Portuguese tapas) of the tascas, and pastéis de nata everywhere — all washed down with vinho verde, Douro reds and a glass of cherry ginjinha.

Lisbon is the springboard for some of Portugal's most magical escapes. Half an hour away by train, Sintra is a UNESCO World Heritage wonderland of palaces and gardens set in a cool, forested hill range — the candy-coloured, fantastical Pena Palace on its peak, the romantic gardens and initiation well of Quinta da Regaleira, the Moorish castle ruins and the lavish Monserrate estate — easily one of the best day trips in Europe. Along the Atlantic coast, the elegant resort towns of Cascais and Estoril offer beaches, a marina and a seaside promenade, with the wild cliffs of Cabo da Roca, mainland Europe's westernmost point, nearby. Back in the city, the modern riverside Parque das Nações, built for Expo '98, holds the superb Oceanário (one of the world's great aquariums), a cable car and contemporary architecture, while the LX Factory under the 25 de Abril Bridge has reinvented an old industrial site as a hub of shops, restaurants and street art. Boat trips and the ferry to the south bank reveal Lisbon's beautiful relationship with its river.