I looked at my sister’s face, and then at the Google Map on her smartphone.
A daunting task lay ahead of me in Lisbon. She had pulled up a route which would get us to Miradouro da Graca, a roof top viewing spot we had planned on visiting in Portugal with our respective spouses.
Except, this route entailed yet another, calorie burning uphill walk.
Lisbon is built on seven hills and was once heavily destroyed in a massive earthquake. In my overflowing enthusiasm, I had chosen to ignore the reality behind this city’s undulating topography.
But there was no escaping now, we were at the starting point and the finish line was a grand prize of breathtaking views across Lisbon’s old town. Boom, cried the gunshots in my head yet again.
This wasn’t my first uphill walk in this country, and our jaunts through Alfama had rewarded us lavishly only a day earlier.
But climbing speed is a skill I am yet to develop.
Knowing I would be trailing behind or (in high likelihood) getting distracted by something on the way, I took a few deep breaths and stepped on the gloriously winding path ahead.
Miradouro (pronounced mee-ra do-uro) means viewpoint or belvedere in Portuguese, though it actually seemed so much more.
Upon reaching Miradouro da Graca, we crossed what appeared to be a cafe / bar with several tables and found a few benches that gave us a good view of the old town. A musician played the guitar on a nearby bench and the weather was comfortably sunny. Minutes into my resting spot, I heard Bharat and my sister pointing towards another spot on a height partially shielded by a tree. They claimed that the miradouro that we were looking for was in fact the one near the tree.
Muttering a few curses to myself, I attempted to entice them to stay put, including suggesting we get a beer or coffee and admire the glorious sight in front of us. But there are somethings that I can never prevent my husband from doing, and one of them is letting go of a photographic sight.
Off we went again, to Miradouro da Sonhera. I tricked our group into entering a church en route, in the hopes of finding a short cut, but that turned out to be fruitless. Luckily, this time the walk wasn’t terrifyingly uphill, and not much of distance.
The rewards were spectacular.
We spent a good 30-40 minutes at this miradouro, relaxing on the benches, even crossing over the fences to sit on a patch of grass. Ahead of us, Lisbon laid out a sea of red roofs and a canvas so blue, we couldn’t complain.
Looking back, this was probably the best way to catch an undisturbed glimpse of the city. One that we shared with 50 other people in the same spot. But in this case it didn’t really matter. From up here, Lisbon embraced everyone alike, in a giant sweeping hug.
Quick facts:
Reach Miradouro da Graca
Reach Miradouro da Senhora
Pro tip: After all that walking, take an elevator up to the Park Bar in Bairro Alto for cocktails and out-of-this-world sunset views.
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9 Responses
Carmen's Luxury Travel
Lisbon is high up on my list! Great post, thanks for sharing. Happy travels 🙂
travelling chingrita
miradouros were something i missed when i was in lisboa. i’ll definitely take some more time to enjoy what lisbon has to offer, i loved exploring and checking out bairro alto. definitely missing portugal right now!
Supriya
Oh! You must head to one of the miradouros when you revisit portugal 🙂 We stayed in Bairro Alto and it was the best decision ever!
Lara Dunning
What a great view from the top. Portugal is on my list of places to visit. Looks like I’ll need to pack a good pair of walking/hiking shoes. 🙂
Supriya
For sure Lara – I’d have had a hard time without my sneakers. I made the mistake of taking a pair of cheap shoes to a trip to DC and had blisters all over my feet in two days. You’ll love Portugal – it’s one of the most beautiful small countries I’ve visited.
Beth | Adventuring the Great Wide Somewhere
Those views are stunning! Definitely worth the walk, and I bet you’re glad you went that extra distance! I like to dawdle on those hard walks/hikes to “take photos” aka stop to BREATHE haha!
Supriya
Haha, I’m using that excuse the next time Beth 🙂 Yes, the views were stunning and worth the walk each time.
Sher
ah i just got back from lisbon and this is bringing back such great memories. i wish i had read your post earlier so i would have known about the cocktail bar!
Supriya
Sher! Thanks for dropping by – the cocktail bar was a very cool find. The views were fabulous – just what we needed at the end of a long day, apart from the sangria of course 😉
Hope you had the best time in Lisbon.