Roman and Medieval Lisbon: A Self-Guided Audio Tour

You will start your audio-guided walking tour at the Castelo de Sao Jorge, or St. George's Castle. This is the highest spot on the hill called "St. George" after the castle. With your headphones, you will be listening to your guide, Context Travel expert, Veronica Lacomi, share the history of this location with you. Veronica is a PhD archaeologist who is living in Portugal.

On route during your walking tour, you will stop at the impressive Arco do Castelo. This is the limit of the old citadel. Nowadays the place is often used by residents or visiting artists to showcase their art.

You will stop here and find a spot to look at the ruins of the theatre. The building was plausibly erected at the time of Augustus, at the end of the Ist c. BC. Ancient Olisipo had by then already gained its full Roman name: Felicitas Iulia Olisipo. It seems that the name was given by Julius Caesar, and it isn't surprising that Caesar's adoptive son and successor Augustus favoured the city and promoted its development in favour of the Roman influence. Hear more from your guide, Veronica on the history of this theatre.

You can choose to stay on the steps to marvel at the Lisbon Cathedral or take a seat at a small park on your right if you're facing the cathedral. The park has benches where you can sit with a view of the cathedral. This area is usually quite crowded with street vendors, but don't worry, there's a nice kiosk with bar service. Moreover, this is one of the most convenient spots to take breathtaking pictures of the famous tram #28, one of the icons of modern Lisbon. At this stop, your audio guide, Veronica will tell you about the archeological ruins in this area. You'll hear about the construction of the cathedral.

You will climb a few stairs to reach one of the most famous miradouros of Lisbon, where "miradouro" stands for "panoramic viewpoint, or terrace with a view." This lookout point is named Miradouro de Santa Luzia named after the church of St. Lucia which will be in front of you. Your audio guide, Veronica will tell you about the azulejos, the typical Portuguese tin-glazed ceramic tilework. From here, you'll walk the terrace to the right of the church. The one overlooking the city. As you approach, you'll have a wonderful view of the Tagus river. It's not uncommon for buskers to choose this place to perform their music, and overall this is considered a quite romantic spot!

Enjoy more views from the iconic panoramic terrace known as Miradouro das Portas do Sol. It owes its name to the presence of an ancient city gate, called "do Sol," which means "of the sun," since it was located in the easternmost part of the old city. The terrace offers you a view, again, over the Mar da Palha but, if you get closer to the parapet, you have a stunning view from above of one of the oldest districts of Lisbon: the Alfama district. You will hear about the Alfama district, learning more about the history and location from your audio guide, Veronica.

While you walk, please notice the massive wall on your right. It's part of what is known as "Cerca Velha," or "Old city wall" of Lisbon, built around the 11th century during the Moorish period and covering approximately the ancient outline of the late Roman city walls of Olisipo. Marvel at The ceiling of this passage, which has been decorated with a lovely mural by Lisbon-born artist Nuno Saraiva. Like in a comic strip, you can see the whole history of Lisbon unfolding in front of your eyes. The story starts on the right-hand side at the top right, where you'll find reference to the old legend that says Ulysses, the Greek hero, would have reached the mouth of the Tagus during his peregrinations after the Trojan War, and in some myths, he's regarded as the first real founder of the city later to become Lisbon.

This audio-guided walking tour ends in this elegant and welcoming place, commonly known as Rossio, despite the actual name being Praça dom Pedro IV. Pedro IV was the king of Portugal for a short time, and he's better known as Pedro I of Brazil. Hear Veronica explain the curious history of Pedro I of Brazil. You'll also hear some interesting archaeological facts about this area before ending the tour.