Look down, footwear of choice for Lisbon locals is the hiking shoe. Walking in this city is not for the faint of heart. Now, look up, hills are the landscape that define Lisbon and gives its' fascination. At all times during a trek around Lisbon you will find yourself somewhere on a mile long hill, either on the top, middle, or bottom. To take advantage of these verandas, the city has in place, some 15+ viewing points. In Portuguese, we say 'Miradouros.' Atop the Miradouros you can expect artisan like vistas of the city. You will see sprawling ceramic rooftops, sun kissed skies and breathe air scented with pine. These alcoves are known mainly by locals and every neighboorhood in the city has winding streets that seem to dead end or has staircases that look like they go up and up, and up into oblivian. Along these mysterious paths are Lisbon's hidden gems. Sun bathed public space teeming with lovers, families, friends, and hipsters, enjoying company and crisp summer breezes that caress the hillsides. Crowds gather daily at Miradouro 'Santa Catarina,' locally known as 'Adamastor,' a look toward the Tejo River and 25th of April bridge. Nearest, to Santa Catarina and situated to see directly into the valley floor and city center is the multileveled Miraduoro 'Sao Pedro de Alcantara'. From the vantage point of Sao Pedro, five other miradouros can be seen. On weekend nights you can hear live jazz in the courtyards while having a cold cerveja served up from cafes located in most of the parks. I would only suggest people training to climb Mount Everest, to walk up and down Lisbon and locate all its' stunning Miradouros. To test this theory I went on a 7 hour walk with my roommate to the most well known of the viewpoints and only managed to see 6. The mission felt like I had journeyed the entire camino de Santiago de Compostela in one day. My suggestion is to see these magnificent outposts by taking the King of the Hills tour with WHTT. You can leave your hiking boots at the hotel and have a local guide drive you up and down (and sometimes on the side) of the city's palisades. After the tour is done your legs are still fresh to dance the night away, or just to walk up the ten flights of stairs back to your accommodation.
By JT