Santiago de Alfama

Top choice in Alfama, Castelo & Graça


In 2015 Dutch hospitality dreamer Heleen Uitenbroek turned a ruined 15th-century palace into luxury sleeps at this 19-room bastion of style. It's airy and awash in light pinewoods and contemporary art, and exquisite attention to detail is everywhere, from the Santiago-cross-inspired tile flooring and textured bathroom tiling to an encased glass hallway revealing uncovered Roman steps.

Rooms feature king-size beds graced with luxury Sampedro linens, Claus Porto bathroom amenities and the occasional deep soaking tub or pop-art surprise from the likes of Banksy or Roy Lichtenstein. It's steps from Miradouro de Santa Luzia and is also home to a refined cafe, a bar, and an excellent restaurant and salon.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Alfama, Castelo & Graça attractions

1. Miradouro de Santa Luzia

0.05 MILES

From bougainvillea-clad Miradouro de Santa Luzia, your gaze drifts over a mosaic of rooftops and spires to the river below.

2. Museu de Artes Decorativas

0.06 MILES

Set in a petite 17th-century palace, this museum creaks under the weight of treasures including blingy French silverware, priceless Qing vases and Indo…

3. Largo das Portas do Sol

0.07 MILES

This original Moorish gateway affords stunning angles over Alfama’s jumble of red rooftops and pastel-coloured houses, underscored by the true blue Rio…

4. Museu do Teatro Romano

0.09 MILES

The ultramodern Museu do Teatro Romano, reopened in 2015 after a two-year renovation and further excavation, catapults you back to Emperor Augustus’ rule…

5. Museu do Aljube

0.1 MILES

Both poignant and haunting, this new and highly important museum has turned the former Portuguese dictatorship's political prison of choice into a museum…

7. Sé de Lisboa

0.13 MILES

The fortress-like Sé de Lisboa is one of Lisbon’s icons, built in 1150 on the site of a mosque soon after Christians recaptured the city from the Moors…

8. Gothic Cloister

0.14 MILES

History buffs shouldn’t miss the less-visited Gothic cloister inside Sé de Lisboa, which opens onto a deep pit full of archaeological excavations going…