Castelo de São Jorge (St. George's Castle)

Hilltop castle above Alfama: walls, towers and a wide view of the river

Listing reviewed October 2026 · Confirm hours and prices with the official venue before visiting

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Opening Hours

09:00 - 18:00

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Admission Price

€17 per adult

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Visit Duration

1–2 hours

About This Attraction

Castelo de São Jorge sits at the top of the hill that rises behind the cruise terminal. It is about 1.2 km away, but the walk takes around 22 minutes and climbs steeply the whole way through Alfama, so many passengers take a taxi or tuk-tuk to the gate (about 10 minutes) and walk back down. The main entrance is on Rua de Santa Cruz do Castelo. Bus 737 from Praça da Figueira stops at Chão da Feira, two minutes from the gate; Tram 28E stops at Miradouro de Santa Luzia and Largo Portas do Sol, about five minutes' walk below. Buy your ticket online through BOL, the castle's only authorised online seller. Ticket holders skip the ticket-office queue and go straight to the entrance, which matters most between about 10:00 and 15:00, when ship excursions arrive. If your ship docks early, the 09:00 opening is the calmest time. With an hour inside, go first to the main terrace for the view over the Baixa, the river and the 25 de Abril Bridge, then climb the walls and towers of the castle proper. The ticket includes the 'Discovering the Castle' guided tour, in English at 11:00 and 15:00 daily (plus 16:00 from March to October and 18:00 from May to August), and a 20-minute Camera Obscura session in Ulysses Tower. Both are first come, first served at the ticket office, and the archaeological site can only be seen on the guided tour. Skip the Camera Obscura on an overcast day: it depends on the weather and only runs from late morning to early afternoon. Do not plan around the museum either; the castle has announced that it is temporarily closed while its toilet facilities are upgraded. Much of what you walk on is a 20th-century reconstruction on medieval foundations. The views, not the interiors, are the reason to come.

History

The hill was settled from at least the 7th century BC, and the Moors built the fortified citadel here in the 11th century. Afonso Henriques took it in 1147 with the help of crusaders sailing to the Holy Land, and the castle became a royal residence. In the early 16th century Manuel I moved the court to the new Ribeira Palace by the river, and the castle declined. The 1755 earthquake left much of it in ruins. From 1938 the Estado Novo regime cleared later buildings and rebuilt the walls to a romanticised medieval look. Excavations since the 1990s have uncovered a Moorish neighbourhood and the ruins of the last palace on the site, destroyed in 1755.

Why It Matters

This is where Lisbon grew up as a defended settlement and where Portugal's early kings lived, and it explains the layout of the old city: citadel on top, Alfama and Mouraria spilling down the slopes, the river below. For a visitor, the terraces give the clearest overview of central Lisbon, which makes the rest of a short port day easier to navigate.

Photo Gallery

Castelo de São Jorge (St. George's Castle). Photo: Jakub Hałun, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

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Tips for Cruise PassengersEssential Info

About 22 minutes of steep uphill walking from the terminal; a taxi to the gate is the easiest approach. The main terraces are reachable, but the walls and towers involve steep, uneven stairs.

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Time from port: 2.5–3 hours including a taxi up and a walk back down through Alfama

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Buy tickets online from BOL, the only authorised online seller; ticket holders skip the ticket-office queue and go straight to the entrance on Rua de Santa Cruz do Castelo.

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Take a taxi or tuk-tuk up (about 10 minutes from the terminal) and walk down through Alfama afterwards; the 22-minute walk up is steep all the way.

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Bus 737 from Praça da Figueira stops at Chão da Feira, two minutes from the gate; Tram 28E stops at Santa Luzia and Portas do Sol, about five minutes' walk below.

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Arrive at the 09:00 opening if you can: ship excursions fill the terraces from mid-morning to mid-afternoon.

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The included English guided tour runs at 11:00 and 15:00 daily (also 16:00 March–October and 18:00 May–August); sign up at the ticket office, first come, first served.

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The Camera Obscura is weather dependent and runs only from 11:00 until 13:00–16:00 depending on the month; skip it on a grey day.

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Closed on 1 January, 1 May and 24, 25 and 31 December; on those days, see the walls from the Portas do Sol viewpoint instead.

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The castle has announced toilet upgrades (with the museum closed meanwhile), so use the facilities on the ship or in a café before you go up.

What Makes This Special

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Main terrace with views over the Baixa, the Tagus and the 25 de Abril Bridge
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Walls and towers of the castle proper (towers may close earlier in the evening for safety)
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'Discovering the Castle' guided tour included in the ticket (English at 11:00 and 15:00 daily)
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Camera Obscura in Ulysses Tower: a 20-minute guided session with live 360° views of the city
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Archaeological site with Iron Age and Moorish remains and the ruins of the last palace (guided tour only)
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Peacocks and other birds in the shaded gardens

Getting There

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Address

Rua de Santa Cruz do Castelo, Lisbon

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From Cruise Port

About 1.2 km from the terminal, but around 22 minutes of steep uphill walking through Alfama. Taxi or tuk-tuk to the gate takes about 10 minutes; bus 737 runs up to the castle from Praça da Figueira.

straighten1215m (22 min walk)