Bairro Alto

Bairro Alto, literally the “High Quarter”, serves as a residential, shopping and entertainment district for Lisbon’s fashionable crowd and contains many of the city’s liveliest restaurants and bars. Oriented towards the city’s alternative countercultures, here you will find something for all tastes: Punk, Gay, Metal, Goth, Hip Hop and Reggae to name but a few. Fado is also a big part of the quarter’s charm, but try to avoid the more overtly touristy Fado establishments where passers-by are ushered into expensive Fado bars by smart suited managers. This staged Fado is often found in restaurants and clubs around Bairro Alto but the best Fado houses are mostly off the beaten track. See our listing in this guide of places where Fado can be enjoyed.

An interesting new feature of Bairro Alto is its status as a fashion hub for Portugal’s fledgling designers – each year the district presents a raft of edgy designers to Lisbon’s annual fashion event Moda Lisboa, which is also the event that opens up its more established fashion houses to global scrutiny. Enjoy the atmosphere of Praça Luis de Camões, a square in the lower end of the ancient quarter, which borders the more upmarket Chiado, then ascent Bairro Alto’s narrow streets filled with trendy bars and pint sized quirky boutiques. Among the hip bars lie plenty of quaint traditional dives, such as the cafe Adega do Ribatejo.