Miradouro de santa catarina, miradouro de graca,miradouro de la senhora del monte?, miradouro de la ludia?, miradouro
Miradouro. What might this mysterious word mean? The answer is as simple and astonishing: breath taking views and some of the best photo spots ever! It is the Portuguese name for all those places in Lisbon that offer a fantastic look out over the city. There are plenty of them, and actually it would be best to visit all of them several times: during day time with the great sun shine in the background, during sun set or for some (due to the direction they are viewing) better sun rise and of course when it is dark and you can see the city lights. You are also going to find them in my Lisbon 3,5 days itinerary. Discover my favourite ones in the wonderful capital!
So, lets actually start with two Miradouros at the same time. The Miradouro da Senhora do Monte and the Miradouro da Graca. There two are situated not too far away from each other and are very popular, both amongst locals and visitors. They are both framed with trees and the sunsets are incredible there.
Probably one could say that the view from the Senhora do Monte is a bit better even as it is located a little higher and offers some more view of the harbour. In general, you can see the entire city centre of Lisbon laying in front of you. Additionally you can see the water and at the very far end the southern coast of the river Tejo, Alameda. The sun then sets behind the hills on the opposite side of Lisbon with the entire sky coloured orangy pink.
As I said, they are very popular and tend to get crowded really quickly on nice sun set evenings, so make sure to head there early to get a front row seat.
The Miradouro de Santa Catarina is in the Bairro Alto. It is overlooking the famous red bridge, the Christo Rei statue, the harbour with possibly some cruise ship and obviously lots of water. There is a little snack pavillon and a restaurant right attached to it. Lots of young locals actually come here on week ends or in the evening. It if perfect both when it is dark and during the sunshine on the day.
There is one more clearly stunning view point: It is called Miradouro de Sao Pedro de Alcantara. This one is situated pretty much at the top of the road which leads from the big central station Cais do Sodre all the way up into the Bairro Alto. It actually overlooks the entire city thanks to its very open position. It more or less consists of two levels. The lower one at the fron is a garden, while the upper one is simply an open space which luckily allows you to have a more than 180 degree view all around. You can see quite a bit into the land, while on the other side being able to look towards the water and see the entire Alfama district and the lower parts of the historic quarter. Additionally, you can even see the Miradouro da Graca and Miradouro da Senhora do Monte from here which are located on the opposite side.
RIght on its one end there is the top station of the Gloria Funicular, one of the typical yellow cabins that bring you up or down a hill. We visited the Miradouro at night which was fantastic. Due to its location, the sunset is not as impressive as the sunrise is from here, so this might be worth getting up early.
Lastly, let`s come to my very favourite view point: The Miradouro de Santa Luzia. It is simply so nicely decorated with that little water installation, the garden and the wooden framing right at the front. All these things allow for a paradise like feel and make sure you can take plenty of beautiful photos here. The view actually overlooks the harbour, the Tejo and a funicular whose top station is actually right next to the Miradouro. Santa Luzia is situated on a hill with the castle and the cathedral being not too far away.
On site is also a restaurant which is a bit hidden at the back part of the view point. I would personally recommend coming here during the day with the great sun shine completing the paradise atmosphere, but it surely also is a fantastic spot for sunset with a bottle of wine.