“I’m not good with hills,” I told Nuno when we met for my guided run of Lisbon.
He smiled, but I can only imagine what he was thinking. Lisbon’s nickname is “The City of Seven Hills.” Telling a Lisboeta you’re not good with hills is like telling a Phoenician you’re not good with heat or a Tampeño you’re not good with humidity. These are defining characteristics of their cities.
Nuno assured me we’d go slow and the hills would be worth it for the views. We did. And they were.
Let’s go running!
Fit To Be Tiled
It was a short downhill jog from my hotel to the Marqués de Pombal statue, where we turned onto the magnificent—and relatively flat—Avenida da Liberdade. It’s a grand boulevard in the style of the Champs-Élysées, but wider, greener, and lined with calçadas, the distinctive black-and-white mosaic walkways Lisbon is known for.
We followed the calçada to Praça dos Restauradores, a massive square named for the Restorers—Restauradores in Portuguese—who restored Portuguese independence by rebelling against the Iberian Union.1
Continuing along the calçada, we passed one of the most beautiful train station facades in the world and ended up in Rossio Square.
Meet Nuno
I can’t believe I’ve gotten this far without introducing you to Nuno, my guide from Lisbon Running Tours. He’s the perfect guy to have at your side when you’re exploring a new city in sneakers: personable, knowledgeable, and encouraging. He loves Lisbon, and he enjoys introducing the city to visitors.
If you’re heading to Lisbon, contact Nuno and set up a run. Tell him Dave sent you.
Now that you’ve met Nuno, let’s continue our tour.
Alfama-O-Rama
Goodbye, wide avenues and relatively flat terrain. Hello, Alfama, the historic center of Lisbon. Here, the streets are narrow and follow no rhyme or reason. I was glad to have Nuno lead the way because I’d be lost if I were alone.2
Nuno pointed out a few sites, including a museum dedicated to fado, a musical genre that has become part of Lisbon’s identity like how jazz has become part of New Orleans’. I listened to some fado when I returned to my hotel and found it melodic and melancholy. It’s a unique Lisbonense art form that hasn’t yet been repackaged and repurposed by American artists.
Wait. Spoke too soon.
Oh Madonna, I could never get mad at you. You brought ballroom to the masses. Perhaps you’ll introduce fado to a wider audience too.3
On the Waterfront
From Alfama, we ran to Praça do Comércio, a massive and somewhat spartan square facing the harbor. Nuno said King Carlos I was assassinated here in 1908. The monarchy went into exile after the Portuguese Revolution of 1910 and was never invited back.4
Legs Lift Us Up Where We Belong
Nuno and I then headed for the Santa Justa Elevator. People often compare it to the Eiffel Tower, but they shouldn’t, because this is a beauty pageant that the Santa Justa Elevator can never win. Sorry, Lisbon.
But let’s not take anything away from Santa Justa; just because it’s wearing a First Alternate sash doesn’t make it any less charming. It’s hard not to appreciate a 150-foot-tall testament to the groundbreaking engineering, advanced ironwork, and gothic design cues of the late 1800s.
The elevator takes you from Baixa to Largo do Carmo—a trip of about seven stories. How long does the ride take? I have no idea, because Nuno and I skipped the elevator and pushed ourselves up a series of steep streets to reach the top.
We weren’t done with our ascent. We headed further uphill to reach the Miradouro de São Pedro de Alcântara in Bairro Alto. Lisbon spread out beneath us, a hilly jumble of red roofs, white façades, and green spaces coming to life under the rising sun.
You’ll want to embiggen this pano photo. Just click on it.
Here are some non-embiggable photos:
The Home Stretch
We hung out at the overlook for a few minutes to enjoy the view before resuming our run. Our route took us past several university buildings and museums, including the National Museum of Natural History and Science. Nuno explained that this area of Lisbon was meaningful for him because his mom was a chemist, and he was raised to appreciate education and science.
We turned right onto Rua Braamcamp—yes, that’s how it’s spelled—and then left onto Rua Castilho. After 90 minutes of hills, history, and huffing and puffing, we were back where we started.
I did better with the hills than I thought I would. I’ll be more inclined to run on inclines in the future.
Yeah, I hear you groaning. Let me apologize for that atrocious pun with a pretty good metaphor.
Lisbon, like life, has lots of ups and downs. The uphill stretches are challenging and will leave you achy, but the views, like Nuno promised, are worth it.
Route and Recap
- Distance: 5.3 miles (8.5 kilometers)
- Temperature: 49° F (9.5° C)
- Elevation gain: 340 feet (103 meters)5
- Number of pastéis de nata eaten later that day: Let’s say three because that sounds sensible, even though it was probably closer to five.6
Footnotes
- It was kind of the Brexit of its time. ↩︎
- “But, Dave, you have an iPhone,” I hear you say. That’s true, so there’s no need to send out a search party. However, Siri has been very ditzy recently. If I had said, “Siri, directions to Iberostar,” it would probably respond, “Now playing ‘Baby, I’m a Star.’” ↩︎
- More Madonna fado: “Welcome to My Fado Club,” and “Fado Pechincha.” ↩︎
- A story not unlike that of Jerry Lee Lewis, who was banned from the Grand Ole Opry in 1973 and forbidden to return. Except, instead of assassination, the reason for exile was cursing. ↩︎
- It felt like more. ↩︎
- OK, it was more than that. Those things are incredible and the best ones are in Lisbon. Try not to drool all over your screen as you check out these photos: ↩︎
