Lisbon / 20 photo spots
20 Instagram spots around Lisbon
Lisbon’s hills and riverfront bring together viewpoints, gardens and architecture from different periods. These photo ideas add more places to the original selection while keeping its first ten stops intact.
The first 10 photo spots
Tiled facades, yellow trams and viewpoints on every hill: Lisbon is a steep but generous city to shoot. These 10 spots repay the climb.
Explore the map
Photo spots on the map
4 of 20 photo ideas have sourced location coordinates. The initial view is for orientation. An area marker does not indicate an exact photo position.
Select a highlighted number to show its sourced location on the map. Every name links to the photo spot.
If the map does not load, use the OpenStreetMap link or the photo spot list.
All photo spots
- Padrão dos DescobrimentosSourced place
- Lisbon CathedralSourced place
- Jardim da EstrelaApproximate area
- Carmo Archaeological MuseumSourced place
Map data: © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.
Destination reference: GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). Spot coordinates: Wikidata, CC0. Selection, association and some calculations by You, Me, Away.
Miradouro das Portas do Sol
A tiled terrace over the Alfama rooftops and the river. Mornings are quietest.
Open in Google MapsInstagram examples (1)
Pink Street – Rua Nova do Carvalho
A street paved in pink in Cais do Sodre. Shoot it empty early, since nights fill it.
Open in Google MapsInstagram examples (1)
Elevador da Bica
A yellow funicular climbing a steep lane. Catch it mid-slope from the side streets.
Open in Google MapsInstagram examples (2)
Torre de Belém
A Manueline tower on the river, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Low tide adds reflections.
Open in Google MapsInstagram examples (1)
Mosteiro dos Jerónimos
A 16th-century monastery of carved stone, UNESCO-listed since 1983. The cloisters are the interior shot, so check free Sundays.
Open in Google MapsInstagram examples (2)
Pena palace
A red-and-yellow palace in Sintra, about 30 km out. Worth the trip, and red clothing pops against the walls.
Open in Google MapsArco da Rua Augusta
A triumphal arch with a viewing deck on top. The arch frames the square from below.
Open in Google MapsInstagram examples (2)
Igreja e Convento da Graça
A church with white-and-blue tiled side rooms. The tiles are the photo.
Open in Google MapsInstagram examples (2)
Ponte 25 de Abril
A suspension bridge over the Tagus, over 2 km long. Best from the south bank at sunset.
Open in Google MapsInstagram examples (1)
Restaurant Ponto Final
A yellow-tablecloth restaurant across the river with the city view. Reserve by phone, wear yellow, stay for sunset.
Open in Google MapsInstagram examples (2)
Miradouro de São Pedro de Alcântara
This garden viewpoint looks across Lisbon towards São Jorge Castle and the Baixa. Include the terrace or its trees in the foreground, then give the castle a clear place among the rooftops on the opposite hill.
Search Google MapsMiradouro do Parque Eduardo VII
The viewpoint above Parque Eduardo VII looks down the park towards Avenida da Liberdade and the Tagus. Build a vertical composition around the central axis, letting the patterned garden lead the eye towards the city.
Search Google MapsMAAT
MAAT combines a contemporary gallery with the former Central Tejo power station on the riverfront. Contrast the low gallery building with the older industrial structure, using the riverside garden to connect them in one composition.
Search Google MapsÁguas Livres Aqueduct
The Águas Livres Aqueduct crosses the Alcântara valley on a long sequence of stone arches. Photograph the arches as a repeating rhythm, then widen the frame to show how the structure spans the valley.
Search Google MapsGulbenkian Garden
The Gulbenkian Foundation’s garden has a pond, a stream and paths among varied plants. Use the water as a quiet foreground and let a curve of the path carry the eye into the greenery.
Search Google MapsPadrão dos Descobrimentos
The Monument to the Discoveries stands beside the Tagus in Belém. Its sculpted figures and ship-like form offer two approaches: show the full silhouette against the river, or focus closely on a row of figures.
Search Google MapsLisbon Cathedral
Lisbon Cathedral has stood in the city for centuries. Photograph its exterior with part of the neighbouring street for context, then select a doorway or other architectural detail for a more intimate view.
Search Google MapsOceanário de Lisboa
The Oceanário de Lisboa presents marine life in several habitats around a central aquarium. Compose around the contrast between the large water-filled space and a smaller subject, leaving room for the surrounding blue.
Search Google MapsJardim da Estrela
Jardim da Estrela contains an iron bandstand, ponds and a variety of trees. Frame the bandstand through the greenery or use the edge of a pond to add a foreground to a garden scene.
Search Google MapsCarmo Archaeological Museum
The Carmo Archaeological Museum occupies a historic religious site at Largo do Carmo. Photograph the building’s exterior in its square, then look for the relationship between an individual stone element and the larger structure.
Search Google MapsSources for the added photo spots
- Visit Lisboa: Miradouro de São Pedro de Alcântara
- Visit Lisboa: Miradouro do Parque Eduardo VII
- MAAT: About the museum
- Visit Lisboa: Águas Livres Aqueduct
- Visit Lisboa: Garden of the Gulbenkian Foundation
- Visit Lisboa: Monument to the Discoveries
- Visit Lisboa: Lisbon Cathedral
- Oceanário de Lisboa: Official site
- Visit Lisboa: Jardim da Estrela
- Visit Lisboa: Carmo Archaeological Museum