Visiting São Jorge Castle in Lisbon: Is it worth it?
São Jorge Castle at dusk.
High up on the tallest of Lisbon’s famous hills, the prominent profile of Castelo de São Jorge (Saint George's Castle) overlooks the historical center of Lisbon. Full of historical significance, the castle also offers some pretty cool highlights - ten fairytale-like towers and walkable ramparts, sweeping views of Lisbon and the Tagus River, and even a stone bridge over a dry moat that leads to the main entrance. Nice touch.
As the main monument to ancient Lisbon, São Jorge Castle is a very popular tourist attraction. Of course this means it can get crowded - always a bit frustrating when you’re traveling. But we think the castle is worth visiting. You just might need to apply a little strategy.
In this post, we offer ideas and info for planning a satisfying experience at São Jorge Castle.
Why visit São Jorge Castle?
The hill on which São Jorge Castle stands has been a site of fortifications for centuries, pre-dating even Roman occupation, and changing hands with the dynamics of Portugal’s turbulent history. Once you see the view from there, you’ll totally appreciate the importance of this vantage point.
People walk up hill towards São Jorge Castle.
The castle as we see it today is the restored version of the 11th-century Moorish construction, the original having largely collapsed in the earthquake of 1755. With its building-block towers and walkable ramparts, it does feel old and - well, “castley”. (is that a word?)
You may be wondering why the castle is named for Saint George, the patron saint of England. This was the result of the Anglo-Portuguese Treaty in 1373. Lots of varied history here.
Besides being an interesting historical site, museum, and national monument (and home of a lively flock of peacocks!), people generally like to visit São Jorge Castle for the views. The castle is very high up and offers 360-degree views of the city and the Tagus River. We had a great sunset experience there - but more on that below.
You can purchase tickets for São Jorge Castle here
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Winter schedule: November 1–February 28/29: Open 9 AM–6 PM, with last admission at 5:30 PM
Summer schedule: March 1–October 31: Open 9 AM–9 PM, with last admission at 8:30 PM
This is a fun area to visit in general, and you won’t want to miss it, crowds or not. The oldest part of Lisbon, the Alfama district is a maze of narrow, stepped streets, winding through historic buildings and small restaurants. It’s artsy and lively, with music in the air.. And even if you don’t get to the castle for sunset, there are plenty of other great lookout spots nearby - really they are all around you..
How to get to São Jorge Castle
We walked to São Jorge from where we were staying in downtown Lisbon. You can follow the tram tracks past the Cathedral up to the castle hill.
This can take 20-30 minutes, depending on your starting point, and is a pleasant walk, but it’s important to note is a steady uphill climb. Lisbon is dubbed the “city of seven hills” and they aren’t kidding. It’s not really all that steep, but uphill nonetheless.
Luckily, there are also lots of good transportation options:
Take Bus 737 - it only costs €3 and you can tap your metro card, credit card, or phone on the validator on the bus. We took the bus back after we explored the castle and it was a very good experience.
Take the Tram - Tram 28 or Tram 12 both stop close to São Jorge Castle.
(Tram 28 is the cute historical one that tends to be packed with tourists. It looks cool but we would not recommend taking it as it gets really, really crowded - unless you are an early bird!)
Uber is also very available in Lisbon, and not overly expensive.
Tuk-tuks are ubiquitous in Lisbon, with all the hills and all the weary tourists. They are indeed “touristy” as visitors are their main customers but they aren’t a “scam”. They are a legit way to get up the hill, safe and perfectly fine to use.
Our experience at São Jorge Castle
We usually like to buy tickets for “popular attractions” ahead of time because we hate wasting time standing in queues, but since we were visiting on the same day that we had flown in, frankly, we weren’t sure how we would feel - perhaps we would be too jet-lagged. So we didn’t want to commit to a specific time, or even to going at all.
But as it turned out, we felt fine, so we went for it and arrived at São Jorge Castle looking to get tickets in person.
Well, it was very crowded as expected (note that this was Christmas week) and a very long line for in-person same-day tickets meandered out along the square in front of the castle. We looked on John’s phone for available “skip the line” timed tickets, but they were sold out for the day. So standing in line to buy tickets would be our only option if we wanted to see the castle that day.
No.Way.
Time for Plan B - we pre-purchased tickets for another day.
We used the Get Your Guide app to buy the tickets. It’s so easy to use on the phone and for most tours you can add your ticket right to your digital wallet. Dealing with digital tickets you buy ahead of time on various sites can sometimes be a little fussy, but the GYG app makes it easy.
(We are affiliates with Get Your Guide, but we were customers first, and use it ourselves all the time.)
The experience we had when we returned on that later date, I’m happy to report, turned out to be somewhat magical.
We had to schedule our visit for late in the afternoon, as we were returning to Lisbon from Porto that day by train. So, instead of visiting the castle on the first day of our Portugal vacation as thought we would, we ended up being there on our last day. But these sort of “unplanned plans” are often my favorite experiences while traveling.
There was almost no crowd to speak of as we tapped in with our digital tickets and walked right in. It was so easy to take in the lovely sweeping views as we weren’t fighting for a spot at the edge. I really couldn’t believe how easy and pleasant it all was. There were lots of contemplative moments, and photos of course! I even had a little hawk encounter while peering out over the red roofs of the city.
The early sunset of our winter visit made for a quick but magical “golden hour” and a sweet twilight as the accent lighting was switched on all along the exterior of the old fortress. The charming light made it so warm and colorful, even as the chilly air beat at the flags along the ramparts and grey-blue clouds loomed overhead. What a beautiful, picturesque scene!
It was even accented with the calls of roosting peacocks gathering in the trees as we climbed up for some last looks over the highest walls.
We were literally the last to leave - the security guards closing the imposing doors behind us. So it was time to call it a day and seek out some piri-piri chicken for a great “last night” dinner. A fine day indeed!
You can read about our favorite piri-piri chicken spot and lots of other goodies we tried in Portugal in our post What to eat when visiting Portugal
Our Tips for visiting São Jorge Castle:
Absolutely buy tickets ahead of time if you can
Try the Get Your Guide app - It makes ticket buying easy and you can add your ticket to your digital wallet and scan it at the gate.
Consider going late in the day - it will likely be less crowded after tour groups are gone, and sunsets are amazing.
Closing time varies with the season: 6pm in winter, 9pm in summer (see above)
Take the bus if walking is not going to work for you. Tap your card. And skip Tram 28.
Other things to do near São Jorge Castle
Church of Santa Cruz do Castelo (Igreja de Santa Cruz do Castelo)
Right across from the Castle, is a small historic church, the Igreja de Santa Cruz do Castelo.
It’s not a grand church - it is more important for its historic and cultural value. The current building dates from 1776 (after the 1755 earthquake of Lisbon), but a church has been on this site for many generations before that. The interior of the church is modest, but warm and colorful with a prayerful feel.
The most charming aspect of the church is the bell tower, and you can climb up the winding old steps to appreciate great panoramic views of the surrounding area from the top.
It’s an inexpensive ticket and there is generally no line, so it’s totally worth doing if you’re in the area. We wound up going up there on the first day of our trip after having ditched our first attempt at the Castle. It was a happy visit and we were in high spirits.
It’s an easy hit. And best of all - you get a free drink! We chose ginjinha - of course!!!!! (Ginjinha is a Portuguese liqueur made with sour jinga berries, an alcoholic spirit & sugar) But you can also opt for a glass of wine, a soft drink, or water.
We had a fun time climbing up and looking out from behind the bells. You can see all around the area out to the river. Cruise ships were in for the day, which is always fun to see, and we chatted with a friendly couple from London. It’s a rather small space, but it doesn’t seem to get too busy.
Just a note - If buying a ticket on an app or online, take note that it is easy to get confused as to whether you are buying a ticket to the Castle or to this Church - as Igreja de Santa Cruz do Castelo literally translates to “Church of the Holy Cross of the Castle”. So just a heads up that you might just see the word “Castelo” and think it’s the castle. ;)
Miradouro de Santa Luzia
If you don’t make it to the castle for sunset, don’t worry - there are lots of other places for great views in the Alfama district. These viewpoints are known as miradouros.
Miradouro de Santa Luzia is one of the most famous lookout points in Lisbon, where you can get a view of the whole Alfama neighborhood and Tagus River. A pretty, decorative pergola sits on top, which makes it a little tight with the crowds it attracts, but the views are great. We had to wait a few minutes for a spot at the rail but it was not long at all.
Miradouro das Portas do Sol
A larger viewpoint not far from Santa Luzia, the Miradouro das Portas do Sol is a great spot to hang out and enjoy the view. There are many tables and a snack bar kiosk. We enjoyed coffee and snacks there (the little dish of olives was particularly yummy!) and took in the very Lisbonian experience of looking out across the colorful neighborhood to the river, and watching the iconic Tram 28 pass by. (it’s actually better just to see it than to squeeze onto it!
Literally the last ones out along with the security guard (right).
So, all said, is visiting São Jorge Castle in Lisbon worth it?
We say yes. In fact, you probably shouldn’t miss it!
Need more ideas about what to do in Lisbon? Check out our blog post - Our favorite things to do in Lisbon.
This post was researched and written by Debbie of the Empty Nest Explorers. You can learn more about the Empty Nest Explorers here
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