Fado Route

Maria da Mouraria, the only fado house in the neighbourhood of the same name, is housed in the building where Severa, the first ever fado singer according to legend, once lived. Totally refurbished but very cosy, you can snack and dine here and from 9.30 pm there’s live fado and the magic of earlier times returns.

Largo das Portas do Sol opens to the south in the viewing spot by the same name, from where you can see everything that inspires fado. Recommended for tourists, poets, dilettantes, photographers, lovers, landscape engineers, bohemians, artists, fado singers and all other pilgrims.

Glued to the balcony that surrounds it is a pavement café with a kiosk serving iced sangria and chicken and tuna wraps amongst other snacks at reasonable prices. 

This funicular travels up from Rua de S. Paulo and Largo da Calhariz through Bica, one of Lisbon’s most traditional quarters. From the window you glimpse the old houses, with their lines full of colourful clothes and flower-filled balconies, and the people going about their daily lives, amid the simple eateries and the toiling locals.

When you reach the verandas of this viewing point, with their walls lined with tiles and a trellis covered with bougainvilleas, you realise the magic of the place. The view of the river and Alfama, where the facade of the church of Santo Estêvão, the towers of the church of São Miguel and the dome of the church of Santa Engrácia (actually outside the bounds of the neighbourhood) particularly stand out, make it the perfect place to lightly sing a romantic fado in your lover’s ear.

This is a place which oozes fado history. It was here that Alfredo Marceneiro was acclaimed the King of Fado in 1947 and Amália Rodrigues recorded a live album in 1992 titled Amália no Café Luso. Founded in 1927, "Café Luso" in Avenida da Liberdade has been relocated in the heart of Bairro Alto since 1940. 

Home to one of the most stunning views of the downtown area of Lisbon. It consists of two levels linked by a stone stairway. The first is full of trees and contains a tile panel that reproduces the view and a beautiful fountain in the middle. The lower level features a garden in a geometric pattern and busts of gods and the Portuguese heroes from the age of the maritime discoveries.

Founded in 1937 by Armando Machado, a guitar player and composer, and his wife the singer Maria de Lourdes, Adega Machado is one of the greatest bastions of fado in Bairro Alto. Amália, Maria da Fé and Mariza are some of the renowned fado singers who have performed here, while the long list of illustrious customers includes Kirk Douglas and the Brazilian actress Sónia Braga.

Located on the dividing line between Mouraria and the Castelo quarter, this viewing point is on the top of a building which was once the local market. From it you can see the downtown area of Lisbon and the river and you can sit and enjoy a drink or even eat a full meal as there’s a restaurant on the spot.

Mário Pacheco, the renowned guitarist and composer, has created a mecca for lovers of fado. He has called it a club to suggest that it is a place where good taste and good company come together. This restaurant has a vaulted ceiling, stone columns and a Moorish well. And every night off its age-old walls echo the sounds of the musicians, the Trio de Guitarras de Mário Pacheco, and, of course, fado.

The National Pantheon was formerly a church, built in 1568. It was almost destroyed by a storm about a century later and the work to restore it was only finished in 1966. Under its dome stands a majestic nave decorated with coloured marble and it is here, since July 2001, that Amália Rodrigues has had her final resting place.

With a terrace and traditional-style atmosphere, visitors to this pleasant restaurant can sample snacks or dine in full on traditional Portuguese specialities such as bacalhau (salted cod) and skewered veal accompanied by the best local wines. Every day there’s live fado and there are special prices for groups.

A Severa has been run by the same family for three generations and lives up to the name it has adopted – that of the mythical figure who is considered the first great professional fado singer: Maria Severa Onofriana (1820-1846). This is a place where tradition is also felt at the table and the cult of fado can be seen in every detail.

This 16th-century building, once home to the counts of Linhares, was heavily damaged by the earthquake that shook Lisbon in 1755. Very little remains of its original look, but the restoration gave it the 18th-century charm that we now recognise. Today, Casa de Linhares is one of the most prestigious fado houses in Alfama.

Once home to coal and wine merchants, over time this establishment was gradually converted into a fado house. Today, located at one of the main points of entry into the Alfama quarter, the restaurant belongs to the fado singer Maria Jô-Jô and is recognised as a place of historic and symbolic importance.

At this venue, located in one of the most charming zones in downtown Lisbon, you can enjoy an hour or so of live fado. In the intimate atmosphere with excellent acoustics, the experience will be one of the most memorable you can have while visiting the city.

Housed in the 18th-century Palácio Ludovice, this luxury bar is a place where you can try different categories and types of port and Douro wine. There is a magnificent tasting room lined with tiles from the original building. In the evening, after a tour of the downtown area, this is a great spot to take a rest.

Housed in the Palácio da Senhora de Murça, near the cathedral, Páteo de Alfama follows the contours of the walls of Lisbon. It is built onto a section of the cerca velha, Lisbon’s first city walls constructed in the 5th century by the Romans, an archaeological treasure that gives it a very special charm. The menu consists of daily performances of fado and folklore.

This house, where Amália Rodrigues lived for 50 years, has been kept just as she left it. The idea is to give visitors an authentic experience so that they can gain an insight into her more private life and imagine what her evenings spent with friends and guitar playing must have been like. They also serve meals and snacks at the Amália Rodrigues House Museum and brunch on the terrace on Sundays.

Its website states: “If you have the spirit of a fado singer, even if you’re an amateur, you’ll sing it well... because you do it with love.” Which means that here, at this fado house in Alcântara, you can listen to both professionals and the amateurs who drop in whenever the mood takes them. Whatever the case, you’re guaranteed to hear fado in a genuine atmosphere.

This association has played a key role in regenerating Mouraria from a social and cultural point of view. It organises events that promote the multiculturalism typical of this neighbourhood where people from all over the world live and work. It has a cosy cafeteria with stimulating music and lots of insider information for those interested in getting to know Mouraria.