Fado Route

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.