between bairro alto and the city that opens up below
You walk up or take the tram, via the Elevador da Glória, which has been running between Restauradores and the top of the hill since 1885. The moment you step off the funicular, the city is in front of you: the Castelo de São Jorge with its crown of pines at the summit, the Baixa, Mouraria, the river in the distance. The Miradouro de São Pedro de Alcântara is one of the few points in Lisboa where the panorama opens more than 180 degrees to the east.
The garden has two levels. The upper one is the most visited: it has a 1952 azulejo panel that identifies the monuments on the skyline and a baroque fountain that came from the Palácio da Bemposta when it was converted into the Military Academy. The lower level, with its geometric layout, has busts of figures from Greco-Roman mythology such as Minerva and Ulisses. It's a garden with its own substance, not just a stopping point.
The place works differently at different times depending on who's using it. In the morning, people pass through. In the afternoon, people stay. At dusk, when the city lights come on and the castle takes on another dimension, São Pedro de Alcântara fills with people who came to see exactly this.
what you'll find
- azulejo panel with a city map and identification of visible monuments
- baroque fountain in the centre of the upper garden, with its own history
- lower level with geometric garden and classical sculpture
- the Elevador da Glória right next to it, to get back down without the climb
