I have said it before and I will say it over and over again – I absolutely love Lisbon. It is super pretty, warm, unique, and has the cutest public transport (Ola Tram 28) and amazing food & drink scene.

Lisbon’s warmth kept me bringing back to Portugal and I have done now five trips to this amazing country.

Moreover, Lisbon photographs really well because it is built on nine hills. To make things better, there are pastel-colored houses with sometimes grandmas peeping out from the windows. Especially if you’re in Alfama, Lisbon’s oldest neighborhood.

Lisbon’s prettiest streets are sloped and the adorable yellow tram 28 makes its way at a slow pace. The city has endless viewpoints so if you’re a sucker for views then you will absolutely go crazy like I did.

Recommended: Steal my Algarve Itinerary

I did a lot of research to optimize my four to three days in Lisbon to hunt for the best photo spots so that I can write this list and make it easy for you. Also, some photo spots mentioned on the internet and on Google Maps weren’t good enough so I didn’t include them.

So, this is a curated list of photo spots that aren’t far away from each other, so you don’t have to make so much effort. This is why my Instagram location guides are so famous!

Lisbon Instagram Spots

1) Miradouro de Santa Luzia

Ever seen pictures of Alfama’s pastel houses from an observation deck that’s covered with Bougainvillea? That’s Miradouro de Santa Luzia – perhaps the best viewpoint in Lisbon.

There is a sitting area and loads of pillars. The walking area in the middle has a nice arch, so the photo possibilities here are many. Not just Alfama but you can also see the Tagus River from here.

The best part is that the sitting area is curved, so you can get a slightly different view from each opening.

Because it is so good, it is usually crowded at sunset time. But hey, the best time to visit this is actually sunrise because this spot faces the East.

For me, Miradouro de Santa Luzia is really the best Instagram spot in Lisbon because one can easily include not just the landscape but also a person in a perfect 5 x 4 photo frame.

If you are like me and can’t wake up early enough to catch the sunrise, don’t worry and just come here at sunset time. You will eventually find a nice spot to sit as you enjoy the view.

2) Portas do Sol

Guess what, Portas do Sol is just 70 meters away from the first viewpoint, Miradouro de Santa Luzia. It is literally one floor above but the experience is different.

Portas do Sol is more open and there are plenty of options to grab a bench and find uninterrupted spots for photos without people.

The best part is that there’s even a bar here so you can sip your cocktail or beer and spend a few hours here like we did.

This way not only you have some amazing pictures but also an amazing evening as you watch the beauty of Lisbon during the golden hour and then the purple hour and eventually as the sky gets dark.

We ordered Caipirinha cocktails here and they were very enjoyable.

3) Rua da Bica / Elevador da Bica / Bica Funicular

Do you have a thing for pretty streets? Lisbon has many of them but this is definitely the best.

Rua da Bica is a super pretty narrow street that’s heavily slanted. There are pastel houses on each side. Cars can’t go in, because there are only tram tracks and sidewalks – the result is breathtaking.

If you are looking for a spot to photograph the adorable yellow tram 28, then this street is actually the best spot because there are no cars and the slant creates interesting possibilities. Yes, it is a famous Lisbon Instagram spot and is worth all the hype.

When I visited this street with my friend, there were a bunch of people photographing the slow-moving yellow trams as they went up and down the Elevador da Bica. That’s when we realized that the real celebrity of Lisboa is not any person but Tram 28. Wherever it goes, the paparazzi follow it.

4) Torre da Igreja do Castelo de São Jorge / Saint George’s Castle Church Tower

Can I tell you about a Lisbon travel hack? One of the most famous places to visit in Lisboa is Castelo de São Jorge – or Saint George’s Castle.

The line to enter the S. Jorge castle is always long and the entry fee is EUR 15 per person. But, you can just skip the castle, walk for a few hundred meters, and then you will reach Torre da Igreja do Castelo de São Jorge. Surprise – no line and just EUR 5 entry fee.

I have visited Lisbon twice – in 2016 and 2023. I couldn’t see Saint George’s Castle the first time because of the line, and then I was disappointed when the line was even longer on my second trip to Lisbon.

Thankfully I just crossed the line and kept walking to photograph the streets but I saw a sign to enter the church tower of Saint George’s Castle. I was so happy because my main reason to visit Castelo de São Jorge was to see the view from the top.

So I paid EUR 5, which also included a free drink of my choice. A glass of port wine later, I climbed up the spiral steps of the tower and I was standing next to a giant bell.

5) Miradouro da Graça

At first, all the viewpoints in or near Alfama appear to be the same but if you look closely, there’s something different about each one of them.

Technically, it isn’t in Alfama but in Graça. This viewpoint is near the Church of Our Lady of Grace, super close to Alfama.

I loved Miradouro da Graça because it is quieter than the first two viewpoints that I have mentioned on this list. Also, it is a bit higher than the others so one can also see the Castle up close.

You have to climb up a lot of steps to reach Miradouro da Graça, but it is so worth it because the walls around the steps are covered in graffiti and even from there you can see the view! (there are two entry staircases for Miradouro da Graça and they are both different)

The best part is that it isn’t as crowded as Miradouro de Santa Luzia or Portas do Sol. There is also a bar/cafe here on top. There’s the garden Jardim da Cerca da Graça right next to the viewpoints that also has a public toilet which was surprisingly clean.

There’s an artist that sits next to this viewpoint and I ended up buying a lovely painting of a street in Lisbon from here.

Graça viewpoint is amazing during sunset too, so make sure you make the most of your visit and not miss the golden hour here.

6) Pink Street

We all can agree on one thing by now – Lisbon is super pretty. But there’s more. This pastel city also has a Pink Street!

I will be honest – I like Lisbon’s traditional areas so much that for me Pink Street wasn’t so special. It is just a street that’s for restaurants and nightlife and is dotted with bars.

But I did realize that a few of my pictures on the pINK street turned out to be amazing.

There’s a historical arc – Arcos do Marquês that goes over the end of the Pink Street and I made my friend stand under it and clicked a few pictures. They turned out really well.

7) Santuário de Cristo Rei

There is a big statue of Jesus Christ that overlooks Lisbon from the other side of the Tagus River.

If you go there, you can also ride the elevator that goes on top and see how it looks from there. The elevator closes at 6 pm (thankfully we were there at 5:45 pm!).

The funny thing is, that this sort of reminded me of Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

And from here you can see the nearby Ponte 25 de Abril bridge. It looks just like the Golden Gate Bridge of San Fransisco. So, if you are standing at this spot, it is funny to notice how Lisbon looks like different places in different directions.

After a while, you can also walk around the garden in this area.

Suggested: Like viewpoints and Portugal? See my Ponta da Piedade hike post

8) Miradouro do Recolhimento

Wait, what – another viewpoint? Yes, because some of the best photographs one can make in Lisbon are of views and streets.

Miradouro do Recolhimento is one of the lesser visited viewpoints because it is actually a children’s park! There are a few benches and a nice sitting area that faces the view and it is a really nice view.

What’s so special about Miradouro do Recolhimento is that it is higher. As a result, you can see more of the water of the Tagus River. Moreover, there are multiple spots from where you can look down, so there are more possibilities to capture unique photos.

There is also a hexagonal sitting frame where one can sit and pose for a photo. I was alone so I only clicked selfies here!

Miradouro do Recolhimento is close to Torre da Igreja do Castelo de São Jorge, and I just found it by chance. I was lured in by the nice smelling lavender bush that’s in this park and I also found a few lemon trees.

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9) Calçada da Graça

Calçada da Graça is a pretty street that’s slanted down. You can see the blue water at the end of the street.

Calçada da Graça is close to the Graça viewpoint. Get out from there and walk to the street called Calçada da Graça and keep walking towards the direction of the water.

The street gets prettier because suddenly you will see bright pastel houses all together – yellow, pink, and blue and they are all slanted. You can click the houses along the slanted street or also the view of the street with water at the end.

10) Ler Devagar Book Store in LX Factory

There’s something about pictures clicked in bookstores. They usually blow up on Instagram because people love them.

It happened with the pictures of Carturesti Carusel in Bucharest, and then Livraria Lello in Porto, and it started in the summer of 2023 with Ler Devagar Book Store in LX Factory. But still, this place wasn’t as crowded as the Lello Bookstore in Porto (thank god) and it was actually a very good experience spending an hour here.

Not only books but Ler Devagar also has old records, art, and a printing press on the top floor.

11) Rossio Square

I liked photographing the different sides of Rossio Square much more than the nearby Praça do Comércio and Arco da Rua Augusta.

If you like playing with geometry in your shots, then the paint pattern on the road and the slanted streets give amazing results.

Rossio Square is big and the streets nearby are fun to photograph as they open into the square. There is also a water fountain in the middle and more statues everywhere.

There are tuk-tuks around, trams, and interesting roadside stands. There is also a Ginjinha stall (Portuguese sour cherry liqueur) where you can have a shot for a euro. Yes, we had more than one each!

12) Arco da Rua Augusta & Praça do Comércio

Arco da Rua Augusta is an arch that’s over a main street called “Rua Augusta”, which leads to Praça do Comércio and then the waterfront.

The Augusta arc looks different front and back. The side that faces the street has a big clock and the one that faces the sea has biblical statues.

There are yellow buildings on each side of the Augusta Arc, and with the background of blue sea water, this spot looks good even when it is crowded, which it usually is.

This entire area is full of tourists and it has high-end restaurants on both sides of the road. The historic bakery Fábrica da Nata is also here on this street where you can eat the famous creamy custard tarts of Portugal – Pastel de Nata. Honestly, they taste good in also the smaller bakeries.

The walking promenade also has an arched ceiling, so you can click some really awesome photos if you have time.

I don’t have one of me standing here because I didn’t want to ask my friend after every 10 steps to click a photo of me, because Lisbon is really such kind of a place where there’s one Instagram spot after another.

13) Terreiro do Paço

Terreiro do Paço is a ferry terminal and is elegantly designed. It has giant arched windows and from them, you can see the water.

Inside and outside, every aspect of the Terreiro do Paço building is designed in a beautiful way without being overly “frilly”. You can also sit outside as you face the Taugus River and soak in the sun.

It is a nice place to escape the crowds or the heat after walking in Lisboa. There is also a nice bar in Terreiro do Paço building and it is obviously stunning.

We actually just entered this building to use the toilet but we ended up spending a while here because it is lovely. After my visit, I was curious about this spot so I opened Google Maps and was surprised to see similar thoughts like mine reflected back by other travelers who were impressed with this place.

14) Rua de Santa Justa

Rua de Santa Justa is a pretty street in Baixa, that’s iconic because of the view of the historical Elevador De Santa Justa.

I’m not asking you to go up on the Santa Justa lift, but to admire the view of this Neo-Gothic lift tower from the street because it looks lovely.

In order to go up, you have to stand in a long line, and Lisbon already has so many viewpoints that it doesn’t make sense to stand in such a long line for one.

You can visit the area upstairs without the lift too if you walk up the steps behind the monastery. Also, the main thing here to photograph is the tower itself, which you cant do when you are up on it, right?

Elevador De Santa Justa was designed in the 1900s so that the residents of Lisboa could move from Baixa to Chaiado. The cost per person is EUR 5.60 in 2023.

15) Ponto Final, Almada

Ponto Final was made famous by Phil of “Somebody Feed Phil“, a Netflix travel series because he had an epic meal with a view here.

After that, this restaurant blew up on Instagram too.

Ponto Final is across the river on the other side of Lisbon, so you have to take a ferry to reach just like visiting Christo Rei statue. Because this restaurant faces West, it is an amazing spot to enjoy the sunset in Lisbon.

There are two restaurants by the name of Ponto Final, so you have to look for the one in Almada. It is closed on Tuesday so keep that in mind before you plan your visit.

Overall thoughts about Lisbon Instagram Spots

Lisbon has many historical landmarks, streets, and viewpoints – but I have included just 15 of the best spots which I think are the best for the purpose of photography. I haven’t included places like the Belem Tower, Jerónimos Monastery, etc.

I haven’t included Sintra because that’s outside of Lisbon and that’s a day trip away.

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