Hi! I hope everyone is doing good despite the summer heat. It’s getting really hot in Japan and occasionally it’s raining and everything is getting humid. I’m going to share some photos I took at Sao Jorge Castle in Lisbon, the capital of Portugal.
How to get there
Sao Jorge Castle or Castelo de S. Jorge is located at the hill-top overlooking the city centre. The location is really strategic and there’s a lot of access to the castle. If you want to avoid walking though hills and steep slope, I’d suggest you to take a tram or bus. Tram: Miradouro Santa Luzia, line 28. Bus: Castelo, line 737.
I took a subway, and the nearest station is Castelo. It takes around 10 minutes walk, not including the steep slope, to reach the castle top. It’s tiring, but I choose the subway because I want to walk around the street of Lisbon. You can see a lot of colorful walls and mural on the slope to the Castle.
The Castle opens for public 7 days a week from 9AM to 6PM (until 9PM on summer) and it costs around €8.50 for adults entrance fee. Typically people spends half day in the castle because the whole area is quite big, and there’re lot of restaurants and bars around the castle.
Sao Jorge Castle
This medieval castle stands in the middle of the capital, making it’s one of the emblematic landmark of Lisbon. You can see the fantastic sunset from the castle and the city view is beautiful as well.
The castle was built by the Moors during the 11th century and over the years, it went through a lot of fortification.
(right: entrance of the castle)
By the way, do you know the differences between Palace and Castle? I just learnt it when I went to Europe. Palace is usually where the royals reside and Castle is usually for defence / military purpose. For that reasons, Palace is usually more colorful and full of decorations because it also symbolises the owner’s wealth.
There’re a lot of stairways in this castle which will takes you to reach the walkway atop the wall and the towers, and you’ll get a magnificent view of Lisbon. In one of the tower, you’ll find a camera obscura which will allow you to see 360 views of the city.
My experience
I came there in May, when the Jacaranda trees normally bloom. You’ll find a lot of these purple-colored flowers everywhere in the city, including the castle.
If you’re tired, you can rest at restaurants or bars around the castle. The view is also lovely and colorful.
On my visit, I saw two wild peacocks around the castle. That was my very first time seeing peacocks really close to me.
(such majestic, much wow!)
And one of them was sitting on top of the castle wall and honestly… it looks much more photogenic than I do hahaha.
tl;dr
I think this castle is worth-visiting. The location is really strategic and it has a lot of access. Moreover, this castle is one of the landmark of Lisbon. Might not be the most beautiful castle in Portugal, but the view is also stunning!
There’re are also some other landmark around this castle, so plan your visit well so you won’t waste time on the road.
Ciao, see you on the next post. As usual, your comments will be very appreciated.