The Bairro Alto -- Like the Alfama, the Bairro Alto (Upper City) preserves the characteristics of the Lisbon of yore. In location and population, it once was the heart of the city. Many of its buildings survived the 1755 earthquake. Today it's home to some of the finest fado cafes in Lisbon, making it a center of nightlife. It's also a fascinating place to visit during the day, when its charming, narrow cobblestone streets and alleys lined with ancient buildings can be appreciated in the warm light coming off the sea.

Originally called Vila Nova de Andrade, the area was started in 1513 when the Andrade family bought part of the huge Santa Catarina and then sold the land as construction plots. Early buyers were carpenters, merchants, and ship caulkers. Some of them immediately resold their land to aristocrats, and little by little noble families moved to the quarter. The Jesuits followed, moving from their modest College of Mouraria to new headquarters at the Monastery of São Roque, where the Misericórdia (social assistance to the poor) of Lisbon proceeds today. The Bairro Alto gradually became a working-class section. Today the quarter is also the domain of journalists -- most of the big newspapers' plants are here. Writers and artists have been drawn here to live and work, attracted by the ambience and the good local cuisine.

The area is resoundingly colorful. From the windows and balconies, streamers of laundry hang out to dry, and there are cages of canaries, parrots, parakeets, and other birds. In the morning, housewives hit the food markets, following the cries of the varinas (fishmongers) and other vendors. Women lounge in doorways or lean on windowsills to watch the world go by.

This area comes alive at night, luring visitors and natives with fado, food, dance clubs, and small bars. Lisbon's taverns, the tascas, abound, together with more deluxe eateries. Victorian lanterns light the streets, and people stroll leisurely.

Churches -- "If you want to see all of the churches of Lisbon, you'd better be prepared to stay here for a few months," a guide once told a tourist. True enough, the string of churches seems endless.