Off The Beaten Path In Lisbon - The Neighborhood of Alvalade
When we're staying in one spot for 91 Days it gives us time to explore some areas which are on on everyone's bucket list. Exploring a rather unassuming neighborhood like Alvalade in Lisbon. We had a wonderful day and you can read all about it on our Lisbon Travel Blog where this article was published first, just today.
isbon is such a monumental city that it can be overwhelming. What’s around this corner? Another ancient church with another fascinating history that I’ll want to spend hours learning all about? Ain’t nobody got time for it all! So, it was almost a relief to be exploring the neighborhood of Alvalade, where the biggest “sight” is an everyday produce market. Alvalade is Lisbon at its most regular… and that’s exactly why we loved it.
Alvalade is found due north of the city center, before you cross the highway and arrive at the airport. It’s a rather new residential development, featuring mostly three-story buildings constructed in the 1950s. There’s a church, a legion of cafes and shops, a metro station, a boulevard with heavy traffic, and a lively, small-town atmosphere.
The centerpiece of the neighborhood is the Mercado de Alvalade, which is one of those rarest of Lisbon sights: a market hall whose primary function is still the selling of meat and produce. We weren’t shopping for groceries, but loved the stands with their fresh fish on ice, and carefully arranged displays of fruits.
After touring the market, we walked down to the São João de Brito, a narrow, gable-shaped church built in 1955, and then started to weave in and around the streets of Alvalade. With rational blocks, this neighborhood shares none of the chaos of Lisbon’s more ancient quarters, but that was fine. The stores are down-to-earth, with a refreshing paucity of chains. There’s a McDonald’s, of course, but many more regular tascas and cafes. We took a break at Pastelaria Carcassone, which has been around for over 30 years; it’s the kind of place which is perfect precisely because there’s nothing special about it… well, and because the sweets are amazing.
It’s hard to recommend a specific visit to Alvalade, since there really aren’t any memorable sights. But if you’re in Lisbon for an extended period, or if you’re looking for a comfortable place in which to live, you might want to check it out.
Locations on our Lisbon Map: Mercado de Alvalade | Church of São João de Brito | Pastelaria Carcassone
Enjoyed the marketplace video -- it's neat how they hang their #bananas up; looks more appealing, that way.
And it looked like a pretty clean place.
Also liked the image (4th one up fm bottom) that shows the White table (kind of seems t/b an #Antique ).
There in Lisbon -- in Alvalade, specifically -- the Sky appeared as a lovely blue shade [in your 1st & 2nd pics ].
Perhaps I will take 'a peek' at your #travel blog .
TAKE CARE
Thank you so much for stopping by! It's an a fun little are of Lisbon and so different from the the rest. Hope yo like our Travel Blog - we visited 19 locations For 91 Days. So we got tons of content! Have a wonderful day!
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Sometimes visiting a 'normal' neighbourhood gives you the best insight into a country
Totally agree, getting a feel for a city just by hopping one from top sight to the other is fairly hard!
Hiya, just swinging by to let you know that this post made the Honorable mentions list in today's TravelDigest
I often like those places 'without real sights', since you get a taste of 'real Lisbon' or whatever city you're staying. My first time in Lisbon was far off the beaten track too and especially restaurants get better once you skip the main roads (although I've never eaten a bad thing in Lisbon! Omnomnom!)
And ohhh Lisbonese Pastelarias <3 Pasteis everywhere!
Indeed, those Tascas further away from the main touristic areas got better and better and also cheaper and cheaper! We miss the food of Lisbon.
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