St George's Castle and its walls

What it is and what you see

St George's Castle occupies the highest hill in the historic centre of Lisbon, above Alfama. It was a Muslim citadel, the residence of the kings of Portugal after the Christian conquest of 1147 and then barracks; today it is a national monument. It preserves eleven towers and walls with the typical layout of Islamic military architecture.

The visit has four parts:

• The walls: stone stairs climb to the wall-walk and the towers, and you can go right round the enclosure. It is the best part of the visit, with the whole city at your feet, the Tagus and the 25 de Abril bridge.
• The gardens and the parade ground: pines, olive trees and shaded benches, with the viewpoint over the Baixa.
• The museum site: objects found in the excavations of the citadel.
• The archaeological site: remains of Islamic houses and of the palace of the Counts of Santiago, destroyed in the earthquake of 1755. You can only enter on the guided tour.

Opening hours

From March to October it is open every day from 9:00 to 21:00, with last entry at 20:30. From November to February, from 9:00 to 18:00, with last entry at 17:30. On 31 December it closes at 13:00. It is not open on 1 January, 1 May or 24 and 25 December.

Tickets and prices

General entry costs €15 for over-26s. Young people from 13 to 25 pay €7.50, over-65s €12.50, and children up to 12 enter free. With the Lisboa Card you do not pay. It is bought on the official website or at the ticket office at the entrance.

The ticket includes the one-hour guided tour "Discover the Castle" and the camera obscura session, of about 20 minutes, which projects a live view of the city and depends on the weather. Both have limited places and you sign up at the ticket office in order of arrival. The guided tour is in English and Portuguese: in English, every day at 11:00 and 15:00, plus 16:00 from March to October and 18:00 from May to August.

How long

An hour and a half to see the walls, gardens and museum. If you add the guided tour and the camera obscura, count two and a half hours.

How to get there

Walking up from the Baixa is a long climb. To save yourself the slopes, use the public lifts: the Castelo one is entered from Rua dos Fanqueiros 176, and the Chão do Loureiro one from Largo do Caldas, and it leaves you at Costa do Castelo, a few minutes from the gate. From Rossio metro it is about eleven minutes' walk this way.

By bus, the 737 leaves from Praça da Figueira and stops at Chão da Feira, two minutes from the entrance. On tram 28, get off at the Santa Luzia viewpoint or Portas do Sol and walk up about five minutes. The nearest car parks are those at Portas do Sol and Chão do Loureiro, about five minutes' walk away; the castle district has narrow streets and it is best not to drive in.

Accessibility and with children

The ground is earth and cobbles, with many stairs up to the towers; the walls are not wheelchair accessible, but much of the gardens is. People with reduced mobility arriving by car can park inside: you must request an access code from EMEL the day before and call the ticket office (+351 218 800 620). There are guided tours with audio description and in Portuguese Sign Language on announced dates.

Children like the walls and the peacocks that roam loose in the gardens, but keep an eye on them on the wall-walk and on the stairs of the towers. From May to October, on the last Sunday of each month there are family activities.