Travel icon: Lisbon, Portugal

With the beats of Eurovision only just fading, Lisbon’s other captivating highs take centre stage once again – and not all require thighs of steel to see them

Rise to new heights in the other ‘City of Seven Hills’ – a historic, terracotta-topped capital where the views are as dramatic as its history

Get orientated

Lisbon may be known for steep-sided streets lined with cathedrals, terracotta-topped buildings and ornate façades, but its ‘City of Seven Hills’ title is more than a stab at geographical fact. It shares the sobriquet with Rome, which is hardly surprising given it has history as a former Roman stronghold.

The nickname, however, was coined far later by 17th-century friar Nicolau de Oliveira, who also took a few liberties – for a start, he ignored the eighth hill, Graca. Since then, growth of the city has embraced countless more, with iron funiculars, lifts and vintage wooden trams helping people up its tricky cobbles.

Lisbon today is a capital where views all but take precedence. Travellers ride its slopes to the many miradouros (lookouts) for vistas of the labyrinthine streets below. And with the city fresh out from under the glare of Eurovision, there’s no better time to discover its often dizzying high points.

Getting there & around

Many airlines fly direct from the UK to Lisbon, taking around 2.75 hours and with return fares from £46. The city has a comprehensive public transport network, consisting of buses, trams, funiculars and a Metro system. Single journeys cost €1.85 (buses; £1.60) and €2.90 (trams; £2.55), with only return fares available on funiculars (€3.70/£3.20). For the Metro, buy a Viva Viagem card (€0.50/45p) and top it up like an Oyster card. This is valid on all other forms of transport in the city, as is the day pass (€6.30/£5.45), which also allows unlimited use.

The visit

Lisbon is a city of miradouros, all of which are great fun for visitors. The most iconic isn’t to be found atop its natural hills, though, but the Santa Justa Lift. Completed in 1902, it serves to skip the steep curves found between the classical avenues of Baixa district and the bustling cafés of Chiado, and sold 3,000 tickets on its opening day, as locals sought to put their sweaty hill climbs behind them.

Wrought iron was all the rage in the early 1900s and the lift’s engineer, Raoul Mesnier du Ponsard, channelled the great Gustave Eiffel in creating a neo-gothic masterpiece. Hitching a ride (€5/£4.30 return) is a thrill in itself, but the masterstroke was topping it with a viewing platform, serving up prime views of Baixa’s leafy boulevards and airy plazas.

However, it’s far from the only vista in town. Portas do Sol’s overview looms over twisting alleys and the whitewashed Se Cathedral, while gazing from the tiered gardens of São Pedro de Alcântara to the medieval Rossio Square is worth the climb. The hill of Graca – the one the friar ‘forgot’ – affords a closeup glimpse of the tree-fringed São Jorge Castle, too.

Travel is full of highs, but few are as charming as those of Lisbon – even if your legs feel otherwise.