São Jorge Castle

People lived on this hilltop from the 7th century BC. The Moors built the fortress in the mid-11th century, and Portugal's first king, Afonso Henriques, took it on 25 October 1147. From the 13th to the 16th century the royal palace of the Alcáçova stood inside the walls, until the earthquake of 1755 partly destroyed it. Restored in 1938–1940, the castle is a National Monument.

Walk the walls between the towers of the castle proper, look out over the Baixa and the Tagus from the Praça de Armas, and climb the Tower of Ulysses, where a periscope shows Lisbon live. The archaeological site, with remains from the 7th century BC, 11th-century Moorish houses and the ruins of the Counts of Santiago's palace, is shown on the castle's own guided tour.