Welcome To Lisbon’s Sky High Castle!

Yes, cross what was once a drawbridge over the moat, and it leads to a fascinating slice of history and architecture in Lisbon – It’s the Sao Jorge Castle, also known as St. Georges Castle!

“Have Fun Storming The Castle!”

Obvious I know, but it’s my blog so I can take these liberties…you see, this castle rests atop one of Lisbon’s highest hills – there are 9 in all in the city, and from the top you can see all of Lisbon below – here’s how the castle looks from below:

São Jorge Castle, known in English as Saint George’s Castle, is the historic castle in the Portuguese capital of Lisbon. It has a rich past and it one of the top tourist destinations for anyone coming to Portugal.

I took this shot from another hilltop nearby, and it’s quite impressive.

According to the official website, human occupation of the castle hill dates to at least the 8th century BC – while the first fortifications built there date from the 1st century BC!

Well, Alex just had to see how the castle folks lived! We walked almost a mile up the steep hill to the entrance, where we got advance tickets and avoided a VERY LONG line, then headed in!

After one more picture outside, Alex and I headed across the bridge:

As you can see, the interior between the high walls and the main structure is immense.

The first fortification was, presumably, erected in 48 BC, when Lisbon was classified as a Roman municipality!

You can climb up the stone steps inside to the top of the castle, where you can look out and see far far away:

Alex went to the other side and got me guarding this part of the city, then we decided to perform guard duty together:

Imagine if it was your job to scan the horizon, and the city streets below, for any suspicious activity!

Alex and I walked around the entire perimeter of the castle – fascinating views in all directions…

You can walk along the entire rim of the castle, seeing how they were fortified in all directions to ward off enemies – here’s a bit of the interior of the castle:

Yes, if you were defending the castle, this would have been your view out…and inside, the castle is huge!

From the top you can see Lisbon’s famous 25 de Abril bridge – their “Golden Gate” bridge as well as the “Cristo Rei Christ” religious statue that looms on the left:

We had a great time seeing history up close – oh, and did you know that there are dozens of Peacocks who live on the castle grounds?

Many are in the trees above the grounds…check out this video:

After leaving the castle, we had to get our Tuk Tun to take us to the highest point in Lisbon!

I will be sharing that trip as well – just as I shared our trip outside Lisbon to tour another very colorful castle!

Pena Palace also had spectacular views and you can see them all here:

While in Sintra, you must do this as well:

These moorish castle ruins are fun to hike – and steep as well!

Click for our tour:

Back in Lisbon, we were just beginning to explore this truly amazing city:

The mosaic tiles that line all of the central streets are beautiful – you can get mesmerized by them – take a look:

Oh, and did I say anything about the food?

We ate at the city’s most famous crustacean restaurant – where they serve a steak sandwich for dessert!

Click here to see more of this amazing meal!

This city was breathtaking – and the countryside is as well…and so clear – from the Moorish castle, you could actually see Lisbon’s famous “25 de Abril” bridge that crosses the Tagus river…

We crossed that bridge and ate at an amazing restaurant that was literally ON the water:

Dig in with us as we eat the incredible food at Ponto Final!

Click here for pics and videos!

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