![\"Get](\"https:\/\/assets2.devourtours.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/off-the-beaten-path-Lisbon-1.png\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n1. The Other Fernando Pessoa Statue<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Even people who\u2019ve never heard of the Portuguese Modernist author sit for pictures next to his bronze statue outside Caf\u00e9 A Brasileira.<\/a> It\u2019s like a rite of passage for all tourists visiting Chiado<\/a> for the first time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But, less than five minutes away, walk down the street that leads to Lisbon\u2019s Opera House (Teatro de S\u00e3o Carlos<\/a>) and you\u2019ll find another statue of Fernando Pessoa with his head stuck inside a book. He was an avid reader and constantly studying besides writing in Portuguese and English. The location isn\u2019t an accident either. Pessoa was born in that building on June 13, 1888, St. Anthony\u2019s and Lisbon\u2019s day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Known as the city of seven hills, Lisbon isn\u2019t short on official and unofficial viewpoints (miradouros<\/em>). It doesn\u2019t take much more than a gentle inclination to take a peek at terracotta rooftops stretching down to the Tagus River. Bridge 25 de Abril, the one that so many call a Golden Gate lookalike, is not a bad sight either.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But how do you see it from the top without crossing the river to Cristo Rei in Almada? You go to the cemetery, the Cemit\u00e9rio dos Prazeres<\/a> to be more precise. The largest cemetery in Lisbon and a great place for enthusiasts of Baroque style funeral architecture is also a great spot to see the bridge from the top. And it\u2019s just a bus or tram ride away from the city center.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Carris\u2019 mustard yellow trams are the city\u2019s most iconic symbol. And, yet, tourists seem to obsess with riding only the Lisbon tram 28<\/a>. Tram 24, though, is a win from locals who fought to recover the old route from Cais do Sodr\u00e9 to Campolide after 23 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For now, tram 24 connects Campolide to Largo Cam\u00f5es, but there are plans to expand the route to its previous course. Before, to reach the Rato and Amoreiras neighborhoods from Lisbon\u2019s center was a nuisance. It meant catching a Metro and switching lines or taking a bus and it wasn\u2019t the most straightforward of trips. Now, locals reach their destinations faster and visitors get to visit a part of the city they\u2019d otherwise neglect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Until his passing in 2018, Portuguese artist J\u00falio Pomar never ceased to create, to learn, and to admire younger generations. What started as a workshop grew into a museum, right across the street from the artist’s home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The old warehouse housing the now Atelier Museu J\u00falio Pomar<\/a> was remodelled by renowned architect Siza Vieira. The work and the building come together under the same line of thought of both creators: everything is done with a purpose. Hard to reach and without a single parking space, it’s a museum for the curious and explorers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The best meals and the best petiscos in Lisbon<\/a> are served at a tasca<\/em><\/a>. Guidebooks mention a handful of them, usually the most popular, but we at Devour Lisbon think they don\u2019t mention them enough.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tascas<\/em> are typically family-owned, serve huge portions, are affordable, and will most likely have a waiter (or the owner) concerned with your appetite or your health if you don\u2019t finish your meal. It\u2019s not a place for fussy eaters. D\u00e9cor style can be described as all-over-the-place-ish with a touch of grandmother\u2019s kitchen. The daily menu (and sometimes the check in the end) is scribbled on a paper towel. Always noisy and always crowded, tascas<\/em> usually open for lunch only. Oh and there\u2019s always room for one more at the table.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Brigadeiro<\/em> is probably Brazil\u2019s most famous sweet treat outside the country. It\u2019s a super simple concoction of condensed milk, powder chocolate and butter that ticks all the marks of a dessert in the shape of a tiny ball. Turn a corner in Lisbon, and the South American sweets are closer than you expect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If resisting this sugary temptation wasn\u2019t enough, a team of two sisters opened up a sweets shop selling only brigadeiros<\/em> but with a Portuguese twist. Have a childhood dessert you\u2019d like to see in a brigadeiro<\/em>? Challenge them and they will make it. For the holidays, BrigaDoce<\/a> has brigadeiros<\/em> made with classic Portuguese Christmas sweets rabanadas<\/em> and bolo rei<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ask a local what the best food in Lisbon<\/a> is and they\u2019ll probably include bacalhau \u00e0 br\u00e1s<\/em><\/a> in a long list of options. When it comes to Portuguese food, the list is always long. But this poses two questions: where do you eat the best bacalhau \u00e0 br\u00e1s<\/em> in town and when do you find it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Well, the answer is the same to both: Varina da Madragoa<\/a>. This hard-to-find tasca<\/em> serves the best bacalhau \u00e1 br\u00e1s<\/em> in Lisbon, every day of the week, even if it\u2019s not on the daily specials menu. Don\u2019t be shy. Just go ahead and ask for it. Beware that portions are big! And don\u2019t overthink what\u2019s the secret that makes it the best bacalhau \u00e0 br\u00e1s<\/em> because, if you ask nicely, the waiter will spill the beans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Bordallo Pinheiro was a 19th-century ceramist known for its naturalist and realist pieces. In the present time, the factory with his name is also a well-known brand that still produces those iconic pieces. Dishware shaped as cabbage leaves is common in many Portuguese households.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But, at Museu de Lisboa – Pal\u00e1cio Pimenta<\/a>, giant ceramic creatures took over the garden named after the artist. Empty fountains house toads and crabs, snakes hide in the bushes and climb walls, and a scared cat stands on a wall as a flock of swallows land on the chimney. Inside the museum, if you have time for a detour from this unusual garden, visit the replica of Lisbon before the 1755 earthquake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Most travels start with a book, and not necessarily a guidebook. In Lisbon, if you want to get lost in the world without leaving the city or if you\u2019re looking for a specific travel book, there\u2019s only one place to go. Palavra de Viajante<\/a> is a niche bookstore that sells only books and some merchandise related to travel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The trip begins the minute you step through the door because the store has one designated area for each continent. It\u2019s not only easier to find what you\u2019re looking for but it also allows you to fall in love with one part of the world at a time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The reason why Lisboetas<\/em> talk about the 1755 earthquake so much is that it completely changed the course of history. And of Lisbon, as we know it. After the tragedy, the city and its residents learned to reinvent themselves and they\u2019ve been doing so since then. Eager to find a piece of that \u201cold\u201d Lisbon, tourists often find themselves in love with the viewpoints, narrow streets, patios, and restaurants in Alfama<\/a>. Here, in the city\u2019s oldest neighborhood, they can hear Lisbon\u2019s heartbeat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Most of Alfama survived the earthquake intact but, over the years, those buildings were replaced with newer constructions as the city grew. Except for one. Number 22 of Rua dos Cegos is over 500 years old and is officially the oldest house in Alfama and Lisbon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"Get](\"https:\/\/assets2.devourtours.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/lisbon-off-the-beaten-path-fernando-pessoa-statue-2.jpg\")
2. The Alternative View to 25 de Abril Bridge<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"View](\"https:\/\/assets2.devourtours.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/lisbon-off-the-beaten-path-cemiterio-prazeres-2.jpg\")
3. Riding Tram 24<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"Tram](\"https:\/\/assets2.devourtours.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/lisbon-tram-28-tram-24-as-alternative-1.jpg\")
4. An Art Museum That\u2019s a Work of Art<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"The](\"https:\/\/assets2.devourtours.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/lisbon-off-the-beaten-path-julio-pomar-2.jpg\")
5. Tascas, tascas, tascas<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
6. Outrageously Delicious Brigadeiros<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
7. Bacalhau \u00e0 Br\u00e1s Every Day<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
8. Giant Ceramic Animals in a Garden<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"Giant](\"https:\/\/assets2.devourtours.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/lisbon-off-the-beaten-path-palacio-pimenta-1.jpg\")
9. A Bookstore for Travelers<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"Inside](\"https:\/\/assets2.devourtours.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/lisbon-off-the-beaten-path-palavra-de-viajante.jpg\")
10. The Oldest House in Alfama<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"One](\"https:\/\/assets2.devourtours.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/lisbon-off-the-beaten-path-oldest-house-alfama-before-earthquake-1.jpg\")