São Jorge Castle

Helpful Guide

Dec 5, 2024 — 1 min read

Photo by Chirill Ceban / Unsplash

Sitting on Lisbon's highest hill like a crown, this castle has seen it all. The Visigoths built here first, then the Moors upgraded it, and finally the Portuguese kings turned it into a royal palace. During the 1755 earthquake, people who ran up here for safety had the best view of the city's destruction. The castle's peacocks (introduced in the 1940s) now own the place, strutting around like they built it themselves. The name 'São Jorge' only came in the 1370s, when English crusaders helped the Portuguese and brought their patron saint along. (Tip: go at sunset and head to the Camera Obscura tower for a 360° periscope view of Lisbon in real-time.)

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