Graça e Penha de França

Discover Graca and Penha de Franca

Graca and Penha de Franca sit on Lisbon's eastern hills, looking out across the old city to the Tagus. The streets are calm, leafy, and architecturally rich, lined by 18th and 19th-century palaces with original azulejo facades and wrought-iron balconies. This is the Lisbon you stay in to slow down: cobblestone lanes, a tram clattering past, the smell of grilled sardines from a tasca on the corner.

What makes Graca special

Graca and Penha de Franca have stayed unmistakably local. Mornings start in tiny family-run cafes; afternoons spread out across the miradouros (lookout terraces) that catch the western sun; evenings drift into neighbourhood restaurants where the menu is whatever was good at the market that morning. Almost every street ends in a view of the river or the rooftops below.

Local gems and landmarks

Miradouro Sophia de Mello Breyner Andresen (better known as Miradouro da Graca) is a five-minute walk from our apartments. The Panteao Nacional, with its huge white dome above Santa Engracia church, is around the corner. Feira da Ladra, Lisbon's twice-weekly flea market, runs along Campo de Santa Clara every Tuesday and Saturday. Convento da Graca and Igreja de Sao Vicente de Fora anchor the skyline.

Getting around

The 28E tram (Lisbon's iconic yellow line) passes through Graca on its way between Martim Moniz and Campo de Ourique, so you can ride it from your door to the Alfama, the Baixa, or the Estrela basilica without changing. Bus 734 connects Graca to the metro at Martim Moniz. Most days you will not need either: Alfama, Mouraria, and the Castelo de Sao Jorge are all walkable downhill.

Living in Graca with Precious Homes

Our apartments in Graca and Penha de Franca were designed as if we live here, because we do. We restored the original wood floors, kept the azulejo panels we found behind plaster, and worked with local craftspeople on the cabinetry, the tiling, and the textiles. Each home is laid out for how you actually use it on a stay: room to cook a long dinner, a quiet corner to work for a morning, beds that you sink into.

We are Joana and Greg, and we look after every booking ourselves. Tell us what you want from your time in Lisbon and we will point you to the bakery we walk to on Sundays, the tasca where the owner remembers our name, the hour when the miradouro is at its best. All our apartments are within walking distance of the tram, the miradouros, and the river paths down to Santa Apolonia.