A different walk through Lisbon
When the guide falls silent and our ears are filled with the sounds of Alfama, we know we’re taking a different tour of a city that is unique. The television that beeps from an open window, the chirping of birds, the muffled conversation that comes out of a house… Free Walking Tours are not just for tourists. Twice a day, in the morning and afternoon, Zé, Rafa and all the other guides from Chill Out Lisbon are in Largo de Camões and they join tourists of all nationalities and ages for a journey of discovery through Lisbon.
The concept of Free Walking Tours was born with the century in Europe. They are tours that go beyond what is usually shown. Those who join them seek to better understand the city, to go a little beyond the surface. This is also the case in Lisbon.
Zé or Rafa, the guides who took us on two different tours of the same places, tell us the history of the city, the key moments and its people. Although we walk the same streets and stop at the same places, the tours are different, because the interests of our guides are different. And that is one of the treasures of these tours. Here you don’t find prepared speeches, transversal to the whole organisation.
This is one of the best features of the Free Walking Tour movement. The others are the guides themselves (few have tourism as their training and their tours end up reflecting the way they see the city), and paying only what is considered fair. In Lisbon, there are already several options for this type of tours. We opted for the ones that first started doing it. A group of friends who called themselves Chill Out Lisbon and who every day have their yellow folders in Camões waiting for those who want to get to know the city through the eyes of those who live there.
Listen to Pessoa in Chiado
At 10 o’clock, people start gathering. There are people of all ages and backgrounds, whole families and solitary travellers.
This different tour starts at Bairro Alto, where we learn about bohemia and the social transformations that have taken place. It goes on to Largo do Carmo where the 25th April revolution and the earthquake are explained. It goes down to Chiado where we hear Fernando Pessoa reciting and goes on to Terreiro do Paço where the Marquis of Pombal and the reconstruction of Lisbon are the protagonists.
Next to Casa dos Bicos, it’s the period of the Discoveries that comes up for discussion and, of course, Saramago as well. Then it’s off to Alfama, to learn about the life of the neighbourhood, to get to know the nooks and crannies and follow the alleyways until one of Lisbon’s viewpoints, Graça.
The route, in itself, was already appealing. In this walk through the Lisbon hills for about 3 hours, we avoid the monuments. It is not in the Free Walking Tours that you will visit the Cathedral, the museums in the city centre or the Castle of São Jorge. With Chill Out Lisbon, there are no commercial agreements to comply with. It’s just walking and getting to know the historical part of the city, providing a pleasant experience and a different tour that will allow us to get to know Lisbon and the Lisboans better.
To understand the city of today, we must talk about the earthquake of 1755. In front of the ruins of the Church of Carmo we talk about the dawn of that November 1st that will leave an indelible mark on the city. And the guides appeal to participation, building a lively narrative that impresses the group.
In Chiado (but not by the poet’s statue) you can hear Pessoa’s words and Mar Português echoes first in Portuguese and then in English. This is a tour that can only be done in English or Spanish, because the demand from Portuguese tourists is not great. And yet, it is a different and interesting walk, even for a Lisboner.