The best walks and hikes around Charneca

The Sun Man is a monumental sculpture by Jorge Vieira. At approximately 20 meters high and weighing 15 tons, it is an anthropomorphic structure inspired by the sun. This work is considered a kind of testamentary synthesis of the author's oeuvre, a symbiosis of surrealism and abstraction with three-dimensional exploration. Jorge Ricardo da Conceição Vieira was born on November 16, 1922, in Lisbon and died in 1998 in Évora.

Ingenious: you have to look closely to see what kind of junk the Lynx is made of.

The Alameda Dom Afonso Henriques is a wide, landscaped avenue located in the heart of Lisbon, in the São João de Deus area, currently part of the parish of Areeiro. It is an iconic urban space that combines history, monumental architecture, and greenery.

Alameda Park, officially Jardim da Alameda Dom Afonso Henriques, is a public park in Lisbon. It features expansive lawns, mature trees, and flowerbeds, providing a tranquil retreat from the hustle and bustle of the city. The park is divided by Avenida Almirante Reis into two large lawns, with a small garden at the eastern end and the Instituto Superior Tecnico at the western end. A notable feature is the Fonte Luminosa, a monumental fountain that enhances the park's aesthetic. The park is also a public transport hub, intersecting the red and green lines of the Lisbon Metro at Alameda Station. It is a popular spot for relaxation, picnics, and community events.

Pastelaria Versailles is one of Lisbon's most iconic cafés, located at Avenida da República 15A, in the Saldanha neighborhood. Founded in 1922, it is a true classic that combines tradition, elegance, and flavor. It was the first major café in the Avenidas Novas neighborhood, and since its opening, it has been a meeting point for Lisbon families and visitors.

Most people rush through Oriente Station, dazzled by Calatrava’s roof or hurrying to catch a train. But if you ride the escalators up to the top level and walk toward the river, you’ll find a quiet promenade with sweeping views of the Vasco da Gama Bridge stretching for miles across the Tagus. It feels like you’ve stepped outside the city, even though you’re standing right above Lisbon’s busiest hub. Just off to the side there’s a tucked-away café overlooking the water—rarely crowded, perfect for a peaceful break.

Right next to the giant Iberian Lynx sculpture in Parque das Nações—created by street artist Bordalo II from recycled plastic—there’s a hidden spot most visitors overlook. If you turn your back to the lynx and stroll toward the Vasco da Gama Tower, you’ll find a quiet bench with a sweeping view of the Tagus and the park’s striking modern architecture. It’s a rare place where you can take in both the wild, colorful street art and the calm of the river at the same time. Hardly any tourists stop here, which makes it perfect for catching your breath or snapping a unique photo.

The park has three distinct areas: the Central Nave of Quinta das Conchas, the Woods and the Lilacs. The Central Nave, the largest area, is made up of large lawns dotted with trees and offers open views, which invite you to play ball and have picnics on the grass. It is bordered at the highest point by a group of olive and olive trees and, at the bottom, next to the large lake, there is a mass of large eucalyptus trees, classified as a grove of trees of public interest, where there are picnic tables, in an excellent area for relaxing. The Woods, a denser forest area with more intact nature, is made up of a varied set of tree species, with a stand of trees of the ZelKova Serrata species, also classified as a public interest, standing out, as well as Himalayan cedars and Buçaco cedars. In some places, there is a dense cover of shrubs, such as adernos, sanguinhos, elders and hawthorns, which are very important for several species of birds as shelter, feeding and nesting sites. Separated from Quinta das Conchas by a wall, we have Quinta dos Lilases, a more secluded environment, with its famous artificial lake, of romantic inspiration, representing the islands of São Tomé and Príncipe. The vegetation is marked by the alignment of olive trees next to the wall of Quinta das Conchas and by the presence of eucalyptus, poplars, ash trees, gleditsias and species of the Quercus genus. The shrub layer is reduced, with pomegranate trees and notable groups of old and large box trees standing out. The clearing areas are covered in dry grassland. This farm has a community orchard area, recently built as part of a Participatory Project. The existence of diverse habitats gives this Park great value in terms of biodiversity, with a higher number of species than usual for urban green spaces.