Príncipe Real to Amoreiras: gardens, cisterns and the end of the aqueduct

A mostly flat walk along the ridge from Príncipe Real to Rato and Amoreiras, following Lisbon's 18th- and 19th-century water supply: the octagonal Patriarcal cistern under the Príncipe Real garden, the Escola Politécnica's botanical garden, Carlos Mardel's triumphal arch where the Águas Livres aqueduct enters the city, and the Mãe d'Água reservoir with its roof terrace. Start: Jardim do Príncipe Real (tram 24E or a 10-minute walk from Metro Rato). End: Metro Rato (Yellow line).

Best time: Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 (the Water Museum sites close on Mondays and holidays); Sunday 10:00-13:00 the Botanical Garden is free

The route, stop by stop

1. 1
   Príncipe Real Garden

   Laid out in 1860 among 19th-century mansions and famous for its huge umbrella-shaped cedar; the pond in the middle sits on top of the cistern below. 15 min.

   The romantic mid-19th-century square-garden of Príncipe Real, famous for its giant Buçaco cedar, a classified tree whose canopy spreads more than 20 m across; below it lies the…

2. 2
   Reservatório da Patriarcal (Water Museum)

   Built 1860-1864 under the garden: an octagonal cistern of 884 m3 with 31 stone pillars 9.25 m high, used until the late 1940s to regulate water pressure for the Baixa. EUR 2 (EPAL price list). 20 min.

3. 3
   Lisbon Botanical Garden

   Rua da Escola Politécnica 56-58: the university's scientific garden, planted from 1873 on terraces linked by ponds and cascades, entered by a lane of palm trees. The butterfly house has been replaced by a new 'Jardim dos Sentidos'. Daily 10:00-17:00 in winter, 9:00-20:00 April-September; free Sunday 10:00-13:00. 45 min.

   The university's scientific garden, laid out from 1873 on the slope of Monte Olivete below the old Escola Politécnica: palms and cycads from every continent fill a terraced…

4. 4
   Largo do Rato

   Walk on along Rua da Escola Politécnica to the busy square; turn right up Rua das Amoreiras. 5 min.

5. 5
   Mãe d'Água Reservoir

   The final reservoir of the Águas Livres aqueduct, begun 1746 and only finished in 1834: water falls from a dolphin's mouth over a cascade into a 7.5 m deep tank (5,500 m3); climb to the roof terrace for the view over the city. Tue-Sun 10:00-18:00, EUR 4. 40 min.

   The 18th-century cistern at the end of the Águas Livres aqueduct: a cathedral-like stone hall with a pool, plus a roof terrace with city views. Mostly visited by Lisboetas on…

6. 6
   Arco das Amoreiras

   The triumphal arch by the Hungarian architect Carlos Mardel (1746-1748) that marks the aqueduct's entry into Lisbon, over Rua das Amoreiras. 5 min.

7. 7
   Jardim das Amoreiras

   The small garden beside the aqueduct arches; 10 min.

8. 8
   Árpád Szenes - Vieira da Silva Foundation

   Praça das Amoreiras 56, on the garden: the museum of the painter couple Vieira da Silva and Arpad Szenes. 40 min if you go in.

   Small museum for the painter Maria Helena Vieira da Silva and her husband, in a former silk-factory building beside the aqueduct arches.

Walking directions

More walks in Lisbon

• Baixa to the castle through the old Sé quarter2.8 km · 3 h 30 min
• Belém riverside: monastery, tower and custard tarts3.5 km · 4 h
• Baixa-Chiado food grazing: bifanas, tins, pastries and the market3 km · 3 h
• Flea market, pantheon and the highest viewpoint2.6 km · 3 h 30 min
• Chiado to Príncipe Real at sunset2.4 km · 3 h
• Campo Grande museums and Alvalade tascas3 km · 3 h 30 min
• Estrela garden to Prazeres cemetery on the tram 28 line2.2 km · 2 h
• Mouraria to Intendente: the cradle of fado and Lisbon's most multicultural streets1.6 km · 2 h 30 min
• Janelas Verdes, Madragoa and São Bento: the varinas' quarter between the river and Parliament2.3 km · 2 h 30 min
• Xabregas, Beato and Marvila: palaces, convents and factories of the eastern riverside3.5 km · 3 h 30 min
• Avenidas Novas: Art Nouveau houses, a 1922 pastelaria, the neo-Moorish bullring and the Gulbenkian2.6 km · 3 h 30 min