The market is held every Tuesday and Saturday, from morning to the early afternoon at Campo de Santa Clara in Alfama.

When I arrived, I stopped at the Copenhagen Coffee Lab on the edge of the market. The place was great – I ordered an iced americano and a croissant with scrambled eggs. Was excellent – would recommend.

There are many stations, with vendors filling tables, racks, and blankets on the ground. Some stalls carried vintage items and collectibles. Others sold varied cheap souvenirs you can find in other locations across the city. My favorites stalls to stop by were the local artists selling prints, or jewelry. I did buy a print from one of the local artists.

There were a handful of vendors who had laid out tiles from centuries ago. It would make a great souvenir. I was tempted to buy tile and take home a bit of Lisbon’s history, but I would always wonder if the tile really was as old as it is marketed as being.

Attending the flea market is a casual activity and you can stay as long or as short as you want. I meandered through the whole event. My favorite stop was one of the actual storefronts on the side that had shelves of ceramics. They laid out bowls and plates outside the shop to entice walkers to come inside. If I wasn’t traveling light, I would have been very interested in some of the vases and mugs, and even ceramic fish in this store.

After finishing up at the flea market, I kept wandering through Alfama. Nearby is Mosteiro de São Vicente de Fora, a beautiful monastery. While I did not buy a ticket to go in, there is a small courtyard that was filled with flowering trees that filled the air with an amazing floral smell. I stayed in the courtyard for a while to admire the location.

From this point, it is easy to wander through Alfama, Portugal’s oldest neighborhood. You’ll notice it operates like a maze with a lot of twists and turns. It was built to be hard for invaders to find the castle at the top of the hill.

The next notable stop after the monastery is Miradouro das Portas do Sol, a great viewpoint where you can see out onto all of the orange roofs and the sea.