Walking home through Alfama after dark

I work the reception desk, which means that most of the time I know where you are going and what time you will be back. Here is what I tell guests who are about to walk home after dinner.

Wear flat shoes

The pavements in Alfama are laid in small limestone cobbles called calçada. They are beautiful in daylight and polished like glass by a century of feet. In the evening they are slippery, especially after rain, and the slope is steeper than it looks. Leave the heels at the house. Rubber soles are best.

The route from the river

If you come up from the river, you will pass the fountain at the bottom of Largo do Chafariz, then the bakery, which is dark at night. Turn left at the little shrine with the blue tiles, and walk uphill for about two minutes. Our door is on the left, number 9, a tall grey door in a wall of green and white tiles, with a brass lamp above it. If you have forgotten the code, press the bell. The night porter is on duty until half past six.

From the cathedral side it is longer, about ten minutes, with more stairs. In either case, do not trust the blue dot on the map, which tends to put you in a different lane. The streets are steep and close, and the signal bounces between the walls.

What you will hear

At night the district is not silent, and nobody wants it to be. Fado comes out of two open doors on the route, with the singers’ voices carrying into the lane. In summer people eat outside until midnight and the sound of cutlery is everywhere. Cats move along the walls. A woman in a third floor window will say boa noite as you pass, and you should answer.

If you are a light sleeper, the Alcove rooms and the Tagus View rooms face the lane, and the sound reaches them until about eleven. The Courtyard rooms and the Apartment look inward and are quiet from ten. The earplugs by the bed are not a joke.

Is it safe

Yes, in the way that a small residential district with people at the windows is safe. The usual city sense applies. Keep your phone in a pocket on the narrow stairs, because pickpockets work the tram stops. The lanes by the house are well lit and watched by neighbours who know everyone. In all my years at the desk, no guest has had trouble on that route.

Do not trust the blue dot on the map. The streets are steep and close, and the signal bounces between the walls.

If you are arriving late

Tell us your flight number when you book, and we will track it. A taxi or a car can reach Largo do Chafariz, two minutes from our door, and I will come down and carry your bags. If the lift is out of service, which has happened twice since we opened, I will carry them anyway. That is the job.