Portugal · Distrito de Lisboa · Lisbon
Ajuda, Lisbon — Area Guide & Where to Stay
Ajuda is a Lisbon parish that grew around a shrine to Our Lady of Help and became home to the royal court after the earthquake of 1755.
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Where to stay in Ajuda
Where visitors usually base themselves, and why.
Ajuda suits visitors who come for the palace and the garden. Tram 18E runs from Cais do Sodré to the Ajuda Cemetery, built by Pina Manique, where many royal servants were buried, and buses run to Algés, Caselas, and Marquês de Pombal. The Portuguese School of Equestrian Art is here.
Since Portugal's crisis years the parish has been renewed, and some call it Lisbon's new Bairro Alto.
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Things to do in and around Lisbon
Ranked by global recognition; descriptions from Wikidata (CC0).
Museums & Galleries
3- Berardo Collection Museum
- National Museum of Ethnology
- Macau Scientific and Cultural Centre Museum
Churches & Religious Sites
5- Igreja da Memória Heritage
- Igreja de São Francisco de Paula Heritage
- Capela e Convento das Flamengas Heritage
- Igreja e antigo Convento de Nossa Senhora da Boa Hora Heritage
- Church of São Pedro em Alcântara Heritage
Castles & Historic Sites
2- Estátuas lusitanas de Montalegre Heritage
- Monumento aos Combatentes do Ultramar
worth knowingacross 3 categories in and around Lisbon
About Ajuda
What are the main landmarks in Ajuda?
The Ajuda National Palace faces the Botanical Garden across Calçada da Ajuda. Its cornerstone was laid in 1795, and until 1910 the palace was the official residence of the King of Portugal. The garden dates from 1768.
It is the oldest botanical garden in Portugal. Augustinian friars rebuilt the Convento de Nossa Senhora da Boa Hora in 1756, and the Igreja da Memória, the Miradouro dos Moinhos de Santana, the Torre da Ajuda, and the Jardim das Damas are in the parish as well.
What is the history of Ajuda?
Legend tells of a shepherd who saw the Virgin here, and the faithful who followed built a chapel at the spot. A church replaced it. Nobles built houses nearby after Queen Catherine of Austria prayed there, and Ajuda became a parish in 1551.
After the 1755 earthquake the royal family left the Ribeira Palace for the Quinta de Cima, living at first in wooden buildings called the Real Barraca. Ajuda joined the municipality of Lisbon in 1762.
Common questions
What is the best area to stay in Ajuda?
Ajuda: Visitors who want the palace and the botanical garden on foot.
Good for
More areas in Lisbon
Updated October 2026