Portugal · Distrito de Lisboa · Lisbon
Santa Maria dos Olivais, Lisbon — Area Guide & Where to Stay
Santa Maria dos Olivais, simply Olivais since 2012, is a Lisbon parish of 8.09 square kilometres, much of its western ground taken by Lisbon Airport.
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Where to stay in Santa Maria dos Olivais
Where the beds are, and what that means for the visit.
Olivais is a practical base for an early flight: Lisbon Airport, which houses the head office of TAP Portugal, takes up much of the parish's western side. Its first metro stations, Olivais and Cabo Ruivo, opened in 1998 with Expo 98. The parish is residential and one of the most populous in Lisbon.
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Things to do in and around Lisbon
Ranked by global recognition; descriptions from Wikidata (CC0).
Churches & Religious Sites
7- Church of São João de Brito Heritage
- Igreja de Nossa Senhora da Saúde e Santo André Heritage
- Igreja do Bairro da Encarnação Heritage
- Igreja de Santo António de Moscavide Heritage
- Church of Nossa Senhora da Vitória Heritage
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- Igreja de São Bartolomeu da Charneca Heritage
- Igreja de Nossa Senhora da Vitória Heritage
Castles & Historic Sites
1- Santo António
Landmarks & Notable Places
4- Casa da Quinta de São José Heritage
- Quinta da Fonte do Anjo Heritage
- Vivenda na Avenida Santa Joana Princesa, n.º 2 Heritage
- Casa da Quinta da Francelha de Cima Heritage
worth knowingacross 3 categories in and around Lisbon
About Santa Maria dos Olivais
What are the main landmarks in Santa Maria dos Olivais?
The Cine-Teatro da Encarnação is the parish's emblematic building. President Américo Tomás opened it on 7 April 1968. The Cemetery of Olivais, laid out in 1897 where the Convent of São Cornélio stood in 1674, gained the city's second crematorium in 2002.
In the Bairro da Encarnação stands its own church, the Igreja do Bairro da Encarnação.
What is the history of Santa Maria dos Olivais?
The parish was founded in 1397 and confirmed by a bull of Pope Boniface IX in 1400. Legend says the image of its patron saint was found in the hollow of an olive trunk, which gave Nossa Senhora dos Olivais its name. From 1852 to 1886 Olivais headed a large, mostly rural municipality.
Its seat moved to Loures in 1887. The parish filled with housing in the second half of the 20th century, with buildings by architects such as Cândido Palma de Melo, José Rafael Botelho, and Raul Hestnes Ferreira.
Where is Santa Maria dos Olivais?
Olivais lies in the eastern part of Lisbon. Parque das Nações borders it to the east, Marvila and Alvalade to the south, Lumiar to the west, and Santa Clara to the north-west, with the municipality of Loures to the north. The parish falls into four main areas: the Bairro da Encarnação, the historic centre of Olivais Velho, and the estates of Olivais Norte and Olivais Sul.
Common questions
What is the best area to stay in Santa Maria dos Olivais?
Olivais: Early flyers who want the airport and two metro stations close.
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More areas in Lisbon
Updated October 2026