Lisbon's defining experiences cost nothing or the price of a transport fare. The city is built on hills above a river, and standing on the hills is the point.
The miradouros, by hour
Each faces a different direction, so the time matters more than any ranking.
Morning — Santa Luzia and Portas do Sol, east over Alfama's roofs to the river.
Late afternoon — São Pedro de Alcântara, facing the castle as the light turns.
Sunset — Senhora do Monte and Graça, the highest, facing west. Arrive early; both fill.
Evening — Santa Catarina, over the river.
Several have kiosks selling beer for around €2.
Alfama before nine
The single best free thing in Lisbon.
Before about nine, Alfama is residential — people going to work, washing on the lines, and the lanes empty. It is a completely different neighbourhood from the one at two in the afternoon.
Graça and Mouraria above it, less visited still. Mouraria is where fado originated.
The riverside
The walk from Cais do Sodré to Belém — flat, long, and with the bridge overhead.
Praça do Comércio, the great arcaded square opening onto the water.
The ferry to Cacilhas — a normal transport fare, ten minutes, and the best view back at the city. Seafood restaurants along the far waterfront and a walkway toward the bridge.
The trams, which are transport
Not attractions with separate tickets — a Viva Viagem card covers them, along with the funiculars and the Elevador de Santa Justa, which many visitors queue at and pay tourist prices for.
Take tram 12 rather than 28. Similar ground, a fraction of the crowd, and the 28 is the main pickpocketing location.
Free or nearly
Several national museums have offered free Sunday mornings, with terms that change — worth checking current policy.
The Gulbenkian gardens, free even when the museum is not.
Feira da Ladra, the Alfama flea market, Tuesdays and Saturdays.
LX Factory, a converted industrial complex under the bridge.
Estufa Fria, the greenhouse garden in Parque Eduardo VII, for a small fee.
Belém, mostly free
The monastery and tower are ticketed; the riverside, the Padrão dos Descobrimentos exterior and the gardens are not.
The pastéis de Belém cost about €1.30 each and are the reason most people are there anyway.
Eating cheaply
A tasca serves a full lunch with wine for €8–12, and the prato do dia is the best thing on the board.
Bifana — a pork sandwich from a counter — is a €3 lunch.
The couvert, brought unasked, is charged if eaten. Refusing it is normal.
Practical
Shoes with grip. The calçada paving is genuinely slippery, especially in rain.
The hills are steeper than photographs suggest, and the funiculars are covered by your transport card.