Alfama in Lisbon

Since no one has replied I will give you my 2 cents. While we did not stay in Alfama we did walk through the area a number of times and found it very safe. I would not hesitate to stay there. As in many European cities there are some pickpockets in Lisbon, however they are not specific to any neighborhood. We found Lisbon to be a very enjoyable and safe city, and the Alfama is a very interesting neighborhood. There is a great book by Saramago which describes the Alfama district both currently and as it existed during the seige of Lisbon. For that reason alone I would like to stay there next time.

It seemed safe enough but that area of Lisbon strikes me as a bit edgy- somewhat rundown with plenty of graffiti. Lisbon is a bit gritty but we really enjoyed it. We were there in May and stayed in the Baixa area and found it to be a good location. The first thing I noticed in Lisbon since it was May, was there were no flowers in planters to decorate the city-mainly litter. Of course this will certainly not deter you from enjoying it. After Lisbon we traveled in various cities in Spain on that trip and each city had flowers everywhere. Recently we were in Athens and I noticed the lack of flowers there-with all the economic problems this seemed understandable. But those cities have a certain grittiness in common. Be sure to take a day trip to Sintra. I regret not staying there at least one night.