LisbonThe city of seven hills
Measured from 1,000+ plays across 10 walked routes: in Lisbon, you pass a place with a story every 228 metres.
Ranked #1 of 2 Portugal big cities
2026 edition · scores vs all indexed cities · measured 2026-08-21 · how we measure
Depth54/100
100 places with a story
14 historical figures · 1h of stories
Density68/100
a story every 228 m
median along a route
Character97/100
royalty & nobility
typical story: 1755 · early modern
Pulse59/100
Instagrammability 50/100
peak month: Apr
Lisbon, measured
The scores
Ranked against
| What we measure | Lisbon | Score out of 100 | Rank | Global leader |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Depth | ||||
| Places with a storyspots where a route tells you what happened there | 100 | 56 | #11 of 71 | London (United Kingdom) · 594 |
| Historical figuresreal people you meet in its stories | 14 | 50 | #15 of 68 | London (United Kingdom) · 184 |
| Hours of storieshow long its stories take to read, end to end | 1.2h | 57 | #11 of 71 | London (United Kingdom) · 7h |
| Density | ||||
| How often you pass a storymetres from one story to the next | 228 m | 68 | #10 of 71 | Williamsburg (United States) · 100 m |
| Character | ||||
| Years its stories coverfrom its oldest story to its newest | 974 yrs | 97 | #6 of 70 | London (United Kingdom) · 1025 yrs |
| Pulse | ||||
| Instagrammabilityhow often players photograph this city | 50/100 | 50 | #13 of 54 | Sydney (Australia) |
| Group outingsof every 100 plays, how many bring a group of 3 or more | 12 in 100 | 34 | #53 of 69 | Houston (United States) · 32 in 100 |
| International visitorsshare of player reviews written in a foreign language | 94% | 94 | #2 of 47 | Venice (Italy) · 97% |
How to read this table›
How to read it: each score is out of 100, measured against a fixed scale that is the same for every city and every edition. Lisbon's 100 on places with a story scores 56, and it scores 56 on any page you find it. The switch above changes who it is ranked against, not the scores: right now that is all 80 indexed cities (19 countries so far). Lisbon is scored on all 8 measures, and its overall score is their average. Ranks compare cities of a similar size. What a city's stories are about has no better or worse, so themes and eras aren't scored. Instagrammability is shown as a score only; how it's calculated is on the methodology page.
The medal table
What Lisbon wins
- Most crime & dark history among Portugal's big cities· 10% of its stories
- Most faith & churches among Portugal's big cities· 28% of its stories
- Most fortification & siege among Portugal's big cities· 11% of its stories
- Most guilds & trade among Portugal's big cities· 14% of its stories
- Most instagrammable among Portugal's big cities
- Most legends & myths among Portugal's big cities· 12% of its stories
- Most royalty & nobility among Portugal's big cities· 28% of its stories
- Stories closest together among Portugal's big cities· a story every 228 m
Won against the other big cities of Portugal in the 2026 edition. See the full table on the country page.
Character
What its stories are about
- royalty & nobility28%
- faith & churches28%
- arts & culture19%
- industry & modern era19%
- guilds & trade14%
- legends & myths12%
- fortification & siege11%
- crime & dark history10%
Out of Lisbon's 100 places with a story, the share whose story touches each theme. One story can touch several.
Character
Which centuries you walk through
- Early modern40%
- Medieval19%
- 19th century13%
- Post-war10%
- Contemporary10%
- Early 20th century9%
When Lisbon's stories happen (70% of them mention a year).
Pulse
When people play here
Typical share of player reviews per month (median across 3 recent years). Peak: Apr.
Pulse
Who visits, by review language
- English85%
- Portuguese6%
- Spanish4%
- German2%
- French2%
Language of 500+ written player reviews. A proxy for who visits; English hides several nationalities.
Depth
100 stories wait on its streets. Here are three
The day Lisbon collapsed, this place did not exist. On 1 November 1755, an earthquake destroyed the royal palace that stood by…
The Roman Galleries were discovered during the Pombaline reconstruction in 1770, after the 1755 earthquake, when Manuel José Ribeiro was building on…
Freemasonry emerged in England in the 14th century. Today considered a philosophical secret society. Believing that the first Portuguese Masonic Lodge was…
Depth
Figures you meet on Lisbon's streets
King José
at 7 places
Equestrian Statue of King José I · Open the gate · Estátua do Rei D. José I
King Manuel
at 4 places
Rossio Square · Jerónimos Monastery · Belem Defensive Tower
Saint George
at 4 places
Castelo de São Jorge · Castelo de S. Jorge · Monument to King José I
Emperor Augustus
at 3 places
Roman Galleries · Roman Theatre · Museu de Lisboa - Teatro Romano
King Afonso Henriques
at 3 places
Fountain on Largo de São Miguel · Church of São Vicente of Fora · Lisbon Cathedral
King John
at 3 places
Padrão dos Descobrimentos · Fountain on Largo de São Miguel · Portal da nossa senhora da conceição velha
Raoul Mesnier
at 3 places
Elevate yourself! · Travessa do Segueiro · Santa Justa Lift
Amália Rodrigues
at 2 places
National Pantheon · "Calçada" da Amália, por Vhils
Depth
Every Lisbon place with a story, on one map
Each pin is a place whose story a Questo route tells. Tap one for the quest that tells it. See an empty street that deserves a pin? The form at the bottom of this page adds your story to the editors' queue.
Walk Lisbon's stories yourself
Three of 10 routes here. See everything in Lisbon
Where next after Lisbon?
How does Lisbon compare?
Put Lisbon head-to-head with any city in the index, measure by measure, from real walking data.
Quick answers
- What is Lisbon like to explore on foot?
- Lisbon has 100 places with a story across 10 self-guided Questo routes, with a story every 228 metres of walking on average. Its stories lean towards royalty & nobility and faith & churches.
- Which historical period defines Lisbon?
- 40% of Lisbon's dated stories come from the early modern period; its oldest dated story reaches back to 1050.
- When do people visit Lisbon?
- Player activity in Lisbon peaks in Apr, with a typical 21% of reviews arriving June to August (median across 3 recent years of Questo reviews).
- How is this measured?
- From Questo's own walked routes and player activity in Lisbon: 1,000+ plays and 500+ reviews. Full method on the City Stories Index methodology page, 2026 edition.
Quote any line, attributed
For press and citation
- Walking a Questo route in Lisbon, you pass a place with a story every 228 metres on average.
- 40% of Lisbon's dated stories come from the early modern period.
- Lisbon's typical story happens in 1755: the median year across its dated stories, which span 974 years.
- Lisbon's routes hold 1+ hours of researched stories.
- Players meet 14 historical figures in Lisbon's stories, from King José to King Manuel.
- 94% of Lisbon's written player reviews are in a language other than Portuguese (from 500+ reviews).
- Roughly 12 of every 100 plays in Lisbon is a group outing of three or more people, measured from invited multi-device sessions over the last 12 months.
- Lisbon's play season peaks in Apr; a typical 21% of reviews arrive June to August (median across 3 recent years).
Copy any line as it stands: for an article, a post, or an argument at dinner. Attribution: Questo City Stories Index (2026 edition), with a link to this page. Method and sample sizes on the methodology page.
Lisbon ranks #4 of 80. Show it.
For city halls, tourism boards, local press and anyone who lives here: this badge is yours to use, free and without asking. It links back to the measurements behind it, and it updates itself when the next edition is published.
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</a>Know a story these streets are missing?
Every place, story and figure on this page comes from routes built by people who know Lisbon. Add what's missing: as a Questo creator, or with a quick suggestion.