Graça, Lisbon
Trendy Neighborhood Guide
Hilltop village-within-a-city famed for postcard viewpoints and vintage trams.
Price/m²
€6,550
Popularity
85/100
Category
Trendy
Quick Reference
- Parent Freguesia
- São Vicente
- Tier
- Tier 2
About the Neighborhood
Graça feels like a village that forgot it became part of a capital. Laundry flaps between wrought-iron balconies, grandmothers sell parsley on doorsteps, and every alley ends in a sudden, heart-stopping view.
The hill is steep—elevators inside buildings stop at half-floors, and staircases are outdoor shortcuts painted by neighbours. Morning smells of coffee and carbolic soap give way to midday sardine smoke; at night, the hum of conversation drifts from open windows because Graça still believes in street life.
It is proudly untrendy: hipsters come for the view but stay for the gossip. The neighbourhood’s anthem is the squeak of tram 28 rounding Largo da Graça, and its heartbeat is the flea-market where one man’s trash becomes another’s vintage treasure..
Tourism & Attractions
Graça trades on altitude and attitude. Perched atop Lisbon’s highest hill, its twin miradouros—Senhora do Monte and da Graça—deliver 360-degree views that eclipse even São Jorge Castle, drawing Instagram crowds at golden hour.
Tourists arrive via iconic tram 28, hopping off at Largo da Graça to navigate cobbled lanes smelling of grilled sardines. The neighbourhood rewards explorers with layered history: the 1271 Convento da Graça with its baroque cloister (entry €5), and the 1930s “Tasca do Jaime” where fadistas still sing without microphones.
Street art is everywhere—Portuguese-Turkish artist “Kram” painted a 40-m mural of poet Sophia de Mello Breyner on Rua da Senhora da Gloria. Night tourism is growing: rooftop bar “O Terraço” serves €8 white sangria to sunset crowds, while “Esquina da Graça” offers petiscos until 02:00.
Guided experiences include “Graça Food & Fado” walking tour (€55) combining four tastings and a live fado in a private home. Visitor numbers rose 31 % 2023-24, yet bed capacity remains low—only 320 licensed beds—preserving authenticity.
Average stay: 2.1 nights, spend €89/day. The weekly “Feira da Graça” (Tuesdays/Saturdays) is a flea-market since 1903, selling everything from military buttons to vinyl records, attracting 5,000 bargain hunters weekly..
History & Culture
Graça’s roots reach to 1271 when Dom Afonso III founded the Convento da Graça on Moorish ramparts; its baroque church still crowns the hill. The 1580 plague saw victims quarantined in the convent’s cloisters, later converted to military barracks.
The 1755 earthquake cracked the convent but spared the hill, making Graça a refuge for downtown survivors—identity as “safe high ground” endures. In the 1800s, the neighbourhood became a garrison town; barracks built then now house creative studios.
Republican conspiracies brewed in cafés like “Pastelaria Aloma” (1940). The 1970s brought Cape-Verdean migrants, adding funaná rhythms to traditional fado.
Graça was traditionally working-class; gentrification began 2010 with Airbnb, yet social housing blocks (Rua Angelina Vidal) preserve mix. Culture is neighbourly: residents still hang national flag on June 10, and the “Marcha da Graça” rehearses for months, wearing sequined costumes satirising politics.
Street names honour poets and revolutionaries, reflecting Graça’s role as Lisbon’s rebellious attic.
Getting Around
Metro: green line, Martim Moniz 10-min walk; planned Graça station 2029. Trams: 28E (star route), 12E (circulator), 15E (riverside).
Bus: 734 (Graça-Telheiras), 712 (Graça-Alcantara), 728 (Restelo-Portela), 735 (Graça-Cais Sodré). Elevators: Elevador da Graça (free) links to São Vicente, private lifts in buildings.
Cycling: steep, 12 % gradient; Gira dock at Martim Moniz. Parking: resident €30/year, visitor €1.60/h, scarcity index 0.3 spaces per dwelling.
EV: 8 chargers (22 kW) at Largo da Graça. WalkScore: 91/100.
Airport: 25-min taxi (€20), 40-min metro+walk. Infrastructure grade: B (water loss 10 %, fibre 98 %)..
Market Insights & Trends
Graça is the value-play among hill neighbourhoods. Median price Q1-2025: €6,550/m², up 8.7 % YoY, yet 18 % cheaper than neighbouring Alfama.
Drivers: (1) View premium—flats with miradouro sight command +15 %. (2) Airbnb cap—2030 freeze limits new licences, pushing up existing permit value to €25,000. (3) Infrastructure—planned Graça metro station (green line extension 2029) already priced-in, +5 % within 500 m radius. Supply: only 12 new-build permits since 2020; 70 % stock pre-1960.
Demand: 65 % buyers aged 30-45, 38 % foreign (France, Brazil, USA). Rental yield: long-term 3.8 %, short-term 5.5 % gross.
Price gap with Príncipe Real narrowed from 35 % to 22 % since 2021. Forecast: Knight Frank expects €7,300/m² by 2027 (6 % CAGR) supported by metro and scarcity.
Risk: 2026 sewer works may disrupt commerce 12 months, shaving 2 % prices short-term.
Real Estate Prices
Second-hand: €5,200-€6,800/m² for 1950s flats, €6,800-€7,800/m² refurbished, view-premium €8,500-€9,500/m². New-build: zero completed; upcoming “Miradouro Graça” 14 units pre-sold at €8,200-€8,800/m² (2026).
Ground-floor commercial: €20-€28/m²/month on Largo da Graça, €15-€20 inner streets. Parking scarce: €40,000-€50,000 indoor, €20,000 cave.
Condominium: €0.80-€1.20/m²/month. IMT: 5-6 %, agency 5 % plus VAT.
Holding period 11 years. Off-market 20 %, mostly family deals..
Housing Prices by Type
€400-€500
T1 (45–70 m²): €320,000–€450,000. T2 (70–100 m²): €480,000–€650,000. T3 (100–140 m²): €650,000–€900,000. Premiums: miradouro view +15 %, balcony +8 %, lift +6 %. Discounts: stairs 4th floor+ –10 %, pending retrofit –12 %. Rents: T1 €1,100–€1,400, T2 €1,500–€1,900, T3 €1,900–€2,400. Short-let nightly €90-€120 for T1, occupancy 75 %. Student rooms: €400-€500/month.
Local Economy
Graça’s economy mixes grassroots commerce with burgeoning creative micro-businesses. The parish has 1,080 registered businesses for 8,600 residents—ratio 1:8, double Lisbon average.
Traditional commerce dominates: 34 grocers, 22 tascas and 11 bakeries generate €24 million yearly. The bi-weekly flea market adds €3 million in stall revenue.
Creative segment grew 40 % since 2020: 85 studios (ceramics, jewellery, printmaking) clustered around Largo da Graça, employing 220 artisans average salary €1,400 net. Short-lets supply 320 beds, yielding €9 million gross; platforms pay €450,000 municipal tourist tax.
Real-estate agencies (18) closed 2024 with €95 million volume. Public investment: €6 million for miradouro elevator and €4 million sewer separation, creating 120 construction jobs.
Employment split: 38 % hospitality, 25 % retail, 15 % creative, 12 % public sector, 10 % students. Start-ups include “Graça Prints” 3-D ceramic service (€0.5 M turnover) and “Fado Inside” home-concert app.
Average household income €2,100 net, 25 % above city. Municipal subsidy: €2,000 for façade restoration, benefiting 90 buildings/year..
Community & Lifestyle
Graça’s soul is inter-generational. Old ladies lower baskets from 4th-floor windows to buy bread; students learn fado from octogenarian singers in “Tasca do Jaime”.
The flea-market is social theatre: haggling over €3 brass candlesticks. Community association “Graça Viva” plants edible gardens in vacant lots and organises street closures for kids to play.
Lifestyle is slow: shops close 13:00-14:00, siesta observed. Dogs are walked in convent square, cats sunbathe on parked cars.
Festa season turns streets into open-air dance floors where hipsters and grandfathers sway to marches they rehearsed for months. Graça is Lisbon’s rooftop living room—everyone is welcome, but only locals know the shortcut stairs..
Things to Do
Miradouros: Senhora do Monte (free), da Graça (€1.50 terrace), sunset crowds daily. Convento da Graça cloister (€5), military museum tanks.
Igreja da Senhora da Vitória, baroque tiles. Dining: “Tasca do Jaime” fado night (no cover, mains €14), “O Terraço” rooftop burger €12, “Pastelaria Aloma” award-winning pastéis de nata €1.10.
Bars: “Graça’s Corner” gin €6, “Esquina da Graça” wine €4. Flea market Tue/Sat 07:00-17:00, vintage vinyl €5.
Activities: “Graça Street Art Tour” (€15), “Fado Inside” home concert (€30), tram 28 hop-on. Events: Marchas parade rehearsal June, Festa da Graça October with fireworks, Christmas nativity convent.
Free: miradouro sunset, convent terrace with coffee.
Cost of Living
Coffee: bica €0.80 kiosk, €1.20 miradouro. Beer: imperial €1.60, craft €4.50.
Lunch menu: €10 tasca, €14 vegetarian. Groceries: mini-market chicken €6/kg, veggies €1.50/kg.
Rent room: €500-€650. Utilities: 80 m² flat €95/month.
Transport: monthly pass €40, tram single €3.00. Gym: €32/month.
Who Lives Here
2024: 8,620 residents, +4 % since 2020, density 108 p/ha. Age: 22 % over 65, 33 % 25-44, median 39.
Foreigners: 29 % (Brazil 9 %, France 6 %, UK 4 %). Education: 52 % degree-holders.
Employment: 31 % hospitality, 24 % retail, 15 % creative, 12 % retired. Income: €2,100 net/month.
Household size: 2.0; 38 % live alone, 45 % couples. Tenure: 48 % own, 42 % rent, 10 % social.
Vacancy: 5 %. Languages: Portuguese 71 %, English 38 %, French 20 %.
Birth rate: 9/1,000. Pet ownership: 44 %, highest cat ratio..
Safety & Security
Graça: 1.9 crimes per 100 residents. Pickpocketing 55 cases 2024 (tram 28), burglary 18 (ground-floor), scooter theft 42.
Zero violent crime. PSP response 4 min, community officers on miradouro patrol.
Noise: 68 dB during Marchas rehearsal. Civil protection: earthquake-resistant rock, evacuation to convent square.
Insurance: home premium 10 % below city. Women: 89 % feel safe at night..
Future Development
2025-30: (1) Graça metro station green line, 2029, €120 M, +12 % property premium. (2) Elevator from Martim Moniz to Graça, 2027, €18 M. (3) Sewer separation €4 M, 12-month disruption. (4) Convent hotel conversion 60 keys, 2028, €35 M. (5) Social housing retrofit 150 units, €12 M. Forecast: prices €7,300/m² 2027 (+6 % CAGR).
Risk: construction noise -2 % 2026. Heritage: UNESCO buffer-zone extension 2026, limiting height to 5 storeys..
Environment & Sustainability
Air: PM10 15 µg/m³, NO₂ 25 µg/m³. Green: 28 m² per capita, miradouros planted with olive and stone-pine.
Energy: 25 % solar thermal, convent PV 50 kW. Mobility: 44 % non-car.
Noise: church bells 65 dB, legal. Biodiversity: kestrels nest in convent tower.
Climate: hilltop 0.5 °C cooler, wind 5 % higher. Carbon: 4.0 t CO₂e/cap.
Projects: 2025 rain-water harvesting for irrigation, €0.4 M.
What's Happening
June 2025: Graça wins “Best Marchas” parade, first time since 1998. September 2024: record 3,000 sunset viewers at Senhora do Monte, police implement one-way flow.
November 2024: convent discovers 16th-century fresco during retrofit, opening to public 2026. February 2025: flea-market vendor finds €30,000 Rolex, returns to tourist, story goes viral.
May 2025: “Fado Inside” start-up raises €1 M seed, expands to Porto. Upcoming: 2026 metro construction will close Largo da Graça 18 months, merchants demand compensation fund..
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