Al-kantara means ”the bridge” in Arabic language. The first link between Alcântara river shores, in a junction of current streets Alcântara and Prior do Crato, was built by the Romans. During the Muslim domination period, the bridge gave name to the place, being denominated Alcântara. Today, the bridge is called 25 de Abril Bridge instead, which is built by the same creator as the Golden Gate bridge in San Fransisco.
Where in Lisbon is Alcântara?
Officially Alcântara county covers the territory from Duarte Pacheco viaduct to Tejo river bank, next to the emblematic 25 de Abril bridge, which is one of the city’s postcards. As neighborhoods on one side have the widely requested Santos and Estrela and in the other side Ajuda, Belem and Restelo. It is in the middle of these neighbours. Access by train (comboio) are through Alcântara-Mar and Alcântara-Terra stations. Walking to Santos takes about 12-15 minutes and Infante Santos is even closer. You can get to Lisbon airport in 12-15 minutes from your Rua Costa 28 apartment, but allow for quite a bit more time in rush hour.
What to do in Alcantara?
Alcântara has an immense and abundant architectural patrimony, with many churches, palaces and museums: Oriente and Carris Museums are well known.
It even has a strong cultural aspect by the small boutiques and art galleries that have settled there. In the north part there are gardens, parks and more green areas and also the Monsanto tennis club. It is possible to enjoy lunch or dinner by the river in all Alcântara Docks restaurants, not to mention the famous LxFactory, which is a must visit in Lisbon for gastronomy lovers. Read our brief guide about LX Factory to learn more. Two important roads leading to and Alcântara is Av de Ceuta and the IP7 motorway.
Alcântara brings together history, culture, entertainment and a certain bohemian aspect without losing a typical Lisbon neighborhood’s characteristic. You got everything you need here, yet you are so close to everything thanks to the prime location of Alcantara. If you consider to get a small newly refurbished apartment between 28-35 m2, then see our available options with some pictures. If you are interested, we are happy to show you how they look like. Works will start in January 2020 and the refubishment will continue until it’s perfect. All cables, electricity and sewage has been change to make the entire building like brand new. The building has been refurbished by the 686 Construções – the same company that refurbish over 100 apartments in Lisbon and Estoril – where the last project is for one of the world’s most well-known cryptocurrency founders.
Update: Expected to be finalised in the Autumn, 2023.
Alcantara now and in the 16th century
Since seventeenth century Alcântara was an industrial region, with stamping and dyeing factories predominance. In the early twentieth century became a refuge for republicans who were against Portuguese monarchy and later also was shelter of revolutionary groups, repressed by the regime of Salazar’s Dictatorship. Nowadays, the Alcântara XXI urban planning project foresees streets creation, new buildings and old factories restoration, where, although it is slowly advancing, it already shows a great difference compared to a few years ago.
Whole buildings have been restored and refurbished which contributed to warming up the real estate market. Despite complaints from some local residents about property prices increase, it is clear that all these projects and changes have come to completely renovate the city, create new jobs, heat up the economy, change the way of doing business in the country and improve and increase tourism, as now Lisbon begins to compete with major European capitals.
Although it has become increasingly popular and well-known among national and international residents it is still possible to make good deals regarding the purchase of a property in that area. The average price for a newly refurbished apartment, you can expect to pay about €6000-8500 per m2, depending on finishes and size, according to Casafari that is used by property brokers. Smaller apartments tend to be slightly more per square meter, while bigger apartments in Alcantara can be found for slightly less. The only problem is that there are almost nothing available on the markets which is newly refurbished, which is what most buyers would prefer. After all, to refurbish yourself can be a lot of headache, not the least because of waiting time (1-3 years if you are unlucky) and the lack of skilled workers. Today, they are building so much in Lisbon and Alcantara that almost all builders are fully occupied already.
Why live in Alcantara and Lisbon?
Therefore, it is already known these prices were not practiced just over 3 years ago however Lisbon and Portugal are literally in the mouth of the people and a target of investors from all over the world. Programs such as tax benefits and Golden Visa, which facilitates the acquisition of Portuguese citizenship, really were a great decoy to attract foreigners and great investment opportunities to the country. Today, Portugal’s capital is seen as the one of the top destination in the world for expats where the reputable real estate agency Saville and their yearly survey rank Lisbon as the best place in the world to live for digital nomads.
If you enjoy great sea food and a varied cuisine, Alcantara and their many restaurants are a given choice. What’s great is that there is everything from delicious hand-made pasta at Ruvida to the 3 (***) star Michelin chef’s restaurant called Eneko Lisboa which is about 2-3 minutes walk from the Rua Costa 28 apartments. 50 Maravilhas in Alcantara is just 2-3 minutes walk away, the iconic Portuguese restaurant with amazing flavours. If you rather have Nepalian food, head over to Darshan Nepal 2, which is a spicy option. Do you prefer seafood and prawns in particular? Head over to O Palacio Restaurante-Cervejaria that’s less than 1 minutes walk away. Some of the best hamburgers in town can be found at mouth watering MBH Hamburgueseria in Alcantara. They use Argentinian meat, which might explain part of the delicious taste. We could go on and on – but leave it there and continue to the next point – the amazing weather.
Another reason why people love Lisbon is the mild climate, often ranging from 15-28 degrees, 365 days a year. Winter time (dec – march), it’s on average between 12-23 degrees Celsius at daytime, although temperature can drop especially at night. During Portuguese spring, you can expect 19-28 degrees and summer is usually about 23-30 degrees. Many believe that Lisbon got the best climate in Europe among western capitals.
Another important reason that tourists, expats and locals love Alcantara and the entire Lisbon area is because of safely. You can enjoy among the lowest crime rate in western Europe. People are friendly and speak English, so regardless of your mother tongue, you can be understood by speaking English in the capital.
Apartment prices in Alcântara
Will prices fall? Miguel Poisson, the new general director of Sotheby’s International Realty Portugal, warns that demand is high but there is little supply. According to him prices in Lisbon ”very hardly” will return to lower. Even some areas, including Alcântara, may still see considerably higher prices. In an interview for ECO portal he said:
”The market will receive new real estate developments and rehabilitations of a reasonable size that will bring a slightly higher supply and that will tend to calm the excess demand that exists in these areas.” … ”Portugal is an Europe entry golden gate and foreigners have sought this: tourism, investment and residence.” So for everyone that consider buying a small apartment in Alcantara, here we got the optimal choice for you! Get a new apartment, super modern, from around €220 000. Contact us now to learn more!