published on 2026-10-13 · by Fábio
An afternoon in Lisbon before fado — three plans that end with fado
A tuk-tuk through Alfama, a pastel de nata class or a food tour through Mouraria: three afternoons that fit well before a fado night, with times and what each one includes.
Short answer
Three afternoons that work before fado. A private tuk-tuk through Alfama, ending at Fado in Alfama at 6 pm. A pastel de nata class in the Baixa at 4:30 pm, then Fado in Chiado at 7 pm, ten minutes' walk away. Or a food tour through the Baixa and Mouraria, which adds up to a full dinner, followed by a short fado without dinner. Save the cooking class with dinner for another night: it takes the whole evening.
Fado starts at the end of the day, and the afternoon before it tends to get lost between the hotel and the rush not to be late. It doesn't have to. These three plans finish close to where you will hear fado, and none of them leaves you worn out before the evening.
1. Alfama by tuk-tuk, and fado in Alfama
Alfama is all stairs and steep lanes. If you don't feel like climbing them — or you are travelling with someone who can't — an electric tuk-tuk solves it.
It is a private tour, just for your group, up to six people per vehicle, with a guide who drives and tells the story of each place. You choose the length, from one to five hours, and the route: Alfama and the viewpoints, the Baixa, Belém. The meeting point is the Hard Rock Cafe in Restauradores, and there is hotel pickup if you are staying in the centre. Children under seven are not allowed on the tuk-tuk.
See dates and prices on Viator
The price depends on the hours and how many of you there are: the button shows it for your group. Two hours from 3:30 pm are plenty for Alfama and the viewpoints, and get you to Fado in Alfama in time for its 6 pm start: an hour in a small room, with a glass of port.
If you like walking, Alfama is better discovered on foot. The Alfama guide helps.
2. A pastel de nata class, and fado in Chiado
Two hours in a professional kitchen in the Baixa, with a pastry chef, making pastéis de nata from start to finish. At the end, you sit down to eat three of the ones you made, with a coffee or another drink, and the recipe arrives by email. You don't need to know how to cook.
See dates and prices on Viatoror book on GetYourGuide
It costs €70 per person. Classes run at 10 am, 1:30 pm, 4:30 pm and 7:30 pm. The 4:30 pm class ends at 6:30 pm and leaves you ten minutes' walk from Fado in Chiado, which has a 7 pm show, Monday to Saturday. It is 50 minutes without dinner, and you eat in Chiado afterwards.
3. A food tour through Mouraria, and fado without dinner
The Eating Europe food tour lasts three and a half hours, on foot, through the Baixa and Mouraria — the neighbourhood where fado was born. There are four family-run stops. They can vary, but they are usually these: a tavern with a bifana and flame-grilled chouriço, the longest-running Mozambican kitchen in Lisbon, a fado house where you eat bacalhau à Brás and octopus salad, and a pastry shop to finish with a pastel de nata. Between the tastings and the glasses, it adds up to a full meal.
One thing to know: you visit a fado house, but there is no live fado. It is a stop with food, not a show.
See dates and prices on Viatoror book on GetYourGuide
It costs from €104 per person, in groups of twelve at most, and the guide speaks English. Departures run from 10:30 am to 5:30 pm. Since you will have eaten the equivalent of a dinner, the evening calls for a short fado: on a departure up to 3 pm, you are in time for Fado in Chiado at 7 pm.
And on another night: a cooking class with dinner
If you have more than one night in Lisbon, there is a Portuguese cooking class that ends with a three-course dinner and Portuguese wines. It starts at 6:30 pm, ends around 10 pm and is taught in English.
See dates and prices on Viator
It costs €120 per person and it is not for your fado night — it takes the whole evening. On a three- or four-day trip, it makes a good second night. The days of the week vary: the button shows the ones available.
Book online · Alfama
Dinner and fado at Tasca da Bela
The house's own free tables, right here. Pay a €10 deposit per person and the rest at the house. €60 with dinner, drinks and fado.
- What can I do in Lisbon in the afternoon before a fado show?
A tuk-tuk ride through Alfama, a pastel de nata class in the Baixa or a food tour through Mouraria. All three finish in time for an early-evening fado, in Chiado or in Alfama.
- How much is a pastel de nata class in Lisbon?
The class I recommend costs €70 per person: two hours in a professional kitchen in the Baixa, with three pastéis de nata, a drink and the recipe by email.
- Does the food tour include live fado?
No. It stops at a fado house, where you eat, but there is no live fado. To hear fado, add a short show in the evening.
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See also
More fado nights I recommend.
Fado in Alfama — a show in the neighbourhood, with port wine
from€19An hour of fado in a small room, in the heart of Alfama. No dinner, with a glass of port. The most direct way to hear fado where it was born.
Fado no Chiado — 50 minutes in central Lisbon
from€23A short show, no dinner, in the centre of Chiado. 17 years on stage. For those with little time who want to hear fado without heavy production.
Fado with tour and dinner — a guided night through Mouraria and Alfama
from€55Four hours: a walk through the streets where fado was born, dinner in a traditional house, and a live show. For those who arrive in Lisbon without context and want to leave with it.