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Casa dos Bicos

A 16th-century architectural curiosity



Casa dos Bicos, Lisbon


This "House of Spikes" is an architectural curiosity, faced with diamond-shaped stones (a total of 1125).

It's a 16th-century palace that belonged to Afonso de Albuquerque, the Portuguese viceroy of India, and is one of the very few buildings that survived the 1755 earthquake.

It's thought to have been modelled on the palaces of Venice, although the two upper floors have exuberant arched windows characteristic of the Portuguese Manueline style.

Its interior is occupied by the Saramago Foundation, a space dedicated to the Nobel Prize-winning Portuguese writer. It hosts special literary events and contains the author's library.

There are tourist shops in the vicinity as well as good-value restaurants known for their traditional grilled fish dishes.

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Casa dos Bicos, Lisbon

Visitor's Guide

Where: Rua dos Bacalhoeiros, Alfama
How: Mtero: Terreiro do Paço, or walk from Comercio Square.
When: Monday to Saturday.



Attractions Nearby

Comercio Square - Monumental riverside square.
Rua Augusta - The city's main shopping street.
Conceição Velha Church - Church that survived the Great Earthquake.
The National Pantheon - The domed church that took centuries to complete.
Santo Antonio Church - Saint Anthony's birthplace.
The Roman Theater - The archaological remains of a once large Roman theater.
Fado Museum - The story of the national music.
Military Museum - A testament to the country's battles.
Doca do Jardim do Tabaco - Sleek restaurants and club on the waterfront.





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