Fado itinerary

Fado is the voice of Portugal: a melancholy, passionate song for a single voice, accompanied by the twelve-string Portuguese guitar and the classical guitar, which the Portuguese call viola. It sings of lost loves, departures, the sea, the city and above all saudade, that sweet, aching longing for something that is gone or never was. It was born in the working-class quarters of Lisbon in the 19th century, among sailors, prostitutes and taverns, and in the 20th century, thanks to Amália Rodrigues, it became music heard all over the world. Since 2011 it has been on UNESCO's list of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

This five-day itinerary is a journey into the music of Portugal: three days in Lisbon, in the Alfama and Mouraria, the quarters where fado was born, with the Fado Museum, Amália's house and the casas de fado of the Bairro Alto, where you listen over a candlelit dinner; then Coimbra, with its university fado sung only by men in black capes; and finally Porto, with its riverside taverns. Every evening, a different fado.

A Lisbon song

Fado's origins are uncertain: some look for them in sailors' songs, some in Afro-Brazilian music brought to Lisbon by the court returning from Brazil in 1821, some in Arab traditions. What is certain is that by around 1830-1840 it was being sung in the taverns of the Mouraria and Alfama, and the first famous fadista was Maria Severa, a young woman from the Mouraria said to have been loved by a count, who died in 1846 at twenty-six. Under Salazar's dictatorship fado was controlled by the censors but also promoted as a national symbol, and for a long time some saw it as the regime's music. It was Amália Rodrigues (1920-1999) who took it to theatres around the world, also singing poems by great Portuguese poets. Since the 2000s a new generation of fadistas has renewed it. See fado and saudade.

Day 1: the Mouraria, cradle of fado

Start in the Mouraria, the quarter below the castle where Muslims were confined after the Reconquista and where fado was born. Climb from Martim Moniz square along rua do Capelão, where a plaque marks Maria Severa's house and a large stone Portuguese guitar is dedicated to fado. Along the stairways, big black-and-white photos of the quarter's fadistas hang on the walls. Walk on to Largo do Intendente, now full of cafés and artists. In the evening dine in a small tavern where fado vadio, "vagabond" amateur fado, is sung: anyone may stand up and sing, from the cook to the pensioner upstairs. See Lisbon's neighbourhoods.

Where to stay: in Lisbon, for three nights, ideally in the Alfama or the Baixa.

Day 2: the Alfama and the Fado Museum

In the morning visit the Fado Museum, at the foot of the Alfama, which tells the song's story through photographs, posters, records, costumes and a collection of Portuguese guitars; with headphones you can listen to the great fadistas of every era. Then lose yourself in the Alfama, Lisbon's oldest quarter, a maze of lanes, stairways and little squares with washing hung from the windows, climbing to the Santa Luzia and Portas do Sol viewpoints. Visit the workshop of a craftsman who builds Portuguese guitars.

In the afternoon go to the National Pantheon, the church of Santa Engrácia, where Amália Rodrigues rests beside presidents and writers, the only singer buried among the nation's heroes. On Tuesdays and Saturdays the Feira da Ladra flea market is held next door, a good place to find old fado records. In the evening dine in an Alfama casa de fado. See the Alfama.

Day 3: Amália's house and the Bairro Alto

In the morning visit the Amália Rodrigues House Museum on rua de São Bento, the home where the singer lived for almost fifty years: the salons, stage costumes, jewellery, portraits, awards and mementoes of her travels. In the afternoon ride the Bica or Glória funicular up to the Bairro Alto and stroll through the quarter of journalists, bars and clubs. At sunset go to the São Pedro de Alcântara viewpoint, overlooking the castle and the Baixa.

In the evening go to one of the historic casas de fado in the Bairro Alto or Madragoa, where professional fadistas sing between courses: the lights dim, service stops and the room listens in silence. See the Bairro Alto and Lisbon nightlife.

Day 4: Coimbra

The train takes you to Coimbra in about an hour and three quarters. Coimbra fado is very different from Lisbon's: it is sung only by men, students and former students of the university, dressed in long black capes, and its songs speak of love, serenades to girls and nostalgia for student days. It is heard in silence, and instead of applauding at the end, people cough. By day visit the University, with the Joanina Library, and the old town, with the Sé Velha; in the evening go to a Coimbra fado show in one of the small venues of the upper town, which also explain the history of the tradition. In May, during the Queima das Fitas, the great student festival, a night-time serenade is held on the steps of the Sé Velha. See Coimbra.

Where to stay: in Coimbra.

Day 5: Porto

The train takes you from Coimbra to Porto in about an hour. Stroll through the Ribeira, the riverside quarter, cross the Luís I bridge and visit a port wine lodge in Vila Nova de Gaia. Porto also has a few fado houses in the old town where you can dine to music before you leave. Fly home from Porto Airport. See Porto.

How much it costs

To save money: fado vadio in the little taverns of the Alfama and Mouraria is often free, as long as you order dinner or a few drinks; many casas de fado let you sit just for drinks with a minimum spend. The Lisboa Card saves on transport and museums.

Practical information

• Silence: during fado people don't talk, eat or take flash photos; waiters stop serving. Applaud at the end of each song, except in Coimbra.
• Times: casas de fado open around eight in the evening, but the most authentic fado often starts after ten, when the house singers arrive.
• Bookings: the most famous casas de fado should be booked, especially on Fridays and Saturdays.
• Tourist traps: be wary of touts in the street offering "real fado"; choose recommended venues.
• Documents: EU citizens only need a valid identity card. See getting to Portugal.

Variations

• The June festivals: the festivals of the popular saints, peaking on the night of 12 June, St Anthony's Eve, when the Alfama fills with grilled sardines and music; see Lisbon's festivals.
• The Alfama festival: in September, two days of fado in the quarter's churches, squares and venues.
• Folk music: the choirs of the Alentejo, cante alentejano, also on UNESCO's list; see Portuguese music.

What to read before you go

A good introduction to the history of fado and a biography of Amália Rodrigues; for the atmosphere of Lisbon, Antonio Tabucchi's Requiem. And of course, before you go, listen to Amália, Carlos do Carmo, Mariza, Ana Moura and Camané. See also where to eat in Lisbon.

Final tips

• Pace: don't go to a casa de fado every night; alternate the famous venues with fado vadio in neighbourhood taverns.
• Combinations: it pairs perfectly with the literary itinerary, which follows the same route from Lisbon to Porto.
• A tip: when the lights go down and the fadista starts to sing, close your eyes: even without understanding the words, you can feel the saudade.

See also our other itineraries in Portugal.

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