Misericórdia (Bairro Alto, Chiado, Cais do Sodré)

Misericórdia was formed from the former parishes of Encarnação, Mercês, Santa Catarina and São Paulo. Its name comes from the Santa Casa da Misericórdia, which has had its seat at the Church of São Roque since 1768. The parish council gives its area as 1.11 km²; the 2021 census counted 9,658 residents (INE).

The area includes the Bairro Alto, Santa Catarina, Bica and the riverside Cais do Sodré, named after the navigator Vicente Sodré. The parish council describes a neighbourhood of palaces, theatres, cafés and former newspaper offices, where traditional popular festivals now coexist with a lively urban culture of restaurants, bars and taverns.

• Going-out district. The parish council names the Bairro Alto, the riverside and Cais do Sodré for their restaurants, bars and taverns.
• Adults rather than families. In 2021, 58.1% of residents were aged 25 to 64 and only 9.9% were under 15 (Lisbon: 13.0%).
• International. 18.7% of residents were foreign nationals (Lisbon: 10.1%).

• Metro: Cais do Sodré is the terminus of the Green line; Baixa-Chiado (Blue and Green lines) is at the edge of the parish.
• Trains and ferries: Cais do Sodré is the start of CP's Cascais line and an interchange with ferries across the Tagus to Cacilhas.
• Trams: 28E stops at Chiado, Praça Luís de Camões, Calhariz (Bica) and Santa Catarina; 24E starts at Praça Luís de Camões towards Campolide; 15E and 25E stop at Corpo Santo and Cais do Sodré on the way to Belém or Estrela.

We have no official rent figures for the parish; the municipality of Lisbon had a median rent of €17.42 per m² for new leases in the first quarter of 2026 (INE data reported by ECO). The resident population is small for such a central area; check carefully whether a flat is a long-term residential lease and visit at night to judge noise.

Only 9.9% of residents were under 15 in 2021. Public school places are allocated by area of residence.