This chapter is based on an analysis commissioned by the municipality of Almada, located in the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, on internal and external perceptions of the older part of the city in view of spatial requalification and tourism development strategies. The area under analysis is located on the Tagus River on the bank opposite Lisbon’s old city centre easily accessible in a short trip by ferry. Almada is a former industrial area, has a strong relationship with the river and the sea area and is marked by a rather disorganised suburbanisation process due to the lack of urban planning. It has a multimodal centre, administrative services of local government, cultural facilities and it is known for its seafood gastronomy. Also, an emblematic sanctuary can be visited in the area nearby that attracts many visitors. After losing some of its vitality over new areas of the municipality, in more recent years it has been attracting new residents as well as a growing number of different outlets, hostels and new offers in terms restaurants. In this sense, the research aimed to understand, on one hand, how the territory is experienced as a touristic attraction by its visitors and, on the other, the locals’ concerns and expectations. For the reading of the territory a multi-method approach of the territory was carried that combines social media and press analyses, observation, focus groups, in-depth interviews, and surveys. The results obtained reveal the narratives about the territory from different perspectives: people who use this area on a regular basis namely residents, visitors, representatives from the municipality, from commerce and the hospitality sector, with distinctive elements associated with the landscape, history, memories, culture and urban form.

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