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A City of Legend
The capital of Portugal sits at the point where the River Tagus feeds into the Atlantic. Being built on seven hills, it has plenty of vantage points from which to contemplate the distant horizons that called the Portuguese explorers in the country's golden age during the 16th century, when it was the hub of commerce with the far east and gold poured into Lisbon's coffers from the new west. Devastating earthquakes and loss of empire left the city a little threadbare, but 21st-century commerce took a hand, sprucing the place up for Euro 2004.
The grid-like Baixa, or downtown, was laid out after the devastating 1755 earthquake, and is a candidate for being a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is flanked by two squares: the riverside Praça do Comércio, framed by arcades and dominated by a triumphal arch and, at the northern end, Praça Dom Perdo IV (Rossio). The Elevador de Santa Justa, an outdoor cast-iron lift that first opened in 1901, offers a panoramic view of the streets in between.
The Alfama district east of Baixa retains the layout and atmosphere of Moorish times. The Romanesque cathedral, or Sé, was founded on the site of a mosque, after the 1147 Christian Reconquest. Further uphill there are fine views from the Castelo de São Jorge. The castle was built by the Moors on the site of a Roman fort, but what you see today is almost all 20th-century mock-up. West of Baixa, the shops and cafés of Chiado district give way to the Bairro Alto, a nightlife haven.
The city's main axis is Avenida da Liberdade. Lined with cafés and fashion chains, it leads from Rossio to the formal Parque Eduardo VII. Beyond that is the Museu Calouste Gulbenkian, with fine Western and Oriental art.
Tourists also flock to Belém, a half-hour tram ride west. The Tower of Belém and Jerónimos monastery showcase the exuberant Manueline (late Gothic) style of the time.
Lisbon's eastern waterfront was of little touristic interest until 1998. Staged on reclaimed industrial wasteland, Expo 98 gave Lisbon its biggest facelift in two centuries and a number of new attractions. Now renamed Parque das Nações the site has an Oceanarium; the Pavilhão do Conhecimento, with science exhibits; and - the district's architectural highlight - Alvaro Siza Vieira's Portugal pavilion, with its remarkable concrete canopy.
Sightseeing:
- The Praça do Comercio: gateway to the city
- The Jerónimos Monastery
- The Rua Augusta, featuring cafes, restaurants and shops
- The Rossio and the Praça da Figueira: the heart of downtown (Baixa)
- Alfama, the medieval quarter
- The 18th century Convent of Carmo
- Bairro Alto, the former residential quarter
- The Tower of Belem
- The Mirador of Senhora do Monte
- The largest Oceanarium in Europe
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