Lisboa Portugal - Lisbon, Portugal's Capital

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Lisboa - A travel report by Amanda

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Lisboa, Portugal - Lisboa	13172 readers		mistybleu's travel reports
Lisbon, Portugal's Capital	23 votes		Page: 1 2 3 4 5 6

Lisbon is situated at the mouth of the Tagus River and is known for the ‘Age of Discovers’ during which Madeira, the Azores and Brazil were ‘discovered’.




	Padrao do Descobimentos

Praises are bestowed upon Henry the Navigator whose thirst for geographical knowledge and desire to discover new lands opened up Portugal to world trade and colonisation.

Lisbon is a great city to spend a four-day weekend and the best time to go is April or May which avoids the busy summer months; I went in February, the days were hot but the evenings were incredible cold. The best way to see Lisbon is to go on a walking tour; but a word of warning it can be a bit hard on the feet, as a result of walking up and down hills, and on cobbled pavements and streets. However, there is a good public transport network and riding the trams can be quite fun.

Favourite spots:




	Praca do Comercio

1. Padrao do Descobimentos: is the crowning glory of Lisbon. This monument was erected to mark the anniversary of their maritime greatness and the death of Henry the Navigator. It is a blockhouse and provides a nice view of the mosaic world map. 2. Praca do Comercio was designed by Marques de Pombal. It has neo-classical government buildings surround it that adds to its character and in the middle of the square is statue of King Jose I. 3. Torre de Belem: this is considered as Lisbon’s national landmark. Originally the tower sat in the middle of the Tagus, but now there is just a small plank that allows access from the dock. 4. Se Cathedral – this was the city’s first church and is said to sit on the site of an old mosque. The building is like a roman fortress, which sits high on the hill and has a great vantage-point. 5. Mosteiro doi Jeronimos: this is a glorious monastic complex whose carved stone work is magnificent. Not to be missed.

What's really great:




	Lisbon's Trams

Walking through the streets of Baixa or Bairro Alto or Chiado districts of the city. Its wonderful seeing all the tiled buildings, and walking along the cobble streets. Never before have I seen such a place where you are even walking on their culture. Taking a tram ride around the city is also fun. Some trams are vintage models and you feel special as they traverse the city and crawl up the hills. I used was Santa Justa elevator to climb the hill, it was really a different experience as the old lift creaked its way up. It was a bit noisy and unusually.

Sights:




	Train Station

High on top of the hill is Castle Sao Jorge, it has great views of the city and it can be nice to stay here until dusk to enhance the appreciation.
Rossio: whilst the square is not be most beautiful square I'd seen, it is a great place to stop off and grab a coffee. Before you enter the square, there is a train station that is exceptional in design.
Parque Eduardo VII: was named after the British King Edward who visited Lisbon to forge Anglo-Portuguese relations, but it’s a lovely park not far from the city centre. It’s not safe after dark, but during the day it’s great to stroll through.

Accommodations:




	Park Eduardo VII Hotel

Park Eduardo VII is located on Avenida Fontes Pereira de Melo and is on the Airport bus route. This is part of the Best Western chain and whilst it’s not the best hotel in the city, it is pleasant, and the rooms are adequate. It was also moderately priced.

However, nearby was Marques de Pombal Hotel, this is a 4 star hotel, which was really great to sit and have drinks. The train station and bus stops are close by.

Nightlife:

Adega do machado: Rua do Norte, this is a popular Fado club; a Fado is a form of traditional singing accompanied by guitars. They started around 9.15pm and it was so passionate, really dramatic and that was wonderful. It’s kind of like watching flamenco dancing in Spain. They said there wasn't an admission charges, but ended up paying a cover charge instead.

Kremlin: Escadinhas do Praia 5. I was told this was a cool club to hang out; it was recommended by a friend. I also found it in my guidebook and they said it did get going until 2am, finishing around 7am; that was a bit much for me, but if any goes let me know if it is 'cool'.

Restaurants:




	Fish Restaurant

Sol Dourado – Rua Jardim do Regedor, was the restaurant I tried, but there are lots of inexpensive family-run cafes and restaurants, specializing in fish dishes. You must try a lobster or crab dish; it can be quite delightful and it’s not too expensive.

Other recommendations:




	The World at your feet

94% of the population is Roman Catholic which translates to a lot of churches to visit, some of the best are: Basilica da Estrela and Igreja de Sao Roque
There are also some great museums worth visiting most are open Tuesday to Sunday; Museu Nacional de Arqueologia and Museu Calouste Gulbenkian.

Published on Wednesday October 20th, 2004