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highlights:
 City Sights
- Castelo de Sao Jorge
- Alfama
- S (Catedral)
- Calouste Gulbenkian
- The Bairro Alto
- of Belem
- Parque de Naoes
- Sintra
- Arrbida's Park
Activities
- Fado
- Dinner Parties
- Bar Parties
- Quiz nights
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in the city of Lisboa:
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The walls of Saint George's Castle, sitting atop a hill guarding the Tagus, date from the Moorish occupation in the 10th century, but the site has been a fortress for centuries, possibly since the 5th century. The moated castle is regarded as the cradle of Lisboa, and today it provides a panoramic view of the River Tagus and the Alfama medieval district, which is spread out below it.
Telephone: 21 887 7244; Transport: Bus 37 or tram 12; Opening time: Daily 9am to 9pm (April to September), and 9am to 6pm (October to March); Admission: Free
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The oldest part of Lisboa, the Alfama quarter sprawls down the hillside from below the Castelo de Sao Jorge, retaining much of the traditional colour and atmosphere from the days when it was the ancient seat of the Saracens. Along the narrow cobblestone alleyways are taverns and street markets, interspersed with close-packed houses still occupied by stevedores, fishmongers and sailors. At the edge of the Alfama, Lisboa's renowned flea market, the Feira da Ladra, is held in the Campo de Santa Clara every Tuesday and Saturday.
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Although this cathedral in Largo da Se in the Alfama district is not outwardly appealing, it was the first church in Lisboa, built on the site of a Saracen mosque after the city was captured by the Crusaders in the 12th century. Inside, this ancient church features some treasures, like the font where St Anthony of Padua was baptised in 1195, and numerous notable relics, images and icons.
Telephone: 21 886 6752; Transport: Tram 28; Opening time: Tuesday to Saturday 9am to 7pm, Sunday and Monday 9am to 5pm; Admission: Free
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Gulbenkian was an Armenian oil magnate who died in 1955 having put together one of the worlds finest private art collections. The collection is now housed in a modern centre where the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation sponsors a host of cultural and performing arts projects, and hosts a rotating exhibition of works by Portuguese and foreign artists. The Gulbenkian collection itself covers Egyptian, Greek and Roman antiquities, Islamic ceramics and textiles, Syrian treasures, Chinese ceramics, Japanese prints and lacquerware and European medieval illuminated manuscripts.
Address: Avenue de Berna 45A; Telephone: 21 782 3000; Website: www.museu.gulbenkian.pt Transport: Bus 16, 26, 31, 46 and 56, or metro to S. Sebastio or Praa de Espanha stations; Opening time: Tuesday to Sunday 10am to 5.45pm; Admission: 3; free on Sundays
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The Bairro Alto district (literally the Upper City) is, like the Alfama, an historic enclave dating from 1513, which is reached in a novel way via the Santa Justa Elevator (a structure reminiscent of the Eiffel tower in Paris) from the lower city. The colourful district resounds to the calls of vendors and fishmongers, and the windows and balconies are festooned with laundry and bird cages. At night the area comes alive with some of the finest fado cafes in the city, along streets lit by Victorian lanterns. Fado is the famous brand of music and dance brought to Portugal by African slaves in the 19th century, characterised by songs of sadness and despair, and there is no better place in Portugal to experience this musical genre than in the Bairro Alto of Lisboa.
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One of the most famous sights in Lisboa is the imposing monument, situated on the riverbank in the Avenida de Brasilia in the district of Belem, designed to commemorate the Portuguese Age of Discovery. Belem, where the Tagus meets the sea, is the point from which the maritime explorers of yore set forth in their sailing ships to discover the world. The monument was unveiled in 1960 on the 500th anniversary of the death of Prince Henry the Navigator in 1460, the monarch who was largely responsible for Portugal's role in world exploration during the 15th and 16th centuries. The massive monument takes the form of a caravel with Prince Henry at the prow, backed by images of renowned mariners, royal patrons and others who participated in the golden age of discovery.
Telephone:: 21 303 1950; Transport: Bus 27, 28, 43 or 49; Opening time: Tuesday to Sunday 9.30am to 5pm (September to June), 9.30am to 9pm (July and August); Admission: 1.90
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The famous Tower of Belem is a Unesco World Heritage Site, and is one of Lisboas most photographed landmarks because of the decoration on its exterior. The outer walls are adorned with a stone-carved rope and beautiful openwork balconies, along with Moorish watchtowers and battlements shaped like shields. The tower was built in the 16th century to serve as a fortress in the middle of the River Tagus.
Address: Avenida de Brasilia; Telephone: 21 362 0034; Website:www.mosteirojeronimos.pt/english/index_torre.html Transport: Bus 27, 28, 29, 43, 49 or 51; tram 15; Opening time: Tuesday to Sunday 10am to 5pm (October to April), 10am to 6.30pm (May to September); Admission: 3 | |
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Lisboa's exhibition park was upgraded and renamed for the Expo '98 world exposition, which revitalised the city and brought international tourists and interest flooding in. The site is now worthy of a full day's sightseeing, featuring several attractions, not least of which is the Lisboa Oceanarium with its 15,000 living examples of marine life. The main tank holds enough water to fill four Olympic-sized swimming pools, and is viewed from two floors through curved glass panels that provide a 180-degree view. Another popular diversion is the Virtual Reality Pavilion, which showcases the Portuguese age of discovery. Other attractions include a science centre, cable car, the Vasco da Gama Tower and numerous bars and restaurants offering Portuguese cuisine.
Address:Avenue D. Joo II, Lote; Telephone: 21 891 9333 or 21 891 9898; E-mail: info@parquedasnacoes.pt Website: www.parquedasnacoes.pt Transport: Buses, trains and the metro go to Oriente Station; Opening time: Oceanarium: daily 10am to 8pm (until 7pm in winter); Admission: Oceanarium: 10 (adults), 5 (children 4-12)
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This is a must destination while visiting Lisboa. With the Qunita da Regaleira, Pena Palaca and Convento do Capuchos. One doesn't have to be there long to see even the most jaded and monument-hardened tourists in a funk of bewilderment, eyes glazed over and endlessly repeating inanities like, 'It's so beautiful . . . isn't it wonderful.'" | |
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Still in the Setbal Peninsula, in addition to the coastline with its townships, beaches, marshes and mountains, is the protected Arriba Fossil area of the Costa da Caparica which is situated between Trafana and the Lagoa de Albufeira. This area occupies an area of 1,570 hectares and was so defined in 1984 because of its geological importance of sedimentary rocks which form the river bank, some of which go back 15 million years in time. The river bank dates from when the coastal line was further inland. Nowadays, due to the accumulation of sediment along the coast, the bank is in a fossilized state. The fossilized fauna on the bank is diverse - fluviomaritime in nature one finds bivalves, gastropods and traces of fish from the Miocene epoch. | |
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Along the coast between Setbal and Sesimbra, the Serra da Arrabida stretches up. These chalky hills have the only surviving example of primitive Mediterranean vegetation. Tucked away in the heart of Arrbida's Natural Park, the formation goes back 180 million years. The soil and mild climatic features, considered the best in Portugal, have produced a lush vegetation rich in species. | |
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