Lisbon - dubbed the ‘Poor Man of Europe'

[Osman Patel]

General Overview


Just over a decade ago Lisbon was a city with an image problem. The capital of Portugal (a country dubbed the ‘Poor Man of Europe’) was often regarde as a rundown, shambolic and poverty-stricken place. Many locals, while being proud of their lively and characterful home, found it difficult to disagree. Today, Lisbon has experienced the kind of renaissance not seen since the 14th and 15th centuries, when the city was at the heart of an empire that stretched from Brazil to India. The event credited with kicking off this recent rejuvenation was the World Expo in 1998. Lisbon managed to squeeze both the central government and the European Union for financial backing, as the authorities hauled the city into shape. Included in this was a new bridge across the River Tagus, a major expansion of the crumbling metro system and the massive redevelopment of the Expo site, the Parque das Nações. Lisbon was quick to seize on the catalyst of Expo 98 and used the worldwide exposure well, to put itself firmly on the tourist and business map. The city has taken its traditional charms (the friendliness of its people, its buzzing nightlife, the splendour of its natural setting) and moulded them into an attractive package.



This new golden age really began even earlier, in 1994, when Lisbon was proclaimed European City of Culture, and this exposure has continued with Lisbon hosting many of the matches during the successful European Football Championships in 2004 in Portugal and then the MTV Europe Music Awards in 2005.

Lisbon’s superb natural setting, spread across seven hills and hugging the banks of the wide River Tagus estuary, attracted settlers as far back as 900BC, with the arrival of the Phoenicians. However, its zenith was reached in the 14th and 15th centuries, when its explorers set out to investigate the world’s oceans. Many of the city’s grandest buildings, such as those along the waterfront in the suburb of Bélem, are legacies of those days. However, most of the city centre Baixa area only dates back to the 18th century, when a large swathe of Lisbon had to be rebuilt after the devastating earthquake of 1755. Lisbon’s famous fado music mournfully recounts the passing of the maritime golden age and such traumas as the earthquake. However, Lisbonetas today have a renewed spring in their step and have come a long way, in a very short time, from the introspection and fatalism of fado.





Twenty-first century Lisbon is a vibrant, cosmopolitan and creative city that has managed to successfully marry the historic with the modern, the traditional with the cutting edge. Lisbon is at its best on languorous summer evenings, when the pavement cafés and riverside restaurants bustle with steamy life. Even in winter, when rain sweeps in off the Atlantic, any brief snatch of sunshine brings the tables back outside, in a city where enjoying life and taking time to appreciate it is still paramount.

Sightseeing - overview

Getting around Lisbon is all part of the fun, with a city centre that is easily navigable on foot for reasonably fit visitors. When the gradients become too much, the rapidly improving metro system is on hand and there is also the bus network, as well as the enjoyable array of clanking trams, bobbing ferries, crawling funiculars and lofty elevadors.



The elevadors and funiculars are a good place for visitors to start exploring the city, as they offer expansive views. Alternatively, São Jorge Castelo also commands impressive vistas, with the rambling Alfama old town rumbling away below the ramparts and the grid-like order of the Baixa visible just to the west. The Baixa is the business and shopping centre of the city, boasting its grandest square, Praça do Comercio, which lies right on the banks of the River Tagus. Baixa borders the Biarro Alto, a hilly coil of narrow streets that buzzes with shoppers by day and partygoers at night. Heading further west, the once neglected docklands have been revamped over the last decade, with new shops, bars and restaurants spicing up the old warehouses. Even further west, towards the Atlantic, is the suburb of Belém, on the city’s western extremities, which is the heart of the old Portuguese Empire, with a string of attractions that include the Torre de Belém, Mosteiro dos Jerónimos and the Centro Cultural de Belém.





Expo 98 left the impressive legacy of the Parque das Nações, to the east of the city centre, which is at the opposite end of the time scale from Belém – an ultra modern playground that is home to Europe’s second largest Oceanarium, a huge shopping centre, river walkways and concert venues.





Meanwhile, outside the city boundaries, the twin resorts of Estoril and Cascais offer a beach escape in the summer months, while the mountain retreat of Sintra is a perennially popular day trip and place to cool off when the mercury gets up in the city.

Sightseeing - Key Attractions

Key attractions

Castelo de São Jorge (Castle of St George) The Castle of St George is perched on the highest of Lisbon’s seven hills, high above the Baixa and the Mouraria (the Moorish Quarter). The site was occupied by Romans, Visigoths and Moors and was the royal residence until the late 15th century – it was rebuilt in the 1940s. Within the castle, tourists can visit multimedia presentations or just wander around the walls, towers and gardens. During summer, there are frequent festivals in the castle grounds. There is also a small restaurant (summer only). Perhaps the greatest attraction is the panoramic view from the ramparts. Largo do Chäo da Feira Tel: [phone]. Opening hours: Daily 0900-2100 (Apr-Sep); daily 0900-1800 (Oct-Mar). Free admission. Tram 28 The legendary tram 28 is a tourist attraction within itself. Vintage trams still ply the well-worn route from the city centre on sea level, right up through the jumble of streets towards the heights of the Castle of St George. On the way, the tram slices open the city, providing insights into the Lisbon way of life, as well as offering sweeping views back towards the city and out over the River Tagus. One word of warning – the tram is increasingly as popular with pickpockets as it is with savvy tourists. Campo Ourique-Martim Moniz Tel: [phone]. Website: www.carris.pt Opening hours: Daily 0600-0100. Admission charge. Torre de Belém (Belém Tower) One of the city’s most famous sights is more impressive on the outside than it is on the inside. This white stone tower (built in the early 16th century to defend the river) was the last thing that the seafaring adventurers saw before setting off on their epic adventures. It is an excellent example of the Manueline style of architecture, with fanciful naval themes. A gangway leads to a very average museum within the tower. Avenida de Brasília Tel: [phone]. Website: www.mosteirojeronimos.pt Opening hours: Tue-Sun 1000-1700 (Oct-Apr); Tues-Sun 1000-1830 (May-Sep), closed Mon. Admission charge. Mosteiro dos Jerónimos (Hieronimite Monastery) This 16th-century monastery is one of the few surviving examples of medieval Manueline architecture (named after Manuel I and featuring naval motifs) and is listed, along with the Torre de Belém, as a UNESCO World Heritage site. It is also the resting place of Vasco da Gama and the nation’s most famous writer, Luís de Camões. Praça do Império Tel: [phone]. Website: www.mosteirojeronimos.pt Opening hours: Tue-Sun 1000-1700 (Oct-Apr); Tues-Sun 1000-1830 (May-Sep), closed Mon. Admission charge. Parque das Nações (Nations Park) The former Expo 98 site has been converted into a leisure oasis, with a shopping centre, a string of attractions, concert halls, bars, restaurants and a walkway along the River Tagus. The Torre Vasco da Gama (the site’s landmark tower and Lisbon’s tallest building) has an observation platform and restaurant, two-thirds of the way up. The Oceanário (one of Europe’s largest aquariums) has huge pools that are home to manta rays, penguins and sharks, as well as adorable otters floating around on their backs. Designed for all manner of public events, the Pavilhão Atlântico (Atlantic Pavilion) is a highly successful venue for concerts, fairs and other functions, which hosted the 2005 MTV Europe Music Awards. The waterside cable car, connecting the tower and oceanarium, offers excellent views over the site. Summer weekends are best avoided for visits, however, as every family in Portugal seems to descend on the site. A three-day cartão do parque (park card), entitles visitors to discounted admission to many of the park’s attractions, as well as discounts in shops, restaurants and car parks. Parque das Nações Tel: [phone]. Website: www.parquedasnacoes.pt Opening hours: Daily 24 hours. Free admission. Pavilhão Atlântico (Atlantic Pavilion) Rossio dos Olivais Tel: [phone]. Website: www.atlantico-multiusos.pt Opening hours: Daily 1300-1900 (ticket office). Free admission; event prices vary. Cable Car Between Torre Vasco da Gama and the Marina locks Tel: [phone]. Opening hours: Mon-Fri 1100-1900, Sat-Sun 1000-2000 (Oct-May); Mon-Fri 1100-2000, Sat-Sun 1000-2100 (Jun-Sep). Admission charge. Oceanário Esplanada D Carlos I-Doca dos Olivais Tel: [phone]. Website: www.oceanario.pt Opening hours: Daily 1000-2000 (summer), 1000-1900 (winter). Admission charge. Torre Vasco da Gama Cais das Naus Tel: [phone]. Opening hours: Daily 1000-2000. Admission charge. Museu Calouste Gulbenkian (Calouste Gulbenkian Museum) This treasure house of art, covering almost every significant epoch, benefited greatly from a major revamp at the start of the new millennium. Egyptian, Greco-Roman, Islamic and Oriental art comprise half the exhibition rooms and the remainder is devoted to European art from medieval times to the early 20th century. The sequence continues with the foundation’s Centro de Arte Moderna, which is part of the same complex. Avenida de Berna 45 Tel: [phone]. Website: www.gulbenkian.pt Opening hours: Tues-Sun 1000-1800. Admission charge. Centro Cultural de Belém (Belém Cultural Centre) This modern complex is home to the Museu do Design (Museum of Design) as well as performance and exhibition spaces. The museum features 20th-century design (divided into ‘luxury’, ‘pop’ and ‘cool’ themes) supplemented by temporary exhibitions. The courtyards and rooftop gardens make a great place to relax in between sightseeing. Praça do Império Tel: [phone]. Website: www.ccb.pt Opening hours: Daily 0800-2130 (Cultural Centre); Tues-Sun 1000-1900 (Museum of Design). Admission charge. Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga (National Museum of Ancient Art) Essentially Portugal’s national gallery, this museum’s collections of painting and sculpture date from the 12th century and include a wide range of works by Portuguese and international artists. Rua das Janelas Verdes 9 Tel: [phone]. Website: www.ipmuseus.pt Opening hours: Tues 1400-1800, Wed-Sun 1000-1300 and 1400-1800. Admission charge. Sé (Cathedral) Built by Dom Alfonso Henriques, Portugal’s first king, in the 12th century, Lisbon’s cathedral is primarily Romanesque in style, although later styles were incorporated when earthquake damage was repaired. The cloister dates from the 13th century, while the Baroque sacristy houses the remains of St Anthony (Lisbon’s patron saint) and other treasures. The cathedral also houses a small museum. Largo da Sé Tel: [phone]. Opening hours: Tues-Sat 1000-1700. Free admission; charge for cloister and treasury. Aqueduto Das Águas Livres (Águas Livres Aqueduct) The impressive Aqueduto das Águas Livres achieved the much-deserved status of a national monument in February 2002. The aqueduct’s startling Baroque stone arches were erected by architects Manuel da Maia and Custodio José Vieira in 1748; they survived the 1755 earthquake, which rocked and all but crumbled the city. The 18km (11-mile) journey makes this an attraction only for those with a keen interest in architecture. Largo do Rato Free admission.