Overlooking the Rio Tejo, spread out across steep hillsides, Portugal’s sprawling main attraction offers visitors a treasure trove of delights, all without the hustle and bustle of Europe’s other major capitals. Lisbon, with its quaint museums, epic Gothic architecture and perfect climate all-year round makes one incredibly colorful cityscape, yet that is far from everything this amazing city has to offer.
Not surprisingly, the real beauty of Lisbon is to be seen hidden away in its narrow lanes that meander everywhere across the city, with the friendly, laid back Lisboetas strolling around, living the easy life just as they have done for hundreds of years before.
A Walk Through the Past
Discovering Lisbon is a lot of fun and the best way to do so is on foot - explore the trendy districts of Belem, Baixa and Alfama, and go lose yourself in their maze of cobblestone streets, enjoy rich-tasting coffee at one of the dozens of Art Nouveau cafes dotted around, and generally gawp at the astonishing pretty architecture that makes this city really stand out.
For a real taste of the city’s history, check out one of the remarkable museums around the town, such as the Calouste Gulbenkian Museum, the Carmo Archaeological Museum and the National Museum of Contemporary Art.
Enchanting Lisbon Nights
When all this culture gets boring, visitors often head out in the evening for something just as entertaining, only much, much wilder! Lisbon is renowned amongst the Portuguese for its cracking nightlife, and there is no better place to experience it than at Bairro Alto, an electric atmosphere chock-a-block with party-goers, restaurants, bars and nightclubs.
If shopping is your thing then Lisbon really will be your Mecca – it is home to Centro Commercial Colombo, the largest shopping mall in the entire Iberian Peninsula, jam-packed with boutiques, department stores, souvenir shops, galleries, high street names and designer labels. For those who prefer a more laid back shopping environment however, the fascinating Campo de Santa Clara flea market offers an equally varied selection, though it will be a lot cheaper!
Get out there and explore Lisbon – it’s a place where every single street tells a different story.
Main attractions: Belém Palace, Parque das Nações , Rua Augusta, Santa Maria de Belem parish, raça do Comércio, the Docas, Rossio, Church of Nossa Senhora da Conceição Velha, the Church of São Domingos, Restauradores Square, Museu do Chiado, Estadio da Luz , Estrela Basilica, Cristo-Rei, and too many to actually list.
Currency: Euro
Official language: Portuguese
Area: 219 km2 (84.6 sq mi)
Population: 2,815,851
Electricity:
- Voltage: 220-240 Volts (U.S./Canada are 110-120 Volts)
- Primary Socket Type: Europlug, Schuko
- Multi-voltage appliances (laptops, etc)
- 110-120V electronics: Plug adapter + step-down transformer
- Hair dryers, curling irons, etc.: Plug adapter + voltage converter
Other places to see & things to do: Don Pedro IV square, the Alfama district, Bairro Alto, Statue of King José I, Praça do Império, Praça de Luís de Camões, Lisbon funicular railway, and Vasco da Gama Bridge, plus hundreds more.
Images courtesy: Wikipedia, Marion Cerrato
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