Lisbon & Estoril Coast sightseeing
Lisbon By Day
An authentic taste of Lisbon in only a few hours. Drive through one of the main avenues of the city to the very heart of Lisbon at Rossio square. Take in Alfama, the oldest and the most picturesque quarter of the city, with a stop for wine tasting before crossing the Tagus to explore the many delights and panoramic vistas of Belem. There's also an unique opportunity to visit the church of St.Jerome Monastery, a masterpiece of the Manuelin style.
Lisbon by Night
Enjoy panoramic views of many of Lisbon’s most famous monuments – The Belem Tower, the Monastery of St Jerome, the Lisbon bridge and the Cristo Rei. Then dinner at a typical Portuguese restaurant with traditional plaintive Fado music and folklore.
Castello de Sao Jorge
One of the few survivors of the earthquake the Castelo de Sao Jorge - St George's Castle - stands atop Lisbon's highest hill. The castle lays strong claim to being Lisbon's most splendid monument. The gardens within its Moorish walls are populated with walkways, terraces, fountains and peacocks. The views from the ramparts, of Lisbon's oldest and most picturesque neighbourhood, Alfama, are simply stunning.
Alfama
Lisbon's medieval quarter is a labyrinth of narrow cobbled streets and steep crooked alleyways and a throwback to a time when the city was home to the Moors. The area stretches from the Castelo de Sao Jorge in the north to the River Tagus in the south. Having retained much of its ancient character Alfama is the place to eat in local cafes (at local prices), wander amongst the antique and bric a brac emporia and lose yourself in the twice-weekly flea market. Alfama is also the place to be during the Saints' festivals of June. Plaintive and haunting Fado music spills out onto the tiny streets and there are numerous panoramas offering stunning views of the city and the river estuary.
Parque das Nacoes
Since hosting the World expo Exhibition in 1998 this former industrial area has become home to a high-tech entertainment park, a pristine shopping mall, futuristic railway station and the striking, white Vasco da Gama bridge extending for 11 miles over the River Tagus. The latest arrival to Parque das Nacoes, Nations Park, is the Oceanario de Lisboa, which, with more than 10,000 samples of marine life, lays claim to being the largest and finest aquarium in the world.
Belem
Located to the west of the city, Belem is Lisbon's cultural heart and its primary monumental and museum district. It is the area from which many ships set sail to discover the new world and the Tower of Belem, an UNESCO world heritage site, stands proud, commemorating these ancient expeditions. It is also home to Lisbon's most impressive religious monument, the Jeronimos Monastery, as well as museums of Popular Art, Archaeology and Naval Achievement, the Planetarium and the unmissable Ajuda Palace.
Bairro da Lapa
Lisbon's most elegant residential neighbourhood, Bairro da Lapa, is home to foreign embassies, expensive town houses, intimate hotels and also Portugal's largest museum, the National Museum of Ancient Art. A large handsomely designed palace, the museum is home to several masterpieces of international renown and houses an extensive collection of Flemish, Dutch, German, French, English, Spanish and Italian art from the fourteenth to nineteenth centuries.
Baixa & Bairro Alto
The central district of Baixa is Lisbon's traditional shopping centre with bustling squares and busy cafes. Bairro Alto is a hilly area full of picturesque old houses best reached by an eccentric yellow funicular trolley, although locals tend to tire of waiting for the funicular and tackle the steep hill on foot. Bairro Alto is also the capital's nightlife centre.
Map
Climate
Belying its location on the very edge of Western Europe, Lisbon's climate and ambiance feel decidedly Mediterranean with a twist of the exotic. Gulf-stream induced mild winters allow palm trees and birds of paradise to flourish and the diverse ethnicity of the city's streetscape is testament to Portugal's imperial adventures in former African and Indian colonies.
Did you know?
Originally introduced in the 19th century, Lisbon trams were imported from the United States and called americanos. The Lisbon tramway system still employs small four wheel vehicles of a design dating from the early part of the twentieth century. These distinctive yellow trams are one of the tourist icons of modern Lisbon, and their size is well suited to the steep hills and narrow streets of the central city.