Photography - Ivan Andrejic
Lisbon If you’re dreaming about your next trip to Europe, come and discover Lisbon, a historical city full of stories to tell, where the sun shines 290 days a year and the temperature rarely drops below 15C. A city where you feel safe wandering around day or night, where the cuisine is dedicated to creating over a thousand ways to cook the beloved bacalhau (salted cod), and where you’ll find hotels and restaurants to suit every taste, budget and requirement. Discover Lisbon, a city full of authenticity where old customs and ancient history intermix with cultural entertainment and hi-tech innovation. Lisbon is ageless, but it loves company, as you’ll find out if you meet someone and ask them to explain, with lots of gestures and repetition, where the best place is to listen to Fado. After all, Lisbon is famous for its hospitality and the family-like way it welcomes visitors.
One of Lisbon’s most emblematic sqaures is Praça do Comércio. Better known by locals as Terreiro do Paço, since it was once where the paço, or palace, used to stand before the earthquake in 1755, it is one of the largest squares in Europe. As a symbol of the city, it provides access to various attractions that mustn’t be missed: Pátio da Galé; Cais das Colunas; and the innovative Lisbon Story Centre. You should also climb up the Arco da Rua Augusta to marvel at the symmetry of the streets, the calçada portuguesa and the view of the river. Take a rest at the feet of King José I and the imposing horse Gentil, a statue sculpted by Machado de Castro which so well illustrates royal power and the nobility of the Lusitano breed. Make Praça do Comércio your starting point for discovering the city.
Alfama is the oldest district of Lisbon, spreading on the slope between the São Jorge Castle and the Tejo river. Its name comes from the Arabic Al-hamma, meaning “hot fountains”. The district includes the freguesias of São Miguel, Santo Estêvão, São Vicente de Fora and part of the two streets, “Freguesia da Sé: Rua do Barão” and “Rua São João da Praça”.
It contains many important historical attractions, as well as an abundance of Fado bars and restaurants. Alfama is full of beautiful viewing points - miradouros such as Miradouro de Santa Luzia. This is undoubtedly one of Lisbon’s most beautiful miradouros. Factors which contribute to this are the trams which pass by and sound their bells, the magnificent decorative tiles, the garden and the pond. At the Miradouro de Santa Luzia, you can set your compass by the domes of the surrounding churches. Because you’ll need to get your bearings in the tangle of Alfama’s streets. Discover the dome of Santa Engrácia, the church of Santo Estevão and the two towers of the church of São Miguel. Enjoy the café and the kiosk to observe the panels by António Quaresma, which show what Praça do Comércio was like before the earthquake and the taking of the castle from the Moors. With the Tagus always In the background and a huge desire to keep on wandering.
Lisbon cathedral is one of the city’s most iconic buildings and its most important church. Supposedly erected on a mosque after the Christian reconquest, work on it was completed at the beginning of the 13th century. It is predominantly Romanesque in style, but Gothic and Baroque elements can also be seen in a church that has been altered over the centuries. It is impossible not to come across the cathedral during a stay in Lisbon. Whether climbing up to the castle, catching the no. 28 tram, crossing the river or admiring the city from the various viewing points, its shape marks the oldest part of the city. Discover the eras and styles that have decorated the various chapels and cloister, as well as the impressive tombs inside it. Discover one of Lisbon’s most iconic buildings.
Castelo de SĂŁo Jorge Given its outstanding location, a highlight of the Castelo de SĂŁo Jorge is its many viewpoints affording majestic and unparalleled views of Lisbon. Built in the mid-11th century, this fortification still retains eleven towers displaying various architectural features characteristic of military fortifications from the Moorish period. The steps leading up the sides of the curtain walls provide access to the ramparts and towers enabling visitors to explore the entire perimeter.
Elevador da Bica If you want a unique experience in Lisbon, take the Elevador da Bica. The most photographed funicular in Lisbon, due to the dramatic contrast between the steep route and the river in the background, this is one of the city’s greatest attractions. It connects Largo do Calhariz to Rua de São Paulo in a heady descent possible on foot but an ascent only suitable for the hardy. Decorated by artists and witness to the vibrant nightlife in Rua da Bica, the tram seems to share the excitement of the rest of the city during the Festas Populares. Deemed a national monument since 2002 and in operation for a century, try and photograph the two trams as they cross, with the colourful houses and flowery verandas the perfect backdrop. One of the most memorable images you’ll take with you.
Torre de Belém The Belém Tower, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is one of Lisbon’s most striking monuments and the icon of a country historically moulded by its proximity to the ocean and its maritime discoveries of new worlds. Discoveries by Portuguese navigators transformed Lisbon into the world’s main trade hub in the 15th and 16th centuries. To protect the city, King João II conceived a pioneer project to defend Lisbon from enemy ships, a work completed in 1514 and which included the building of the Belém Tower, designed by architect Francisco de Arruda. The tower’s unique design includes a modern and heavily armed bastion, protruding over the river. King Manuel I clearly wished the Belém Tower to stand as a lasting symbol of his powerful reign by depicting the royal coat of arms, the armillary sphere and the cross of the Order of Christ.
Monument to the Discoveries One of the most recent monuments in Lisbon is an ode to the history of Portugal. Come and make your own discoveries at the Padrão dos Descobrimentos, a monumental sculpture beside the Tagus, commemorating the golden age of Portuguese history. This huge stone caravel was built in 1940 for the Portuguese World Expo by the architect Cottinelli Telmo and the sculptor Leopoldo de Almeida. It was only given permanent status in 1960 to celebrate the fifth centenary of the death of Prince Henry the Navigator. Try to identify the main navigators, such as Bartholomew Dias – who turned the Cape of Torments into the Cape of Good Hope; Vasco da Gama – who discovered the maritime route to India; Pedro Álvares Cabral – who discovered Brazil; and Magellan – the first European to cross the southern Pacific and circumnavigate the earth. Visit the Discoveries Cultural Centre; climb to the top to get a unique view of Praça do Império; and be inspired by the way how, in the 15th century, the small caravels set sail from this point in Belém to face the world’s oceans.
The Jerónimos Monastery is a National
Monument and was classified a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983. King Manuel I built a large monastery near the location where the Infante D. Henrique ordered a church to be built in the mid-15th century by invocation of St. Mary of Belém. To immortalise the memory of the Infante, for his intense devotion to Our Lady and faith in St. Jerome, in 1496 King Manuel I decided to found the Monastery of St. Mary of Belém, near the city of Lisbon, next to the Tagus River. Donated to the monks of the Order of St. Jerome, today it is commonly known as the Jerónimos Monastery. A pantheon of the Avis-Beja Dynasty, in the 19th century the church became the sepulchre for heroes and poets: Vasco da Gama and Luís de Camões. A notable work of architecture, it became part of Portuguese identity and culture.
Pena National Palace, in the historical
town of Sintra and part of the Pena park, represents one of the best expressionsin the world of 19th-century architectural Romanticism. On 7 July 2007, it was selected as one of the seven wonders of Portugal. It was the first Romantic palace in Europe, having been built about 30 years before the charismatic Schloss Neuschwanstein, in Bavaria. The palace and park were designed and constructed as a single entity. From the palace, visitors look out on a mantle of greenery that covers over 200 hectares Pena Park. This park offers wonderful walks, with numerous garden constructions. There are bridges and grottoes, garden seats, pergolas and fountains, small houses to accommodate guards and other staff. There are also greenhouses and nursery gardens with camellias, rhododendrons and unusual, very rare climbing roses. Among the sculptures is the one of the warrior, which can be seen from the palace, who seems to be saying he is there to protect and guard it. The ponds near the exit to the Moorish Castle are likewise picturesque and pleasant, surrounded by a great hedge of tree ferns. Pena Park is now considered to have the richest and most unusual collection of tree species in Europe, which no longer exist in many of the other countries and continents from which they originate.
Moorish Castle Located on one of the hilltops of the Serra de Sintra, the Moorish Castle is a fortress built in around the 10th century after the Muslim conquest of the Iberian Peninsula. All along the paths encircling the castle, you can admire spectacular views over a unique landscape, with the town centre, the Palace of Sintra, the Palace of Pena and, stretching out beyond these, the vast plains to the north and the Atlantic Ocean. The present-day appearance of the Moorish Castle is the result of various building campaigns and events, most notably the work that was undertaken during the first dynasty, initiated by King Afonso Henriques after the capture of Lisbon and SantarĂŠm (1147) and continuing until the fortress was put to use in the reign of King Fernando I (1383); the damage caused by the earthquake of 1755; the restoration work carried out by King Ferdinand II in the 19th century, in the romantic style of that period; and the various interventions made by the General Directorate for Buildings and National Monuments in the 20th century. The Moorish Castle is a fine point from which to admire the view from Sintra to the sea.
Palácio da Regaleira is the main building and
the more common name for Quinta da Regaleira. It is also known as Palácio (palace) do Monteiro dos Milhões, after the nickname Millions Monteiro of its former owner, António Augusto Carvalho Monteiro. The palatial villa is situated on the mountainside not far from Sintras historical centre. It has been classified as a Building of Public Interest since 2002. Carvalho Monteiro, based on a design by the Italian architect Luigi Manini, transformed the 4-hectare estate into a palace surrounded by lush gardens, lakes, grottoes and enigmatic constructions with hidden alchemical meanings, such as those evoked by the Freemasons, Templars and Rosicrucians. The varied styles of his design evoke Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance and Manueline architecture. The Regaleira Estate is a place that has to experienced. It is not enough to describe the memories, landscape and mysteries. You have to discover it, contemplate the design of the gardens and buildings, admire the palace a true philosophers mansion of alchemical inspiration and walk round the exotic park and experience its spirituality.
Cabo da Roca If you go to Sintra, don’t miss the chance to visit the westernmost point of mainland Europe, Cabo da Roca. Located at latitude 38º 47´north and longitude 9º 30´west, Cabo da Roca is an important coordinate for those sailing along the coast, as it is the most westerly point of mainland Europe, a fact borne out by the certificates that visitors take away as a souvenir. Around 150 metres above the sea, here you can have a panoramic view over the Serra de Sintra and the coast, which makes it worth the visit. Historical records indicate that there was a fort on Cabo da Roca in the 17th century that played an important part in guarding the entrance to Lisbon’s harbour, forming a defensive line along the coast, especially during the Peninsular Wars. Today there are only traces, as well as the lighthouse which is still an important point for navigation. It lies within the Parque Natural de Sintra-Cascais and is one of the points of interest on the walking trails that can be followed here, along the coast.
Cascais and Estoril, or the coast north of Lisbon,
became one of the most cosmopolitan and touristic places in Portugal ever since King LuĂs I chose the bay for his summer residence in the late 19th century. The mild climate and an annual average of 260 rainless days were surely strong reasons for his choice and for the most affluent families of the time to follow the royal family and set up their villas and mansions there. It’s worth going on a stroll around town to get a feel for the atmosphere of that period. To get there, follow the waterfront road from Lisbon to Cascais or take the train. It’s a very scenic route, always hugging the River Tagus and the busy beaches of the Estoril coast. En route, you will pass various forts erected to defend the capital, providing crossfire with the Bugio Fort, right in the middle of the river mouth, between Santo Amaro, on one side, and Trafaria, on the opposite bank.
Museum - Saudade guest house Museum - guest house Saudade is unique place that is combining accommodation in perfect location in old part of Lisbon and art museum atmosphere. It is always place of interesting art workshop including photography, literature, culinary and music. In Saudade guest house guests can experience authentic Lisbon hospitality . Each room brings a Portuguese artist or personality to life with its unique décor. Guests have access to shared bathrooms and kitchens as well as an external patio where guests can relax or enjoy their meals. A “read & share” library is available. A self-service breakfast is included in rate and a welcoming drink is provided upon arrival. Saudade Guest House is the perfect starting point to discover the typical Portuguese gastronomy by visiting the restaurants in the vicinity. In some of them guests may even enjoy some live Fado musical performances.
Solar Do Castelo Solar Do Castelo is truly a Romantic Boutique Hotel in the historic center of Lisbon. The only hotel within SĂŁo Jorge Castle walls, at the top of Alfama, Solar Do Castelo is a small Mansion built on the site of the former kitchens of the Royal Palace. With two floors and a mansard, an inner courtyard and garden, most part of the furniture was specially designed for the hotel in a Medieval Contemporary style. Guests will find welcoming rooms offering complete modern day comfort, such as free wireless access. Situated within the medieval Castle village, where traffic access to the hotel is restricted to locals and taxis 24h a day. Solar Do Castelo have also a Golf cart that can pick up guests at the castle gate.