Three Days in Lisbon

Sightseeing in Lisbon – 23rd to 25th May 2016

Town PhotosVideo
 

Three days is barely enough time to see all that the beautiful old city of Lisbon has to offer, with so many interesting things to see and do.

Lisbon is one of the oldest cities in the world, and the oldest in Western Europe, predating other modern European capitals such as London, Paris and Rome by centuries. Portugal’s hilly capital, Lisbon is a coastal city known for its cafe culture and soulful Fado music.

With a population just over 500,000 Lisbon is not so big that you find yourself getting lost. Getting around is easy with a network of trams and trains (cheap), as well as Tuk-Tuk’s (quite expensive), cabs (quite cheap) and good old shanks’s pony (extremely cheap).

Arriving around noon on Monday, I was too early to check in to my hotel so I left my bicycle and bags in the baggage room and set about exploring this exciting city. Browns Boutique Hotel is a great place to stay, right in the heart of the city. I wandered around the corner and found myself in Rua Augusta, the long primary pedestrian mall with its attractive marble cobblestones and endless bars and cafes rights along the middle of the street (but don’t eat in this tourist trap if you are looking to get value for money). Heading down towards the sea I walked through the ornate triumphal arch called Arco da Rua Augusta and found myself in the huge square Praça do Comércio.

From there I headed north until I jumped on a quaint little tram that struggled up a steep hill to Santa Catarina, an interesting area with lots of outdoor cafes, street stalls, buskers and parks. My camera was kept busy taking photos of the views over the city centre.

By this time it was 2:30 pm so I checked into my fabulous boutique hotel and was given lots of valuable tourist information by the very knowledgeable and informative concierge. He suggested that for starters I should catch the following two trams:

• 15 from the tram-stop near Praça do Comércio – catch one heading in the direction of Algés and get off at the Belém stop.
• 28 from the tram-stop in Rua da Conceição heading in an easterly direction towards Martim Moniz. Hop off at various points along this route.

First I went to the nearby Baixa-Chiado Metro station and purchased a Viva Viagem day pass card for €6.50, which covers unlimited train and tram travel. I was quite proud of myself working out how to use the ticket machine which was only in Portuguese.

One could spend a lot of time in the parish of Belém, with several museums and other places of interest.  However, in the time available I limited myself to a free tour of the Mosteiro dos Jerónimos (Hieronymites Monastery), a particularly impressive 500 years old monastery of the Order of Saint Jerome. Other interesting places nearby are Torre de Belém, and Museu Nacional de Arqueologia, but the queues were too long and time did not permit.

Rather than buying them individually, I bought a 6-pack of Pasteis de Nata (cream custard tarts) and returned to my room to enjoy a couple with a cup of English breakfast tea.

On Tuesday morning I awoke to light rain falling, but it soon cleared up into a nice warm day. With my bicycle still wrapped in plastic and safely stored in the baggage room at the hotel, I decided to do some train and tram hopping today.  My first job was to check out the logistics for getting to Coimbra on Thursday. After a quick check of the Metro train map I discovered that the nearest station, Baixa-Chiado (which is only about 100m from the hotel) is only two stops from Santa Apolónia station, so I caught a train there and bought a ticket for the train to Coimbra on Thursday.

From there I caught the train back to Baixa-Chiado and caught a verte (green) line train to Martim Moniz, the most multicultural area in town and full of life. You can find many kiosks there serving food and drinks from all over the world and can just sit in an esplanade watching the world go by.

After lunch I took the No. 28 tram that the concierge had suggested and hopped off at the Graça district, one of Lisbon’s oldest suburbs, located on top of her highest hill. This neighbourhood is just up the hill from São Vincente de Fora Monastery and boasts some of the most spectacular views in Lisbon. The most famous viewpoint is the Miradouro de Santa Graca, which overlooks the whole of central Lisbon and the castle to the north. Graça is a charming place whose narrow streets are brimming with cake shops and restaurants, mostly frequented by locals.

It was after that I discovered Alfama, the city’s oldest district – an old Moorish quarter famous for its maze of cobblestone streets, rustic architecture and St. George’s Castle. Its name, derived from the Arabic Al-hamma, means fountains or baths. During the Islamic invasion of Iberia, the Alfama constituted the largest part of the city, extending west to the Baixa neighbourhood. Increasingly, the Alfama district became inhabited by fishermen and the poor. Its reputation as a poor neighbourhood continues to this day, although many of the old houses have been re-purposed or remodelled and new buildings have been constructed. It is an historical quarter of mixed-use buildings occupied by Fado bars, restaurants, and homes with small shops downstairs.

Tuesday night was the highlight of my visit to Lisbon. My friendly and helpful concierge booked me into the Casa de Linhares restaurant so I could experience some real traditional Portuguese Fado music, the typically Portuguese style of melancholic music common in the restaurants of the Alfama district. The restaurant had everything … ambiance, atmosphere, good food and service and amazing Fado entertainment (and a commensurate price tag). Although the light was too dim to get good quality video it is worth checking out my video clips to hear the music. The first singer was a very talented young lady whose purity of voice reminded me of Amália Rodrigues, the most celebrated exponent of Fado ever. All the singers were accompanied by a 6-string acoustic guitar and a Guitarra Portuguesa, a 12-string guitar made famous by Carlos Paredes and also used by Jimmy Page, the lead guitarist of Led Zeppelin (who bought it while visiting Portugal once). Going to a good Fado restaurant is one of the things you must do when you come to Lisbon!

On Wednesday, my last day in Lisbon, I just had to revisit the Alfama district, this time climbing the hill up to Castelo de São Jorge, a Moorish castle occupying a commanding hilltop overlooking the historical centre of Lisbon. I think you will agree when you see my photos that the views from here are spectacular.

I enjoyed descending the hill via the delightful winding, narrow, cobbled laneways. Everywhere I turned there were souvenir shops selling mosaic tiles, religious figurines, Fado CD’s, and a variety of cork products including handbags. I don’t know how strong they would be … probably built for the benefit of pick-pockets

Before I came to Portugal people were telling me that Coimbra and Porto are more attractive and interesting than Lisbon. I am visiting those two cities in the next few days, but in my view Lisbon will take a bit of topping. There is such a variety of things to see and do and wherever you look there is a mass of colours, with the lilac hue of Jacarandas, pastel and ochre colours of quaint houses (some with brightly coloured mosaic-tiled walls) and lovely old whitewashed limestone buildings. The sooty grime and peeled paint on some buildings serves to add charm and character, a reminder that Lisbon is one of the oldest cities in the world.