PORTUGAL | LISBOA

This is the beginning of a continuous trip of three countries (Portugal, Spain, and Morocco). During our time in Lisbon I also went on an excursion to explore Sintra which I will do a separate post about. When we arrived at the airport we purchased our Lisboa Card from a desk there and took advantage of our free transport by catching the metro to our accommodation. 

WHERE TO STAY

For this trip we booked our accommodation via AirBnb, and stayed in an apartment in Rua Do Crucifixo near the The Alfama which is Lisbon's oldest quarter. Spread over the southeastern slope of the hill crowned by Castelo De São Jorge which we had full view of from our window and rooftop. 

The picturesque neighbourhood is composed of a maze of narrow streets, winding alleyways, and steep flights of steps. Its kasbah-like layout is deliberate - this is the city's ancient Arab district, and although there are no Moorish houses still standing, the tightly-packed lanes, small archways, and cobbled terraces are full of atmosphere and great fun to explore.

Every morning before breakfast we would venture out for a stroll on the roofs surrounding us. We would see the city in a different light every morning and used this time as an opportunity to relax, catch up on messages, work and news whilst the high maintenance one of the group took her sweet time getting ready. This time is wasn't me...Haha. 

WHAT TO SEE

• YELLOW TRAMS - The Yellow trams are a different experience altogether with the crazy street intersections and the frequent switch between uphill and downhill. If you really want to try an authentic crazy experience I would thoroughly recommend taking the bus up to Castello Soa Jorge - we were in fits of laughter holding on for our dear lives during the bumpy uphill ride... this isn't any kind of bumpy though, you just have to do it. Its one of those once in a lifetime experiences - and free with our Lisboa Card.





• ELEVATOR DA GLORIA - So this is the hill pictured bellow. The elevator travels up and down a steep hill in the city. The whole journey is 265 meters long, connecting the Restauradores Square in the downtown area with the Sao Pedro de Alcantarabelvedere. Yes there are only two stops, one at the bottom and the other at the top of the hill!

• BAIRRO ALTO - I did read about this but we stumbled across this quite by accident since the tourist info centre is stated right by this. Bairro Alto translated literally means 'Upper District'. It is a central district of the city of Lisbon, the Portuguese capital. You can Either take the tram up or you can walk up the incline to see the stunning views of the city. This is a very 'cool' young bohemian part of town.

THE SÃO PEDRO DE ALCANTARA - this is a gorgeous garden sitting at the top of Barrio Alto boosting stunning scenery as photographed bellow. From this viewpoint, the Graca Hills and its myriad of religious and commercial landmarks can also be seen. 

OUTFIT 

HIGH WAISTED JEANS | H&M

SANDALS (SOLD OUT) | Topshop 

BACKPACK | Primark

SHIRT | H&M

SCUBA PEPLUM (SOLD OUT) | H&M

• CHIADO - The Oxford street of Lisbon. This is where you will find a five story H&M and play neighbours to the various world renowned designer boutiques such as Hermes (I squealed when I saw the boutique 5 minutes from out apartment). As soon as you Step out of the Baixa-Chiado metro station you are greeted by the row of antique shop fronts, ranging from the designer boutiques to the famous cafes and bookshops.

• PRAÇA DO COMÉRCIO - is a picturesque waterside public plaza with a notable arch and statue, lined with outdoor cafes and shopping venues. This is the spot at the end of the H&M and Beckham collaboration. This is the most beautiful place to come close to sunset. I will always have wonderful memories of this place, simply stunning views.

OUTFIT

ETHNIC JACKET | H&M

JEANS | Dorothy Perkins

MULTI STRAP POINTED FLATS | Zara

BACKPACK | Primark

SILK SHIRT | H&M

• ROSSIO SQUARE - this is the main square where the main train station is located so its good to know your brings to and from here. Rossio Square sits at the heart of Lisbon and has been a popular meeting spot since the Middle Ages. Cobblestone walkways are arranged in wave patterns, a style that has since spread throughout Portugal and parts of Brazil. It has two identical Baroque fountains, with a column monument of Pedro IV, king of Portugal and the first emperor of Brazil, standing tall in the centre  We ate around this square almost every evening we were here, the atmosphere is perfect.

• PADRÃO DOS DESCOBRIMENTOS - The Age of Discovery - this was actually one of my favourite monuments of Lisbon, we reached in perfect timing - minutes before sunset and the place was completely deserted. The discovery monument is an imposing and iconic monument located on the windy banks of the River Tagus.

The structure is dedicated to the adventurers and explores who helped establish Portugal in the 14th century. The carved figures along the western side show the explores and adventures of the 14th century golden era while to the eastern side the supports and financiers of the expeditions are captured in stone.

The beautiful harbour on the way to the monument, the walk is truly beautiful especially at sunset.

• SANTA JUSTA ELEVATOR -this extraordinary structure was built at the turn of the century by the Portugal-born French architect Raoul de Mesnier du Poniard - an apprentice of Gustave Eiffel, explaining the structure's similarities to Paris' Eiffel Tower. It was built  to connect downtown to Bairro Alto, the lowest and highest points of the city. Although just a two minute walk from our apartment, we decided against going up in it since we shared a similar view from the rooftop of our apartment. It seems like a great thing to explore in the evenings though.

• RUA AUGUSTA ARCH - A beautiful stone triumphal arch-like, historical building on Commerce Square. It was built to commemorate the city's reconstruction after the 1755 earthquake. It has six columns and is adorned with statues of various historical figures and bears the coat of arms of Portugal. The allegorical group at the top was made by French sculptor Célestin Anatole Calmels, represents Glory rewarding Valor and Genius.

• TORRE DE BELÉM - Belém Tower was built in 1515 as a fortress to guard the entrance to Lisbon's harbor, the Belem Tower was the starting point for many of the voyages of discovery, and for the sailors it was the last sight of their homeland. It is another monument to Portugal's Age of Discovery, often serving as a symbol of the country, also serving my love for UNESCO listed World Heritage monuments. I would recommend visiting this one in daylight and when the weather isn't windy, it was so difficult trying not to get blown over.

• SÃN JORGE CASTLE - The Castelo de São Jorge is one of Lisbon’s most distinctive monuments, being situated on the city’s highest hill. The oldest known fortification at this spot dates from the 2nd century BC, although some of the remains found here astonishingly date from as far back as the 6th century BC. Archaeological evidence has also discovered traces of the presence of Phoenicians, Greeks, Carthaginians, Romans and Muslims. 

In 1147, the first king of Portugal, Dom Afonso Henriques, captured both the castle and the city from the Moors. I love visiting places with Muslim and Moorish history... I always wonder, would the attack and conquest have been called terrorism?

The view from the beautiful castle grounds. Our apartment is just by the tree branches on the right hand side. You can also see the 25 De Abril bridge from here - It the bridge in the ocean which totally looks like the sister of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Fransisco.

• 25 DE ABRIL BRIDGE - Completed in 1966 and originally named after dictator Salazar, this suspension bridge across the Tagus River changed its name after the revolution of April 25, 1974. It is a spectacular sight from any direction and visible from most areas in Lisbon. With an overall length of 1.5 miles, and the longest central span in Europe, it is actually longer than San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge. Its foundations also hold the world record by going 80 below the riverbed and stands on basalt rock.

The views were stunning, again we went at the perfect time - sunset. This is becoming a habit of mine. 

 The moon.

So this concludes my must see spots in Lisbon. After this trip it's safe to say that Lisbon so far is one of my favourite destinations (after Italy) and a place I would actually consider living. If you've recently seen the new H&M campaign featuring Becks you will also be pleased to know that it was filmed in a few of the locations listed above, so walk in the steps of Becks and explore Lisboa.

Tips

• Invest in a Lisboa Card, its great to use for all of your transport and also to discount a lot of tourist attractions.

• Use public transport as much as possible in Lisbon, its very efficient and very frequent.

• Wear flat shoes, Lisbon streets are almost all cobbled.

• Take a jumper out in the evenings, it can get a little windy being very close to the river and coastline.