Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
LISBON IN…
Two Days
Take a ride on tram 28 (
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), hopping off to scale the ramparts of Castelo de São Jorge (
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)
.
Sample Portugal's finest at Wine Bar do Castelo (
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), then stroll the picturesque lanes of Alfama, having
a classic meal of sizzling grilled sardines at open-air Páteo 13 (
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). Glimpse the fortress-like
sé
(cathed-
ral;
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) en route to shopping in pedestrianised Baixa (
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)
. By night, return to lantern-lit Alfama
for fado at Bela (
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).
On day two breakfast on pastries in Belém, then explore the fantastical Mosteiro dos Jerónimos (
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)
,
the riverfront Torre de Belém (
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)
and the avant-garde Museu Colecção Berardo (
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). Head back
for sundowners and magical views at Noobai (
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), dinner at 100 Maneiras (
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)
and bar-crawling
in Bairro Alto (
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). End the night at
Pensão Amor
OFFLINE MAP
GOOGLE MAP
(Rua Nova do Car-
valho 36;
noon-2am Mon-Wed, to 4am Thu & Fri, 6pm-4am Sat) , down in Cais do Sodré.
Four Days
Go window-shopping and cafe-hopping in well-heeled Chiado (
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), then head to futuristic Parque das
Nações for riverfront gardens and the head-spinning Oceanário (
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). Dine at Belcanto (
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)
or
Taberna Ideal (
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), then go dancing in clubbing temple Lux (
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).
On day four catch the train to Sintra (
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)
for walks through boulder-speckled woodlands to fairy-tale
palaces. Back in Rossio, toast your trip with cherry liqueur at A Ginjinha (
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) and a seafood feast at
Ramiro (
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).
But at 9.40am on All Saints' Day, 1 November 1755, everything changed. Three major
earthquakes hit, as residents celebrated Mass. The tremors brought an even more devastat-
ing fire and tsunami. Some estimate that as many as 90,000 of Lisbon's 270,000 inhabit-
ants died. Much of the city was ruined, never to regain its former status. Dom João I's
chief minister, the formidable Marquês de Pombal, immediately began rebuilding in a
simple, cheap, earthquake-proof style that created today's formal grid.
Two bloodless coups (in 1926 and 1974) rocked the city. In 1974 and 1975 there was a
massive influx of refugees from the former African colonies, changing the demographic
of the city and culturally, if not financially, adding to its richness.
After Portugal joined the European Community (EC) in 1986, massive funding fuelled
redevelopment, which was a welcome boost after a 1988 fire in Chiado. Streets became
cleaner and investment improved facilities. Lisbon then spent years dashing in and out of
the limelight as the 1994 European City of Culture, and host of Expo '98 and the 2004
European Football Championships. Major development projects throughout the city have
continued recently, from the continued expansion of the metro (which now reaches the
airport) to much-needed building rehab in the Alfama.
