Lisbon & Around - Portugal - page 136

All roads lead to Praça Dom Pedro IV, which lisboêtas nickname Rossio OFFLINE MAP
GOOGLE MAP (Praça Dom Pedro IV; Rossio) . The square has a 24-hour buzz: office workers,
hash-peddlers and sightseers drift across its wave-like cobbles, bask in the spray of foun-
tains and gaze up to Dom Pedro IV (Brazil's first emperor), perched high on a marble pedes-
tal.
Standouts feature the filigree horseshoe-shaped arches of neo-Manueline Rossio train sta-
tion , where trains depart for Sintra; and neoclassical Teatro Nacional de Dona Maria II
OFFLINE MAP GOOGLE MAP , hiding a dark past as the seat of the Portuguese Inquisition.
Rossio's sidekick is bustling Praça da Figueira OFFLINE MAP GOOGLE MAP ( Rossio) ,
flanked by Pombaline town houses and alfresco cafes ideal for sipping a bica (espresso)
and admiring the castle on the hillside.
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Chiado & Bairro Alto
Framed by the ethereal arches of Convento do Carmo, well-heeled Chiado harbours old-
world cafes with literary credentials, swish boutiques, grand theatres and elegant 18th-
century town houses. Designer divas seeking Portuguese couture, art buffs hunting Rodin
originals and those content to people-watch from a cafe terrace flock here.
Sidling up to Chiado is the party-loving Bairro Alto, whose web of graffiti-slashed
streets is sleepy by day. The district comes alive at twilight when hippy chicks hunt for
vintage glitz in its retro boutiques and revellers hit its wall-to-wall bars and bistros. Bey-
ond Bairro Alto you'll find the leafy squares, shops and cafes around Príncipe Real.