Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
(Largo do Carmo; adult/child €3.50/free; 10am-7pm Mon-Sat)
Soaring high above Lisbon, the skeletal
Convento do Carmo was all but devoured by the 1755 earthquake and it's precisely that
which makes it so captivating. Its shattered pillars and wishbone-like arches are com-
pletely exposed to the elements. The Museu Arqueológico shelters archaeological treas-
ures from Lisbon and beyond, such as 4th-century sarcophagi, griffin- covered column
fragments from the 10th-century, 18th-century
azulejo
(hand-painted tile) panels, a curi-
ous belt buckle from Visigothic times and two gruesome 16th-century Peruvian mummies.
Museu do Chiado
MUSEUM
( 213 432 148;
www.museuartecontemporanea.pt
; Rua Serpa Pinto 4; adult/child €4/free, admission free 10am-2pm
Sun; 10am-6pm Tue-Sun)
Contemporary art fans flock to Museu do Chiado, housed in the
strikingly converted Convento de São Francisco. Temporary exhibitions lean towards in-
teractive multimedia installations, while the gallery's permanent collection of 19th- and
20th-century works features pieces by Rodin, Jorge Vieira and José de Almada Negreiros.
Revive over coffee in the small sculpture garden.
Miradouro de Santa Catarina
VIEWPOINT
(Rua de Santa Catarina; 24hr; Elevador da Bica)
Students bashing out rhythms, pot-
smoking hippies, stroller-pushing parents and loved-up couples all meet at this precipitous
viewpoint in boho Santa Catarina. The views are fantastic, stretching from the river to the
Ponte 25 de Abril and Cristo Rei.
If you're coming from Cais do Sodré, it's fun to take the arthritic, 19th-century
Elevador
da Bica
(Rua de São Paulo; €1.35; 7am-9pm Mon-Sat, 9am-9pm Sun; Cais do Sodré)
funicular up
chasm-like Rua da Bica de Duarte Belo to reach the lookout. At research time, the view-
point was closed and under renovation. Next door, however, you can enjoy the same vista
over drinks at laid-back Noobai Café (
Click here
)
.
Igreja & Museu São Roque
CHURCH, MUSEUM
(Largo Trindade Coelho; church free, museum €2.50, free 10am-2pm Sun ; 10am-6pm Tue, Wed & Fri-Sun, 2-9pm
Thu)
The plain facade of 16th-century Jesuit Igreja de São Roque belies its dazzling interi-
or of gold, marble and Florentine
azulejos
- bankrolled by Brazilian riches. Its star attrac-
tion is
Capela de São João Baptista
, to the left of the altar, a lavish confection of amethyst, ala-
