Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Pequeno). The ring is a spectacular, Moorish-domed brick structure that bears a resemb-
lance to Madrid's bullring. After five years of remodeling, it reopened with a shopping
mall underneath and a retractable roof overhead for concerts. It hosts a variety of restaur-
ants inside, oddly including an Argentine steak restaurant. Maybe the beef served was in
the ring earlier?
Fights are generally held on Thursday at 20:00 and on Sunday afternoons from Easter
through September. Important note: Half the fights are simply Spanish-type corridas
without the killing. For the real slam-bam Portuguese-style fight, confirm that there will
be grupo de forçados (“bull grabbers”). Tickets are always available at the door (€20-50,
no surcharge, tel. 217-932-143 to confirm; tickets sold at the ABEP kiosk on Praça dos
Restauradores add a 10 percent surcharge).
Soccer —Lisbon is home to two futebol teams, Benfica and Sporting CP, which means
there are lots of games (1-2/week Aug-May, tickets €20 and up) and lots of team spirit.
Benfica, with the red jerseys, plays at the 65,400-seat Stadium of Light near the Centro
Colombo mall (Estádio da Luz; Metro: Colegio Militar/Luz, www.slbenfica.pt ). Sporting
CP, with the green-and-white jerseys, plays at the 50,000-seat Estádio José Alvalade to
the north of Lisbon's center (Metro: Campo Grande, www.sporting.pt ). Tickets are gener-
ally available at the stadium or at the ABEP kiosk on Praça dos Restauradores.
Concerts —You can hear classical music by national and city orchestras at the Gulbenkian
Museum (see here ) and at the cultural center in Belém ( www.ccb.pt ). Traditional Por-
tuguese theater plays in the National Theater on Rossio and in theaters along Rua das
Portas de Santo Antão (the “eating lane”—see here ) stretching north from Rossio. For
popular music, these days you're more likely to find rock, jazz, Brazilian, and African
music than traditional fado. The monthly Agenda Cultural provides the most up-to-date
listing of world music, arts, and entertainment (free at TI, €0.50 at newsstands, in Por-
tuguese only).
Movies —In Lisbon, unlike in Spain, most films are shown in the original language with
subtitles. (That's one reason the Portuguese speak better English than the Spanish.) Many
of Lisbon's theaters are classy, complete with assigned seats, ushers, and intermissions.
Check the newspaper to see what's playing, or drop by the ABEP kiosk at Praça dos Res-
tauradores, where a list of all the movies playing in town is taped to a side window (on the
left). São Jorge Theater (midway up Avenida da Liberdade) is a grand old Art Deco movie
palace showing choice cinema selected by the same cultural organization that runs the
São Jorge Castle and the Monument to the Discoveries. More modern options are in malls
or at the Monumental complex in the ritzy Saldanha neighborhood (Metro: Saldanha).
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