Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
the little pedestrian zone 50 yards uphill on the right—you'll find a famous old café across
from the Baixa-Chiado Metro stop.
CaféABrasileira:
Reeking of smoke and slinky with Art Nouveau decor, this café
is a 100-year-old institution for coffeehouse junkies. Drop in for a
bica
(Lisbon slang for
an espresso, €0.70 at the bar) and a €1.30
pastel de nata
custard tart—a Lisbon specialty.
(WCs are down the stairs near the entrance.) This café was the literary and creative soul of
Lisbon in the 1920s and 1930s, when the country's avant-garde poets, writers, and paint-
ers would hang out here. The statue outside is of the poet Fernando Pessoa (see sidebar),
making him a perpetual regular at this café. A Brasileira was originally a shop selling
Brazilian products, a reminder that this has long been the city's shopping zone.
At the neighboring Baixa-Chiado (shee-AH-doo) Metro stop, a slick series of escal-
ators whisks people effortlessly between Chiado Square and the Baixa (the lower town).
It's a free and fun way to survey a long, long line of Portuguese—but for now, we'll stay
in the Chiado neighborhood. (If you'll be coming for fado in the evening—recommended
places are nearby—consider getting here by zipping up the escalator.)
The Chiado District is popular for its shopping and theaters. Browse downhill on Rua
Garrett and notice its mosaic sidewalks, ironwork balconies, and fine shops. Peek into
classy stores, such as the fabric-lover's paradise Paris em Lisboa (at #77, with a heavy
dose of French style) or the venerable Bertrand bookstore (at #73, English topics and a
good guidebook selection in Room 5). My favorite shop for traditional Portuguese gifts
is behind the bookstore:
A Vida Portuguesa
(Mon-Sat 10:00-20:00, closed Sun, Rua
Anchieta 11). The street lamps you see are decorated with the symbol of Lisbon: a ship,
carrying the remains of St. Vincent, guarded by two ravens. In 1988, much of this area
was destroyed in a fire.
• Rua Garrett ends abruptly at the entrance of the big vertical mall. For Italian-style
gelato, locals like
Santini em Casa
, a few steps downhill to the left (at #9, 30 meters below
mall entry). Step into the fancy...
Armazéns do Chiado Mall:
This grand, six-floor shopping center connects Lis-
bon's lower and upper towns with a world of ways to spend money (daily 10:00-22:00,
• This walk is over. To get from the mall to the Baixa—the lower town—take the elevator
(press 1) or the escalators down (to exit on the ground level, you'll pass through the
Sports Zone shop). To get from the mall to the Metro, exit through the lowest floor of the
mall, turn right, and walk 50 yards to the Baixa-Chiado Metro stop.
You can connect to the following Alfama walk by hopping on trolley #28E; to get from
the mall to the trolley stop, leave the mall at the lowest level, and turn right down Rua do
Crucifixo to Rua da Conceição, where you'll catch the trolley going left.
