LISBON - Portugal

Overview

Lisbon is older than Rome—older, in fact, than any other western European capital. Situated on the inland side of the Tejo River's estuary lake, the city owes its initial growth and importance to its fortunate location overlooking an excellent and protected harbor. As long ago as the 12th-century BC, Phoenician sailors were attracted by the harbor to build the first settlement atop São Jorge, the highest part of what later became Lisbon. They called their settlement Alis Ubbo (Serene Harbor), from which the present name of the city derives.

The Romans took over from the Phoenicians after the Second Punic War in 201 BC and established Lisbon as the capital of their province of Lusitania. Various Germanic tribes, the most powerful being the Visigoths, followed the Romans and were themselves followed by the Moors who conquered Lisbon in 714 and held it for the next 400 years.

Determined to recapture Lisbon, Afonso Henriques, the first king of Portugal, enlisted knights on their way to the Second Holy Land Crusade with promises of spoils and land. In 1147 an army of Portuguese, English, Normans, Dutch, and Germans lay siege to Lisbon, which, with 20,000 families, was the second largest city in western Europe at the time. Four months into the siege, Afonso Henriques accepted the starving Moors' call for a truce but only as a ploy to overrun the city while its guard was down. A century later, under King Afonso III, Lisbon became Portugal's capital.

Lisbon's harbor became prominent again in the 16th century, when Portugal undertook its great voyages of discovery. Vasco da Gama sailed to India from Lisbon's Belém suburb in 1497, giving Portugal a virtual monopoly on eastern spices and ushering in a golden age for the whole country. For the next two centuries, comparatively tiny Lisbon enjoyed greater revenues than any other city in Europe.

In 1531 and again in 1597 severe tremors shook Lisbon, and in 1755 catastrophe finally struck while most of its citizens were collected in churches to celebrate All Saints' Day. The worst earthquake ever to hit a European city, it was felt as far away as Scotland and Jamaica. Citizens who ran to the open harbor to escape the fires that erupted throughout the city were swallowed by a tidal wave four stories high. In a few hours Lisbon lost between a quarter and a third of its population. One of the king's ministers, who later received the title of Marquis of Pombal, tore down the remains of Lisbon's damaged buildings and launched the first rational urban renewal in Europe.

A century later, in 1908, both the king and his heir were murdered by anti-monarchist bullets as their carriage pulled into the Praça do Comércio, which ironically Pombal had built in tribute to José I. Two years later, after a naval bombardment of Lisbon's palace, the monarchy met its demise.

In 1974, tanks with flowers in their guns rolled down Pombal's grand avenues to depose the government of the dictator António Salazar during Portugal's "Flower Revolution." The first act of the new revolutionary government was to liberate the Portuguese colonies of Angola, Mozambique, Guinea, and Cape Verde, which impacted Lisbon as greatly as the earthquake two centuries before. Portugal was forced to incorporate three quarters of a million retornados, people of Portuguese descent fleeing independent Africa for their official homeland. Its population swelled by ten percent in a matter of months, yet today Lisbon is still the smallest capital in western Europe. Its population stands at approximately 826,140.

Neighborhoods

Alfama
The famed Alfama quarter presents an interesting historical contradiction. Traditionally home to the city's upper crust, its affluent residents fled the city to wait out the aftermath of the great earthquake of 1755 in the safety of country estates. The poor of Lisbon, many of whom had lost their homes, rushed to the abandoned quarter and moved in, for Alfama had sustained less damaged than any other quarter because of the hill's granite base. When the rich returned, they chose to live elsewhere—yet today the greatest number of old patrician houses are in this section of Lisbon.

Alfama presents a slice of 18th-century life: Most of Lisbon before the cataclysm would have looked the way the quarter does today. The best introduction to the area is the Plaza of Largo Das Portas do Sol. On the right, at the plaza's southern end, is the Fundacão Ricardo do Espirito Santo Silva. This museum of decorative arts, housed in the 17th-century palace of the Counts of Azurara, contains a remarkable collection of 17th- and 18th-century furniture and accessories.

Bairro Alto
One block toward the river from the Rossio, narrow Rua de Santa Justa heads west to the Elevador de Santa Justa (Santa Justa Elevator) that rises conveniently up the Bairro Alto. Alternatively, the funicular will take you (for the same fare) up to fine city views from the terrace of São Pedro de Alcântara. The funicular entrance is just north of the Office of Tourism in the Pr. dos Restauradores. Either of these routes permits you to walk downhill through the bairro. If you prefer an uphill hike, walk west from Rua da Conceição in the Baixa up C. de São Francisco and take a right turn at the top.

The curves of the steep slope defeated Pombal's efforts to construct his usual grid of orderly avenues in this quarter. Today the hill is a place for cafés and, on its southern side, called the Chiado, of the city's best stores. In 1988, terrible fires destroyed a score of shops, including Lisbon's two largest department stores. The area has not completely recovered, although plenty of establishments remain.

Baixa
This is the "new" Lisbon built by Pombal after the great earthquake. Office buildings and banks have replaced the old shops, and cars now jam the formerly dramatic expanse of the Praça do Comércio, but the Baixa remains more or less as Pombal envisioned it.

The Baixa begins by the river at the Praça do Comércio. In the center stands an equestrian statue of José I, king during Pombal's era. The northeast corner of the plaza is the spot where King Carlos I and his heir were gunned down in their carriage by assassins.

A handsome triumphal arch in the northern arcade of the Praça do Comércio leads out to a series of parallel avenues, each built and named for a trade. The center Rua Augusta is now a pedestrian mall. All the streets lead north over seven short blocks of stores and banks to the main square of the city known as the Rossio, although its official name is Praça Dom Pedro IV.

To the left of the Teatro Nacional stands the main train station of Lisbon, the Estação de Rossio. North of the station is the Pr. dos Restauradores, with a central obelisk commemorating those who rose against the Spanish in the 17th century to regain independence for Portugal. In the northwest corner of the plaza stands the huge Pal<160cio Foz, which now serves as the Direc<227>o-General do Turismo.

From the northern end of the plaza flows the grand avenue of Lisbon, Av. da Liberdade, straight (but uphill) for 1.6 kilometers (1 mile) (to the large Eduardo VII Park. Because the hotels and office buildings that line the avenue are of no great interest, a taxi is a good way to reach the park at its end. At the park's northwest corner, you can visit the tropical lushness of the Estufa FriaBotanical Gardens); the Estufa Quente ("hothouse") nearby maintains desert flora.

Bel<233>m
Bel<233>m, Portuguese for Bethlehem, was Lisbon's original port. It was from here that maritime explorers sailed into the unknown and returned with the fruits of their discoveries to enrich Lisbon beyond the dreams of most countries. Some of this bounty remained in Bel<233>m. Manuel I constructed the first complete Manueline structure, the Mosteiro dos Jerónimos (Jerónimos Monastery), to commemorate Vasco da Gama's opening of the spice trade; he financed the project by levying a 5 percent tax on the sale of all spice goods. Manuel also built the Torre de Bel<233>m (Tower of Bel<233>m) in the river to protect Portuguese shipping. Within three blocks of these aged sights are the Museu de Arte Popular (Museum of Popular Art), the Museu da Marinha (Maritime Museum), and the Museu Nacional dos Coches (Coach Museum).

Flat and filled with parks and marinas, Bel<233>m is a treat to wander through (if you ignore the highway and train tracks). Belém is a 20-minute taxi ride west of Lisbon's center, along the river.

Arts & Culture

The most pleasant of Lisbon's traditional sights is undoubtedly the Castelo de São Jorge (São Jorge Castle). The city is home to the two best art museums in Portugal: the Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga (National Museum of Ancient Art) for Portuguese painting, Bosch, Dürer, and Zurbarán, along with collections of silver and gold; and the Museu Calouste Gulbenkian (Calouste Gulbenkian Museum) for special Islamic art, superb 18th-century French painting, and an enormous collection of Lalique art nouveau.

The architectural highlights of the city are the Mosteiro dos Jerónimos (Jerónimos Monastery) and the Torre de Belém (Tower of Belém), both in the suburb of Belém. Also in Belém are the Museu da Marinha (Maritime Museum) and the Museu Nacional dos Coches (Coach Museum). Of Lisbon's churches, the Sé (Cathedral) conveys a Romanesque feel, Igreja São Roque (Sã Roque Church) has a unique chapel, and Igreja do Carmo (Carmo Church) is unquestionably dramatic—but best of all is Igreja da Madre de Deus (Mother of God Church), for its beautiful azulejos.

The uninspiring Museu de Arte Popular (Popular Art Museum) in Belém is worth a visit for its survey of craftwork from all over Portugal. An unexpected treat is the Estufa Fria (Botanical Gardens), the so-called "cold greenhouse," in Parque Eduardo VII.

Fado
Fado ("fate") refers to a deep song, a Portuguese passion that often expresses melancholy or yearning. The songs are often a lamentation about the trials of life or love. The old song "Lisboa Antiqua" was a popularization of one fado tune.

Performances usually take place in a café and consist of a husky-voiced singer, almost always a woman, accompanied by an acoustic guitar. Melodies betray old Middle Eastern tonalities and tend at first to disconcert those unfamiliar with the music, though most listeners take to it increasingly as the evening progresses.

Fado houses generally serve dinner until about 10 PM—then the show begins. Food is often expensive, but it is not necessary to eat in order to watch the show. Arrive after 10 PM to listen and pay only a drink minimum. While after-dinner reservations are available, they are quickly exhausted. Most of the more authentic fado houses are in the Bairro Alto.

Restaurant Overview

Only a few truly exceptional restaurants exist in Portugal, and about half are situated in the capital. At these establishments, dinner for two will cost something in the region of US$100—but you'll be treated like royalty in elegant surroundings, and savor an extraordinary meal. And fear not, there are also enough modest restaurants serving tasty dishes made from fresh ingredients for a diner to enjoy a different one every night for a year.

Hotel Overview

There are enough hotels in Lisbon to make finding good accommodations generally easy, except during Christmas, Easter week, and June and July, when reservations should be made well in advance. Although hotels in Lisbon are among the most expensive in the country, they are not exorbitant by European or American standards, and comfortable hotels at modest prices are available.

Shopping

Lisbon entices shoppers with handicrafts, not high fashion. Ceramics are lovely and reasonable, and Portuguese carpets are famous (though never cheap), as is the needlework from the Azores and Madeira. Stores generally open at 9 AM, close at noon, reopen at 2 PM, and close for the night at 7 PM; many are closed on Saturday.
Gold, which by law must be at least 19 karats, is reasonably priced by U.S. standards, as is silver; the Portuguese specialize in filigree.
The best and largest concentration of antique stores can be found along Rua Dom Pedro V and its continuation, Rua da Escola Politécnica, in the Bairro Alto. Some of the items are religious, but there are also antique ceramics and furniture.
The Centro Antiquário do Alecrim is great for browsing: Look for drawings from old books, many handcolored. Casa das Corticas sells nothing but famed Portuguese cork and has invented surprising uses for this material.
Try Solar for antique ceramics and azulejos, and Sant'Anna for modern-day ceramic goods. Its only true competitor is Fábrica Ceramica Viuva Lamego.
For fine bone china, go to one of the outlets of the well-known Vista Alegre factory.
The finest embroidery is sold in Lisbon, brought over from the islands of Madeira and the Azores, which remain bastions of the craft. However, cheaper copies from China may make the Portuguese versions seem less of a buy. The best-known shop is Madeira House in the Baixa. For even finer quality, visit Madeira Superbia. The highest quality of all is carried by the prestigious Principe Real in the Barrio Alto.
Although several stores in Lisbon sell arraiolos, needlepoint carpets from the village of Arraiolos, at Casa Quintão you'll do almost as well as in the village itself. If US$2,000 dollars sounds like a lot for a 2.5-by-3-meter (8-by-10-foot) carpet, price comparable ones in the United States.
For inexpensive handicrafts from all over Portugal, try Filartesanato in the Feira Internacional de Lisboa.
An interesting shopping experience awaits you at Lisbon's giant shopping mall, Amoreiras. This is really a pedestrian mall, with almost 250 stores, a supermarket, 10 movie theaters, a chapel, and 50 restaurants.
Don't miss the famed Lisbon flea market, the Feira da Ladra ("Thieves' Market"). It is held Tuesday and Saturday from early morning until sunset. The open-air stalls fill the Campo de Santa Clara, three blocks east of Castelo de São Jorge (São Jorge Castle). Trolley #28 and bus #12 stop there. Diligence can uncover interesting craftswork. Bargaining is expected.

Nightlife

 SHOPPING

Transportation

Lisbon is best savored on foot, and the city's old yellow streetcars and buses provide easy respites for the foot-weary.

Even more convenient are Lisbon's taxis, which are black with green-blue roofs—they are the least expensive in western Europe. Meters start at 250 escudos and are unlikely to run beyond 600 escudos (about US$4) for local trips. A 10 percent tip is the norm. When their roof lights are lit, taxis can be hailed on streets, but are more readily found in stands beside hotels or monuments.

Buses charge by the number of zones traversed, starting at 125 escudos. Streetcars do likewise but start at 105 escudos. Módulos, ten-trip tickets, cut both costs in half. Even cheaper are 1,000 escudos special four-day tourist passes purchased at the Elevador de Santa Justa (Santa Justa Elevator) just south of Pr. Rossio.

Budgeting
Budget about US$135 per day for two people to travel modestly in Portugal in July or August, not including transportation to or around the country. During the off-season, budget about $115 per day; most hotel prices drop 25 to 33 percent before and after July and August and decline even more in winter, though Easter and Christmas weeks are exceptions. Many hotels in Lisbon, however, have this backwards, offering their lowest prices in high summer. Note: Portuguese gasoline is equal in cost to gas in the rest of Europe—a significant expense at almost $40 a tankful.

Clothes and Packing
Remember that, except at resorts, you'll be visiting cities and towns where most people are dressed for work. You might be on vacation, but everyone else is heading for the office. Although Portugal is less formal than other European tourist destinations, jackets, shirts, and—except in the hottest weather—ties are the norm for men, and skirts or dresses are customary for women. Street clothes tend toward more somber hues than many Americans wear.

In town, a pair or two of comfortable leather walking shoes is preferable to sneakers, which are primarily seen on schoolchildren; use insoles to cushion your feet against the medieval cobblestones. For most of the year, raincoats with linings are ideal, and natural fiber clothing is best year-round—it's lightweight, packs well, permits circulation in summer, and holds warmth in winter.

Vicinities

Portugal. Closest to Lisbon are fine, elegant beaches at Cascais and Estoril, 16 kilometers (10 miles) west or the long, uncrowded beaches of Setúbal, 88 kilometers (55 miles) south of Lisbon (a 45-minute train ride with frequent service). Eleven kilometers (7 miles) inland from these beaches stands the forest of Sintra with three fascinating palaces; Sintra can be reached by frequent trains in 45 minutes. The huge Baroque palace complex at Mafra is a half-day excursion, including a train ride of an hour and a half each way. By car it can be combined with Portugal's version of Versailles at Queluz. The longest excursion is to Batalha, 120 kilometers (74 miles) north. Less than 100 kilometers (62 miles) away, Óbidos should be an hour and a half by car.

Sintra
The mountains surrounding Sintra are lush with camellias, gardenias, bougainvillea, and eucalyptus in season. All in all, Sintra is one of the highlights of Portugal. In the most dramatic setting imaginable, Sintra offers a palace, a fantasy castle, and a ruined Moorish fortress. A day would cover the sights comfortably. While tourists arrive by the bus-load, they are quickly absorbed into the vastness of the surrounding nature.

Actually, three Sintras wrap around the mountain. The Vila Velha (Old Town) clusters near the Palácio Real, the summer palace of Portugal's kings. The Palácio Real is open daily 10 AM-1 PM and 2-5 PM; the price of admission is 400 escudos for a guided tour.

To the north is the new town, called Estefania, with the bus and train station along the way, and to the south is the formerly separate town of São Pedro, which hosts a famous crafts market.

Sintra's Castelo dos Mouros is open Tuesday through Sunday, 8 AM to sunset; admission is free. Although called a castle, this was actually a fortress built in the 8th or early 9th century, then captured by the Christians in the 12th century. On a clear day there are excellent views from the top of a tower inside the walls. Visit also the Palácio Nacional da Pena, built by a German architect at the request of King Ferdinand II. This is open Tuesday to Sunday, 10 AM-1 PM and 2-4:45 PM; the price of admission is 400 escudos.

From Lisbon, N-249 becomes the winding Estrada de Chão de Meninos, then Av. D. F. de Almeida, to end at Largo de Albuquerque. Turn left here along Rua Dr. Alfredo Costa, which bends right to become Av. Volta do Duche and leads into the parking of the Pr. de República beside the Palácio Real.

Lisbon Tourist Information Office
Tourist information offices are also located at the airport (open 24 hours) and at Santa Apolonia Station.

Info Mafra

Mafra, the capital of the district, is made up of two areas - the old town which grew up around the castle, the remains of which are almost lost among the houses, and the newer part which developed in the shadow of the majestic monastery constructed by King João V.

It was built with gold from Brazil and in fulfillment of a promise. Thousands of men, from all over the country, were used to carry all the necessary stone. This impressive monument building (Basílica, Monastery, and Palace) has fine views from the dorne and towers overlooking the game preserve and park. The town is well-known for its Sunday carillon concerts and for its tradicional cakes.

MONUMENTS

The Naturepark of Mafra

An area of some 20 km long, surrounded by high walls, the Wildpark is a place without equal around Lisbon. Created in 1747 by order of D. João V, it holds today, in open or closed areas, wolves, foxes, deer, wild boar and other animals, together with a rich collection of trees (pine, cork, oak and elm) and plants. Birds of prey can also be found in the park, either flying freely or at the local falconry. The Hunting Museum and the Carts collection are also not to be missed, as well as some of the vistas from the park.

Convent of Mafra

It was close to Mafra (Mafara or Mafhara according to the ancients), a town in the province of Estremadura, that king João V of Portugal ordered the famous Convent to be built (1717-1730).

The building taken as a whole, is a veritable classic, the grandeur and majesty of which are imposing. The severity of its art, in the most exalted sense, the unsurpassed perfection of its smallest detail, the variety of the designs to be met within its constantly changing style, reveal, in a very noticeable manner, the exceptional resources of its German Architect, Johann Friedrich Ludovici, as well as the merits of the Portuguese artists who were educated there and worked upon it.
Portuguese quarries (namely those of Mafra, Sintra and Loures) supplied the marble used and Brazil the very beautiful woods, while France, Italy, Belgium and Holland contributed with statues, bell, chimes, convent plates and lamps, as well as the most exquisite and skillfully-worked ecclesiastical vestments and carving.
The Basilica is composed of various marbles and is a standing proof of the excellence of the artists and the lofty aspirations of the architect. It contains 11 chapels, 45 tribunes, 6 large organs, 21 altar pieces and pictures carved in marble at the Mafra school of sculpture, 8 oil paintings and 40 large statues obtained from Italy. The interior of the imposing Zimborio, or cupola, is ornamented with the most beautifully blended graduations of coloring. The Towers contain two magnificent clocks, 4 chimes (2 of them controlled by hand, with finger boards of 4 octaves, each, and 2 mechanical) and 110 bells, of which 93 are connected with the chimes.
The Convent, which contains a central garden of a classis style, held at one time 300 monks and possesses a Library containing no fewer than 35000 volumes, a Chapter House, a Hall for Scholastic Exercises, Kitchen and Refectory.
In the Palace, which, together with the two Towers forms the front of the building, are to be found the Cloisters, and the Infirmaries and what is known as the Holy Field, a place set apart for burial purposes having a special chapel for funeral services.
The Convent with its dependencies, the garden and grounds, the many attractive shady places and the great Park to the north, in addition to other delightful spots, excellent water, pure air and the mildness of the climate contribute to make the town of Mafra a veritable pleasure ground for touring and rest.