Seven cinematic hillsides overlooking the Rio Tejo cradle Lisbon's postcard-perfect panorama of cobbled alleyways, ancient ruins and white-domed cathedrals making Lisbon a captivating recipe crafted over centuries.
The capital of Portugal has experienced a renaissance in recent years, with a contemporary culture that is alive and thriving and making its mark in today's Europe. Perched on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean, Lisbon is one of the rare Western European cities that faces the ocean and uses water as an element that defines the city. Lisbon enchants travellers with its white-bleached limestone buildings, intimate alleyways and an easy-going charm that makes it a popular year-round destination.
It’s worth going to Belém just for the tram ride and a visit to the Pastéis de Belém bakery but this district has many other big attractions.
The Jardim da Praça do Império is Europe’s biggest plaza, the Museu dos Coches holds one of the world’s biggest collections of royal coaches, and Jeronimo´s monastery has arches and columns as intricately carved as the filigree silver in every Lisbon jewellers. In its cloisters are two museums: the Museu de Marinha, which is devoted to the golden age navigators and the Museu Nacional de Arqueologia, with Roman mosaics and Bronze Age metalwork.
Also impressive is the private art collection of 20th-century masterpieces at the Museu Colecção Berardo inside Belém Cultural Centre. All of this should be combined with a visit to the iconic 16th-century Torre de Belém resplendent on the wide and dazzling waterfront.
As you walk through this city, feast your eyes on displays of tiles spanning 500 years of feverish creativity at the Museu do Azulejo, housed in convent cloisters not far beyond Santa Apolónia station. It’s like nowhere else, although the 38 blue and white 18th-century panels illustrating fables of La Fontaine inside the São Vicente de Fora church run it close. Additionally, wandering the side streets of Alfama, Chiado and Cais do Sodré is always a visual treat. Lisbon certainly leaves you enchanted and looking forward to your next visit.
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