World Travel Guide

City Guide  - Lisbon  - Sightseeing
Sightseeing

Lisbon's sightseeing is can be divided into four districts. The most central is the Baixa, the very heart of the city, which was rebuilt along a neat grid system after a series of devastating earthquakes, particularly the massive devastation of the 1755 tremor. The impressive Praça do Comercio is flanked by the stately Royal Palace and government ministries three sides and is lapped by the waters of the Rio Tejo on its southern fringe.

Strolling to the east the neat order of the Baixa dissolves in the tumbledown chaos of the Alfama district - the medieval old hub of the city, where the streets are as narrow as the smiles are large on the faces of the colourful women who harangue passers by with the fresh catch of the day.

A train or tram ride in the opposite direction is the suburb of Belém, where the connections with Portugal's Great Age of Discoveries are the strongest. This is where the brave, or foolhardy, Portuguese sailors set off in search of worlds barely imagined let alone discovered. The legacy today is the epic Manueline architecture of the Mosteiro dos Jerónimos and the Torre de Belém, as well as more recent tributes like the Monument to the Discoveries.

Even further out of the city is the Parque das Nações, where the shell of Expo 98 has been imaginatively recreated into a sprawling leisure complex, complete with concert halls, museums and the Oceanario, one of the world's largest aquariums.

Tourist Information

Associação Turismo de Lisboa
Palácio Foz, Praça dos Restauradores
Tel: (21) 346 3314. Fax: (21) 346 8772.
Website: www.cm-lisboa.pt/turismo
Opening hours: Daily 0900-2000.

Other offices are located at Santa Apolónia station and at the airport. There are also kiosks near main tourist sites. The national government operates a tourist helpline (tel: (0800) 296 296).

Passes
The Lisboa Card offers unlimited travel and free or discounted entry to more than 25 museums and attractions and a guide to Lisbon. 24-hour (Esc2100), 48-hour (Esc3500), and 72-hour (Esc4500) cards can be purchased (concessions available) at Associação Turismo de Lisboa offices.



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