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| City Guide - Lisbon - City Overview | ||
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City Overview Perched on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean and with a personality split between Western Europe and Northern Africa, Lisbon is a European city like no other. Portugal's capital boasts as grand a cultural and historical heritage as any other major European city, but also a tumbledown, earthier side that sets it apart. Lisbon's zenith was back in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries when great explorers and bold sailing fleets edged out of the security of Lisbon in the quest to discover the 'New World'. This rich colonial past is still very much in evidence in the suburb of Belém, laden with grand imperial buildings like the stunning Manueline Mosterio dos Jerónimos and the waterfront Torre de Belém. The Monument to the Discoveries is a modern tribute to the age when Portugal was one of the world's great maritime powers. One name that rides high above any other from this period is Vasco Da Gama - the country's greatest maritime hero. The Rio Tejo (Tagus) still dominates Lisbon life, but the main industry is now tourism as the city grows in popularity as a tourist destination. Other key industries include finance, insurance, consulting and telecommunications, with Lisbon very much the hub of Portuguese business, commercial and political life. The city centre is a buzzing grid of grand streets with all the trappings of any other Western European city, but also rumbling old trams, antiquated funiculars and elevadors (elevators) that help negotiate Lisbon's steep hills. Further east in the Alfama district the earthier side of the city takes over as the wide streets give way to a tight warren of cobbles, littered with tiny shops, houses and traditional restaurants. Here mobile phones and sharp suits are replaced by haranguing old women selling fresh fish on the street. This is the area of the city that has exotic echoes of Northern Africa, the influence from across the Mediterranean very strong thanks to the many immigrants who have brought their culture and traditions to the city from Portugal's former African colonies. Venturing even further east is the site of the successful World Expo 98, an event that demonstrated the Portuguese government's determined efforts to place Lisbon firmly on the European map. The government has invested heavily to turn the former Expo site into an accommodation, business and nightlife centre, with the initial results of the ambitious project looking promising. Further evidence of Portugal's ambition is the successful bid to stage the European Football Championship in 2004, an event that will bring many of the world's top teams to Lisbon as well as focusing the media spotlight on the Portuguese capital. Despite all this new development and the attempts to modernise the city, its easygoing charm has not been lost. In summer Lisbon can be hot and sticky (14C-27C), but this is soon eased by a quick train ride along the coast to the beach resorts of Cascais and Estoril. In winter Lisbon is much cooler (8C-16C) though still boasts many sunny days, making it a popular year round destination. |
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