They say Lisbon's colours light up the traveller's soul. And indeed Portugal's capital is a lively, colourful and welcoming city, built on seven hills overlooking the estuary of the Tagus (Tejo), a few kilometres from the Atlantic Ocean. With about 2.9 million people in its metropolitan area, Greater Lisbon is the country's largest urban area. Around it, the hills of Sintra with their romantic palaces, the cosmopolitan coast of Cascais and fishing villages such as Ericeira complete the portrait of a city of a thousand cultures.
Three thousand years of history
Legend has it that the city was founded by Ulysses under the name Olissipo. Archaeological remains show the presence of Neolithic and later Celtic peoples, while the Phoenicians, merchants and seafarers, were already frequenting the estuary at the start of the first millennium BC: the area was an ideal base for trade with the Iberian peninsula and northern Europe. One theory traces the city's name to the Phoenician Allis Ubbo, safe harbour.
The Romans left rich traces, as did the Moorish period, which lasted more than four centuries until the Christian reconquest of 1147. From the fifteenth century Lisbon became one of the capitals of the world thanks to the Portuguese Empire, the first and longest-lasting European colonial empire, which ended in 1999 when Macau was handed back to China.
On 1 November 1755 a terrible earthquake, followed by a tsunami and fires, destroyed much of the lower town. The rebuilding was led by the Marquis of Pombal, who redesigned the Baixa with straight streets and earthquake-resistant buildings: this was the birth of the Pombaline style, while the upper districts, such as Alfama, largely survived. The Manueline style, rich in maritime motifs, dates from the golden age of discovery, between the late fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries.
São Jorge Castle and Alfama
To taste the oldest Lisbon, climb the hill of the Castelo de São Jorge, an ancient fortress enlarged by the Moors and taken by the Christians in 1147, then a royal residence until the sixteenth century, when King Manuel I moved the court down to the Tagus, to today's Praça do Comércio. The 1755 earthquake badly damaged it and its present appearance comes from twentieth-century restoration. The walls and towers, gardens and terraces offer one of the finest views of the city: the 25 de Abril Bridge, the Cristo Rei statue on the far bank and, on clear days, the Belém area.
At the foot of the castle lies Alfama, the most characterful district, a maze of alleys, stairways and little squares tumbling down towards the river. Home over the centuries to fishermen, nobles and modest families, it keeps the atmosphere of a village. Don't miss the viewpoints of Largo das Portas do Sol and Miradouro de Santa Luzia, the Museum of Decorative Arts of the Ricardo do Espírito Santo Silva Foundation, the cathedral (Sé) and, on Tuesdays and Saturdays, the Feira da Ladra, the flea market where you can find just about anything.
Trams, Bairro Alto and fado
Steep slopes seem to defy gravity, and the old yellow trams (eléctricos) take them in their stride. The most famous is tram 28, which runs through Graça, Alfama, Baixa and Chiado to Campo de Ourique: to avoid the queues, ride it early in the morning. Funiculars such as the Elevador da Glória and Elevador da Bica, and the Elevador de Santa Justa lift, connect the lower town with the hilltop districts.
Bairro Alto, once a bohemian quarter of dubious reputation, is now one of the hubs of Lisbon's nightlife, with bars, tascas (small taverns) and craft shops. Here and in Alfama, in the fado houses, you can hear the city's signature music: fado, a melancholy song accompanied by the Portuguese guitar, born in Lisbon's working-class districts in the first half of the nineteenth century and now listed by UNESCO as intangible heritage.
Baixa, Chiado and Avenida da Liberdade
The Pombaline Baixa, rebuilt after the earthquake, is the commercial heart of the city, with orderly streets linking monumental squares: Rossio (Praça Dom Pedro IV), Praça da Figueira and the grand Praça do Comércio, open to the Tagus, with the Rua Augusta Arch. To the north runs the Avenida da Liberdade, an elegant boulevard reminiscent of the Champs-Élysées. Chiado, on the hill between Baixa and Bairro Alto, is the district of historic cafés, bookshops and stores, including Livraria Bertrand, considered the oldest bookshop still in operation in the world.
Belém, the Lisbon of the discoveries
The ships that launched the age of exploration set sail from the Tagus. In Belém, a few kilometres west of the centre, stand the two masterpieces of the Manueline style, both UNESCO World Heritage Sites: the Jerónimos Monastery, begun in 1501 with the riches that flowed in after Vasco da Gama's voyage to India, where the navigator and the poet Luís de Camões are buried, and the Belém Tower, built between 1514 and 1519 to guard the harbour entrance. On the riverfront stands the Padrão dos Descobrimentos, the Monument to the Discoveries. Before leaving, you simply have to try the warm pastéis de nata at Belém's historic pastry shop.
Modern Lisbon
Lisbon is not only history. Parque das Nações, built for Expo 1998, is home to the Oceanário, one of the largest aquariums in Europe, and a long riverside promenade. Along the Tagus, MAAT, the museum of art, architecture and technology, and LX Factory, a former industrial site full of restaurants, shops and creative studios, show the city of today. Among the museums, the Calouste Gulbenkian Museum, with an extraordinary art collection, and the National Tile Museum, devoted to the azulejos that cover so many of the city's facades, stand out.
Practical tips
The city is easy to explore on foot, in comfortable shoes, and by metro, tram, bus and ferry across the Tagus. The Lisboa Card includes public transport and entry to many museums and monuments. Humberto Delgado airport is close to the centre and linked by the metro (red line); you will find all the details on the Lisbon airport page. The best seasons are spring and autumn; in June the city celebrates its popular saints with the St Anthony festivities. A weekend is enough for a first taste, but Lisbon and its surroundings (Sintra, Cascais, Estoril, Setúbal) deserve at least four or five days.