
The Jerónimos Monastery was built during most of the 16th century in the Manueline style. It was built at a time when Portugal had an empire and was in the mood to show the World its status through a plethora of monuments and palaces
The Tower in outstanding example of 16th c. Manueline architecture. Standing on the waterside at Belem it was built as both a celebration of the age of the Discoveries and to defend the mouth of the river.
The huge crescent of sand that stretches southwards from the town of Costa da Caparica is home to a number of fantastic beaches. And whilst those in front of the numerous apartment blocks in the town itself are nothing to complain about, the further down the coast you head, the wider and less built up they becomes. In fact within a few km there are only sand dunes as a backdrop - keep going and it becomes a protected landscape of sculpted cliffs and forest.
For many visitors to Costa da Caparica the appeal is you can hop on a bus, train or ferry in Lisbon and be here in half an hour...
The stretch of coast along Costa da Caparica is home to a slightly strange geological feature where the cliffs rise not from the sea, but several hundred metres inland. This is most pronounced in the resort town itself where behind the apartment blocks is a small plain with fields. Suddenly, a steep escarpment rises up, and it is here that you will find the 16th century Convento dos Capuchos.
As you can imagine the convent commands a spectacular sweeping panorama over the coast below. In fact there is a viewpoint (miradouro) here from which you can see Lisbon and the hills of Sintra...
Stretching across the estuary at the Tagus River in Lisbon is the Ponte 25 de April (25th April Bridge); the largest suspension bridge in Europe and the 20th longest in the world. Often considered as a twin sister of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco because of its similar design the bridge in Lisbon is actually 300 feet (100m) longer.
Officially opened in 1966 the Ponte 25 de April was considered the primary connection between north and south Portugal until the Vasco da Gama Bridge was built in 1998. Around this time works were carried out to suspend two railroad tracks under...
Standing at over 110 metres tall on the opposite bank of the Tejo to Lisbon is Cristo Rei. Built between 1949-59 the statue was inspired by the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro.
The Elevador de Santa Justa (Santa Justa lift) is a 47 metres (145ft) Lisbon's only remaining vertical elevator and connects Rua do Ouro in the Baixa to Largo do Carmo near Bairro Alto. It was built, along with several other cable powered urban lifts and funiculars, in a time before cars and the Metro. Whilst this may sound quite utilitarian and uninteresting nothing could be further from the truth.
Inaugurated in 1902, the elevator is a cast iron tower decorated with Neo-Gothic style filigrana details. Some say it is reminiscent of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, and this is not...
Reputed to be the oldest building in Lisbon, the cathedral (Sé de Lisboa) certainly has the appearance of being built to last. Compared to the frivolous Manueline architecture of the Jeronimos Monastery the Romanesque lines of the cathedral appear quite austere. Along with castellated walls and arrow slits in the towers Lisbon Cathedral, like other Portuguese cathedrals of the period, had the appearance of a fortress as much as a church.
Work began on the cathedral in 1147, the same...
From the early 1960’s to the mid-1970s Portugal fought a controversial campaign in Africa, attempting in vain to keep hold of its colonies there. Known as the Combatentes Ultramar (Overseas War) this conflict took the lives of over 9,000 soldiers, many of whom came from the Lisbon area. The bloody war was a factor which led to the toppling of the regime of Dr Antonio de Oliveira Salazar whose right-wing regime had held power since 1932.
Today Lisbon's Belem district is home to a striking was memorial dedicated to the memory of the...
52 metre high monument on the waterside in Belem. The monument was built to celebrate the 500th anniversary of the death of Henry the Navigator. It features 33 prominent people of that era
Referred to simply as the CCB, this beautifully designed Centro Cultural de Belem was originally built to serve as headquarter for the Portuguese Presidency of the EU in 1992. It now provides over 100,000 square metres of space for a year-round calendar of cultural events, conferences, exhibitions and meetings as well as providing one of the best permanent exhibitions of modern art in Europe, a number of eateries and shops and much more. If you want to escape from the heat and crowds of tourists that flock to Belem, the centre has something for everyone and never...
World acclaimed private modern art collection with works by Andy Warhol, Jackson Pollock, Jeff Koons, and more.
Museum housing the extensive collection of carriages belonging to the Portuguese royal family and nobility. Located in the old Horse Riding Arena of the Belém Palace, this is one of Lisbon's most visited museums.
Museum housed in the old riverside power station. Presents the history of energy through a series of experimental exhibits and cultural context
Now the official residence of the president of Portugal the palace was built in the 16th by Manuel of Portugal to overlook the nearby Jerónimos Monastery
A stone’s throw away from the capital on the southern side of the Tejo River, the Costa da Caparica is basically a long stretch of sandy, clean beaches to suit all types of beachgoer. Stretching right down to the Cabo...