Lisbon Complete – Self Drive In Electric Vehicles With GPS Audio Guide

Lisbon Complete itinerary

MARTIM MONIZ SQUARE

This square, looking up to the castle, is the center of the city’s most multiethnic neighborhood. It’s something of a mini Chinatown, in addition to being a terminal of the famous tram 28.

Neglected for several years, it was revived in 2012 as a street food market, with several stalls with terraces now serving the flavors of the neighborhood’s various cultures (Chinese, Indian, African, among others).

On weekends it hosts the "Fusion Market," mixing a variety of products, from handicrafts to ethnic and organic foods, often accompanied by live music.

A giant dragon, created in 2012 (year of the dragon) using pieces of old cell phones and computers, is found in the middle of the square, as a tribute to the Chinese community.

The row of fountains that crosses the square is a reference to the city's old wall that climbed the hill from here.

PORTAS DO SOL VIEWPOINT

The postcard-perfect panoramic views from this “balcony” ("the gateway of the sun") over Alfama go from the ST. Vincent Monastery to the National Pantheon and the Church of St. Stephen. It's a must-photograph spot for any tourist, who ends up staying for a drink at the tables next to a kiosk, or at the Portas do Sol café below.

At the center, facing the Decorative Arts Museum, is a statue of St. Vincent (Lisbon’s patron saint), holding the symbols of the city - a boat with two ravens.

This is where you have the best sunrise views in town, and is the ideal starting point for a walk through the streets of Alfama.

ALFAMA

This quaint medieval district (once the Moorish and Jewish quarter before it became a fishing community) is the oldest neighborhood in Europe after El Pópulo in Cadiz. It's like a small village, standing as a time capsule to the years before Lisbon was destroyed by the 1755 earthquake, as it remained standing thanks to its rock-solid foundations.

GRAÇA VIEWPOINT

This romantic pine-shaded terrace overlooking the city is a popular hangout for young groups, thanks to its kiosk café and fantastic views that go from the castle down to the river.

Everyone calls it Miradouro da Graça, but the official name is Miradouro Sophia de Mello Breyner Andresen, a poet who died in 2004 and who spent many of her days admiring Lisbon from this spot. One of her poems can be read on a wall facing her bronze bust, which is seen looking out to the city. Standing behind it is an 18th-century church, Graça Church.

OUR LADY OF THE MOUNT VIEWPOINT

It was once one of the city's biggest secrets, but it has been discovered by tour guides and young couples. It offers a panoramic view of Lisbon, which is also observed by a small image of the Virgin that gives the place its name ("Our Lady of the Mount"). Behind the image is a small chapel from the 1700s, which is almost always closed. According to an old legend, pregnant women who sat on the stone chair inside would have a problem-free childbirth.

This is one of the highest points in the city, so several monuments, identified on a tile panel, can be seen from here.

This spot is especially popular at sunset, but during the day there are also those who stay for hours in the shade of the olive trees, cypresses and pines.

To get here, walk down Rua da Graça from Largo da Graça, and turn left at Rua da Senhora do Monte.

EDUARDO VII PARK VIEWPOINT

Lisbon's central park ascends one of the city's hills and provides a wonderful view from the top. It's made up of symmetrical box hedging and a variety of plants, most of them found inside glasshouses from the 1930s (the cool greenhouse and the heated greenhouse), which are filled with exotic species from tropical climates. This is one of the most important green spaces in Lisbon, considered an authentic living museum, with its small lakes and waterfalls, statuary, and hundreds of species of plants. On the opposite side is an attractive tile-covered building dedicated to Carlos Lopes (marathon winner at the Olympics in Los Angeles), which will soon be renovated to host cultural and sporting events.

Every June the park hosts the city's annual book fair, lasting for several days.

The name is a tribute to the English monarch Edward VII, who visited Lisbon in 1903, five centuries after the Anglo-Portuguese Alliance.

At the top of the park is a lookout with a huge 20-meter-long Portuguese flag, and a monument to 1974's April 25th Carnations Revolution, inaugurated in 1997.

RESTAURADORES SQUARE

The square is dedicated to the restoration of the independence of Portugal in 1640, after 60 years of Spanish domination. The obelisk in the middle of the square, inaugurated in 1886, carries the names and dates of the battles fought during the Portuguese Restoration War, in 1640.

ROSSIO SQUARE

The official name is Dom Pedro IV Square, but everyone knows it as Rossio. It marks the very center of the city, a lively place at any time of the day, with a wave-patterned mosaic pavement that has been reproduced throughout Portugal, in Rio de Janeiro and in Macau.

It was the site of the bonfires of the Inquisition, and in the early 1900s it attracted intellectuals who met at several cafés, such as the Nicola, which still exists. It's also home to the neoclassical theater Dona Maria II, and to a monument to King Pedro IV, standing 27-meters (89ft) high between two monumental baroque fountains.

CHIADO

Lisbon's most elegant and trendiest neighborhood is where everyone meets for coffee, shopping, or before dinner and a night out in neighboring Bairro Alto.

Most of the buildings are from the 1700s, although many were restored in the 1990s by architect Álvaro Siza Vieira, after their destruction by a devastating fire in 1988. It's a neighborhood that flashes back to the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the "Belle Époque" when writers such as Fernando Pessoa and Eça de Queiroz used to write at the now-historic cafés. It's also the neighborhood of theaters, of charming old bookshops and major international brands, giving it a lively cosmopolitan ambience at any time of the day.

BAIRRO ALTO

A neighborhood laid out in 1513, is a place that truly changes from night to day. In daylight this bohemian district is a sleepy place, hungover from the previous night, with not much going on except for the shops down Rua do Norte. When the sun sets a new life begins, with restaurants opening their doors, and crowds showing up to spend their bar-hopping night.

St. PETER OF ALCANTARA VIEWPOINT

All of Lisbon's lookout points are romantic, but none more than this one, looking over all of downtown towards the castle and the river. It's a landscaped terrace with busts of historical figures, a fountain, and kiosk cafes from where you may sit and admire the beauty of the city.

Going up and down the hill next to the terrace is the Gloria funicular, and across the street is the bar of the Port Wine Institute, where you may sample all types of Portugal's famous drink.

THE PINK STREET

Rua Nova do Carvalho is a pedestrian street better known as “Pink Street,” after an urban renewal project in 2013, when the pavement between the terraces, bars and clubs was painted pink. It has become one of Lisbon’s most popular destinations at night, and is also an "open-air art gallery."

LX FACTORY

A factory complex from 1846 was reborn in 2008 as a "factory" of creativity and experiences. It kept the industrial spaces and invited companies related to the arts, which later brought shops, cafés and restaurants. Today there’s a little bit of everything, from fashion to books, to vintage furniture and contemporary design, next to dining options that include pizza, sushi and burgers, in addition to the more creative cuisine. The interiors maintain many of the old pieces, while most of the façades are covered in street art

BELEM DISTRICT

Lisbon's most monumental and historical area is Belém. It was from here that many of the great Portuguese explorers embarked on their voyages of discovery: Prince Henry the Navigator and the first overseas expedition to conquer Ceuta in Morocco, Bartholomeu Dias to round the Cape of Good Hope, the first voyages of Ferdinand Magellan, Vasco da Gama to discover the sea route to India, and Christopher Columbus stopped here on his way back to Europe after discovering the New World.

BELEM CULTURAL CENTER - CCB

Lisbon's most important cultural center was originally built to host Portugal's presidency of the European Union in 1992. Today it regularly presents world-class performances and has the city's largest auditorium.

It's also home to the Berardo Musuem for Modern and Contemporary Art, and has cafés and restaurants looking over the river.

Its biggest annual event is the springtime "Dias da Música," a classical music festival.

JERONIMOS MONASTERY

This 16th-century monastery is Lisbon's must-see marvel, flashing back to the days of the Age of Discovery, when the spices of the East paid for the impressive architecture that has given it the status of World Heritage Site.

Riches from all over the world poured into Lisbon thanks to Vasco da Gama's discovery of the maritime route to India, and the explorer's tomb is found in the church, a space filled with carvings of sea motifs. Another tomb is that of poet Luís de Camões.

Coral, sea monsters and ropes are also represented in the even more magnificent cloisters, which are unlike any other in the world. They are sometimes used as a backdrop for major events, such as the signing of the Lisbon Treaty between all 27 European Union countries in 2007.

BELEM CUSTARD TARTS

The official name is "Antiga Confeitaria de Belém" ("Belem's Old confectionery") but everyone simply calls it "Pasteis de Belém" ("Belém Pastries"). Its pastries have become famous around the country and even the world, known internationally as "Portuguese custard tarts" or "pastéis de nata." "Pastel de Nata" is the name of the very same tart when not made at this shop, and those from here are not only the originals but also the best, made from a secret recipe since 1837. They come recommended in every guidebook, which explains the long lines outside the door. You may grab some to go, but also try them oven-warm in the beautifully tiled rooms inside.

BELEM TOWER

Lisbon's most famous landmark stands in the middle of the Tagus River as it reaches the Atlantic, where it once protected the city in the 1500s.

Built in 1515, the Belem Tower is a beautiful fortress that also served as the departure point for many of the voyages of discovery, and due to its architecture and historical significance it has been declared a World Heritage Site.

The highlight of a visit is admiring the façade facing the river and the views from its loggias and windows. You'll see stonework relating to the Age of Discovery, including Our Lady of Safe Homecoming who was believed to protect sailors at sea, as well as a stone rhinoceros which inspired Dürer's depiction of the animal. See more details below.

MONUMENT TO THE DISCOVERIES

Inaugurated in 1960, the year of the 500th anniversary of the death of Prince Henry the Navigator, this waterfront monument in the shape of a caravel heading into sea evokes the Portuguese Age of Discovery. Fifty-six meters high (184ft), 20 meters wide (66ft) and 46 meters long (151 ft), it shows a 9 meters-tall (26ft) Prince Henry leading 32 other personalities of the time, measuring 7 meters (23ft).

The monument is made of concrete, but the sculptures are in limestone and were created by prominent sculptor Leopoldo de Almeida.

The interior presents temporary exhibitions, and has an elevator that takes you to the lookout terrace at the top, offering a beautiful view of the several ??monuments nearby, such as the Jeronimos Monastery and the Belem Tower.

Before entering, you may walk all over the world, following the routes of the Portuguese explorers. That's a map in marble on a huge compass rose, measuring 50 meters in diameter (164ft), with caravels and dates marking the main routes of the Portuguese in the 15th and 16th centuries. It's surrounded by the traditional Portuguese cobblestone pavement, with the famous wavy design which can be admired from the top of the monument.

MAAT

The Museum of Art, Architecture and Technology (MAAT) is a project of the EDP Foundation, and is spread over two buildings, a former power station and a modern building designed by British architect Amanda Levete. It has almost 3000 square meters for exhibitions and events, and is directed by the former curator of contemporary architecture of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York, Pedro Gadanho, who says that this museum in Lisbon is unique in the world, since no other crosses the disciplines of art, architecture and technology. It presents the relationship between art and new technologies, through contemporary and international exhibitions.

It will also have a restaurant looking out to 25th of April Bridge, and it's possible to walk over the new undulating shell-shaped building of curved lines. The exterior staircase descends into the water, creating a large public space.

25th OF APRIL BRIDGE

At first sight, the 25 de Abril Bridge seems to have a curious resemblance to the Golden Gate, but it was actually inspired by another San Francisco bridge, the Bay Bridge. It was, however, built by the same company as the Golden Gate, and inaugurated in 1966. It was called Salazar Bridge but was renamed after the 1974 revolution.

Its central span is longer than that of the Golden Gate, and it links the capital to the south of the country, especially to the beaches of Caparica coast, to which all of Lisbon seems to escape to in the summer.

Below the bridge are the St. Amaro Docks, with a marina and several restaurants in former warehouses, and that's where you can get up close to the monument. To see it from above, the best spot is the terrace of the Monument to Christ. The Monsanto Forest Park, the lookout points of Santo Amaro and Necessidades, the Ajuda Botanical Garden and the Prazeres Cemitery also offer good views.

A sightseeing cruise is another opportunity to see it up close, by going under it.

To reach the Santo Amaro docks, take the Cascais train from Cais do Sodré to Alcântara-Mar (a 4-minute journey; exit to the left, riverside part of the station).

An observation deck ("Pilar 7 - Bridge Experience") was inaugurated in September of 2017 by one of the bridge's pillars, which includes a museum explaining the history and the construction techniques behind the monument. An elevator goes up 80 meters to the top by the road, offering a beautiful view over the river and the city.

COMMERCE SQUARE

Lisbon's grandest square faces the river, and was originally designed to welcome those arriving in the city by boat.

What you see today is the 18th-century version, as the original square, named "Terreiro do Paço" and home to the royal palace, was destroyed in the 1755 earthquake. It was rebuilt with a triumphal arc facing the Tagus, and the surrounding arcaded buildings held government offices for many years.

At the center is a monument to King José I.

The square is also home to the city's oldest café, "Martinha da Arcada", and to the monumental Pousada Hotel.

There is also a tourist office, while across from it is the Lisboa Story Center, which presents the history of the city.

Under the arcades are cafés and restaurants with tables outside.