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

Lisbon Viewpoints itinerary

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.

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.

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.