Nowhere in Portugal visitors will find a more impressive reminder of the great seafaring tradition and the wealth of the former colonial power than in the capital. It seems as if one would breathe history and even untrained eyes can see “Once here was power and money at home!”. Much is well preserved, especially the pride of the residents. Lisbon is one of the quieter, yet vibrant European cities with the typical southern European lifestyle, which could keep much of its originality without missing the connection to the modern era, on the contrary: For a number of years now, an increasingly stronger start-up scene from the IT sector has been established, which also attracts large international corporations (Startup Lisboa). Lisbon owes the nickname “The White City” the picturesque white houses, historic buildings and palaces.
The city is situated on a bay at the estuary of the Tejo in the far southwest of Europe, on the west coast of the Iberian Peninsula at the Atlantic. In the approximately 84 sq. km urban area 517,000 inhabitants are living within 53 municipalities (freguesias), assigned to four districts (bairros). As the largest city of Portugal Lisbon, with the main port, host to the government, the state and government agencies, several universities, including one of the oldest in Europe dating back to 1290, and the Academy of Sciences, is the economic and cultural center of Portugal. The Baixa (lower city of Lisbon) is located on the banks of the Rio Tejo and is surrounded by the castle hill with the Castelo de Sao Jorge, the Alfama and the hills of the Bairro Alto.
The city center, the Baixa, is located in the 18th Century area around Rossio built. East of the arcade Praça do Comércio are the medieval quarters of Alfama and Mouraria, crowned by the magnificent castle of St. George. West of it lie Bairro Alto and Madragoa with their typical streets and at the western end is Belém with the Belém Tower (the watch tower above the Tagus River, which was built to protect the city of Lisbon), the monastery of Jeronimos (masterpieces of Manueline architecture and in the World Heritage List of UNESCO) and the cultural centre of Belém. The nightlife in Lisbon predominantly occurs in Vairro Alto and along the Avenida 24 de Julho. Shopping is especially good in the old town of Lisbon, on the Avenida de Roma, Praça de Londres, Avenida Guerra Junqueiro and Amoreiras.
Tram 28 – Dr.G.Schmitz
The area around Lisbon stretches from the Tagus estuary to the Alentejo coast, from the great city on the southwestern edge of the European Union and colorful fishing villages. The coastal region around Lisbon and inland to about the level of Alverca in the northeast and southeast of Lisbon in Setúbal enjoys tolerable temperatures in winter and summer. A constant cool breeze from the Atlantic makes the summer months in Lisbon for freshness. The Costa de Lisboa offers a rich and impressively integrated diversity. Since the re-conquest by the Arabs in 1147 Lisbon is a legendary city with a centuries-long history.
Portugal has much more to offer of course. The Algarve can be reached within two to three hours by car from Lisbon and is not only recommended for golfers amongst our readers. The diversity of the landscape and the coastal region is overwhelming and we should thematize it separately, if it not already had been done 10,000 times by others.
