Welcome to Lisbon, the capital of Portugal, on the northern shore of the River Tagus, in the far west of the Iberian Peninsula. Lisbon is one of the oldest cities in the world and the second-oldest capital in Europe, after Athens. Phoenicians, Romans, Visigoths and Moors all left their mark here. Julius Caesar made it a Roman municipium named Felicitas Julia. In 1147 Afonso Henriques conquered the city, and in 1255 it replaced Coimbra as the capital of Portugal. It has been the heart of the country ever since. Let's begin by the river, where the explorers set sail.
Belém Tower
Photo: Alvesgaspar · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia CommonsOn the edge of the Tagus stands Belém Tower, a 16th-century fortress that was the ceremonial gateway to Lisbon and a point of departure for Portuguese explorers. Built of local limestone, it is a fine example of the decorative Manueline style, and its little turrets are inspired by Moorish minarets. It has long been said that the tower once stood in the middle of the river and that the 1755 earthquake moved the water. In fact, that is a myth: it was built on a small island near the shore. Today it is a symbol of the Age of Discoveries.
Jerónimos Monastery
Photo: Holger Uwe Schmitt · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia CommonsJust inland from the river rises the Jerónimos Monastery, one of the finest examples of the Manueline style in Lisbon. It was built in the early 1500s near the spot where Vasco da Gama set out on his first voyage, and it was paid for with a tax on the profits of the yearly fleets to India. Step into the church to find the carved tomb of da Gama himself, moved here in 1880 together with the remains of the poet Luís de Camões, who celebrated that voyage in his epic poem. The monastery has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1983.
São Jorge Castle
Photo: CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia CommonsClimb the hill to São Jorge Castle, Saint George's Castle, high above the old city. People have lived on this hilltop since at least the 8th century BC, and its oldest fortifications date from the 2nd century BC. Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Romans and Moors all held it in turn, until the Portuguese captured it in the Siege of Lisbon in 1147. Since then the castle has been a royal palace, a military barracks and the home of the national archive. Walk the walls and look out over the rooftops to the river below.
Praça do Comércio
Step out onto Praça do Comércio, Commerce Square, a vast plaza opening onto the Tagus, 175 metres on each side. Locals still call it Terreiro do Paço, the Palace Yard, because the royal Ribeira Palace stood here until the great earthquake of 1755 destroyed it. After the disaster, the square was completely rebuilt as part of the new downtown ordered by the Marquis of Pombal. Government ministries moved into the buildings around it, so the square's name became shorthand for the Portuguese government itself.
Alfama
Photo: Arne Müseler · CC BY-SA 3.0 de · Wikimedia CommonsLose yourself in the Alfama, the oldest neighbourhood in Lisbon, tumbling down the slope between São Jorge Castle and the Tagus. Its name comes from the Arabic al-hamma, meaning hot springs, from the same root as the word hammam. During the time of Moorish rule, the Alfama was the whole of the city, which only later spread west. Today its narrow streets are full of historic sights, and in the evening, listen for the music drifting out of its many fado bars and restaurants.
Santa Justa Lift
Photo: Dicklyon · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia CommonsHere is the Santa Justa Lift, a lift that carries people from the low streets of the Baixa up to Carmo Square on the hill above. Lisbon has several famous lifts, but there is a surprise: most of them, like the Glória and the Bica, are actually funicular railways climbing the slopes. Santa Justa is the only traditional vertical lift that remains, since another built around the same time has been demolished. That is why it has become such a favourite attraction.
Lisbon Cathedral
Photo: Diego Delso · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia CommonsBefore you stands Lisbon Cathedral, simply called the Sé by locals, the oldest church in the city. It was built in 1147, the year King Afonso Henriques, helped by crusaders from northern Europe, took the city from the Moors, and an English crusader, Gilbert of Hastings, became its bishop. Over the centuries the cathedral has survived many earthquakes and has been altered and restored several times, which is why you can see a mix of architectural styles in its walls.
Pena Palace
Photo: Singa Hitam · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia CommonsHigh on a hilltop in the Sintra Mountains stands Pena Palace, so prominent that on a clear day it can be seen from Lisbon. It is one of the great expressions of 19th-century Romanticism in the world. Its story began in the Middle Ages with a chapel to Our Lady of Pena, built, according to tradition, after an apparition of the Virgin Mary. In 1493 King John the Second came here on pilgrimage, and his successor Manuel the First founded a monastery on the site. The palace is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
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