Portugal’s prime offer for any traveler is its capital city – Lisbon. Lisbon is filled with a wide variety of surprises for its guests – classical arts, modern structures, museums, and nature spots. Apart from the splendid physical landscape, what brings delight to guests who explore the city is the cultural diversity of the place.
With the rich blend of culture that abounds the place, a traveler won’t find it hard to find a specific restaurant or café that offers what fits his taste. Because the place offers a lot of grand activities to enjoy – from educational ventures, shopping activities, leisure endeavors, and more, anyone will surely find Lisbon a place of relaxation and enjoyment.
Traveling around Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital of Portugal and it is also regarded as an important tourist hub. As such, the city government has made it a point to make sure that locals and guests can easily get from one place to another.
If you want to explore Lisbon at close, you can opt to travel on foot. However, make sure that you have your tour guide with you especially if it is your first time to travel on the place. If ever your legs start aching and you think that’s it about time to get a ride, you can take a taxi. Lisbon abounds with cabs that charge reasonable fare prices. Aside from cabs, cheaper options would be the mass public transports. You can take a bus or a tram. The city also has subway lines and funiculars. Since the city is quite compact, getting lost would not be much of a problem.
Gradual Changes
Although the city of Lisbon has long been a spot of continuous industrialization and development, it should be noted that the recent renovations and changes on its physical landscape seem to be the most notable in the city’s entire history.
Since Lisbon has been chosen as the host city for the 1998 Expo, the capital of Portugal has been subjected to a dramatic attempt to improve its structural façade. Aside from preserving the old architectural structures abounding the place since the eighteenth century, other modern architectures have been built as well.
Among the most recent structural achievement of the place is the restoration of Lisbon’s Old Town referred to as “Alfama.” The suspension bride of Lisbon and mosaic sidewalks have been repaved and refurbished as well. Metro lines have also been improved and extended.
Nature and Arts Exploration
If you want to explore Portuguese culture and arts, then you should take a tour at Lisbon’s set of wonderful museums for both classical and modern arts. For those who are a fan of modern paintings, sculptures and the like, the National Museum of Contemporary Art and the National Coach Museum are must-visits. If you like ancient arts, then you must pass by the Calouste Gulbenkian Museum and the Carmo Archaeological Museum.
Apart from museums, a good place to bond with Mother Nature would be the seven hills of Lisbon – Penha de França, Senhora do Monte, Graça, São Jorge, São Pedro Alcantara, Santa Catarina, and Estrela. Among these hills, the most popular of which is the São Jorge. What makes this landmark a top spot is the Castelo de São Jorge that’s nestled atop it. Although taking a hike may be tough for the tourist, any view from atop a hill is quite rewarding as you will be able to rediscover the city in a new angle as well as the Tagus River.
