Lisbon (5th november 2016), i.e. the westernmost capital of Europe. It’s not a coincidence if Lisbon is also known as the city of sailors, being the native land of explorers like Vasco da Gama and Ferdinand Magellan that from here, from this western offshoot of Europe, sailed with their own ships to the Americas or the Indies, looking for places or unknown paths.
And Lisbon still maintains its seafaring tradition, a city that lives in symbiosis with its prospicente Ocean facing it, albeit indirectly, by the Tagus estuary, a very wide river, and that is experienced by the people really like it the Ocean.
Lisbon is a city that does not leave indifferent the visitors, where the history and culture intersect freely with a daily life that flows slowly along the narrow streets of Alfama or Baixa, popular neighborhoods made of steep roads along which the traditional historic trams (especially those of the line 28, a real tourist attraction!) climb up to show visitors the most hidden and characteristic of the city.
Lisbon is also the city of Fado, a marked music of nostalgia and melancholy tone that seems to resonate everywhere in the city and represents the spirit of the Portuguese people, always accustomed to emigration sadness and poverty of the popular districts.
The visiti of Lisbon can start from the Belem Tower, a fortified tower guarding the city, once located between the waters of the Tagus but which is now practically on the mainland due to the silting of the river bed. It’s a very nice building, emblem of Lisbon but which pales in comparison to the grandeur of the nearby Jeronimos Monastery, an imposing monastery with a beautiful cloister and a beautiful church where they meet architectural styles as diverse.
Returning to the city (the two monuments, in fact, are about 7 km from the city center but easily reachable by tram 15E) you can visit the Sé Cathedral with the nearby Church of St. Anthony, located right on the spot where there was a birthplace of the Saint (born, as we know, in Lisbon).
From the Cathedral, then, you can reach in a few minutes by bus (line 737) the Sao Jorge Castle from where you can see nice views of the city with an almost 360-degree view. Tour can then continue along the most crowded streets such as Rua Augusta, linking the central Rossio with Praca do Comercio, a square plaza that lies just behind the waters of the Tagus. And you can walk just a few steps to touch the waters of the river, having the background the bridge on April 25, technological pride of the Portuguese.
BEFORE LEAVING
An interesting turistic website
ARRIVAL
Lisbon Airport is just over 7 km from the center that can be reached in three different ways, all fast and cheap.
The most convenient and economical is the shuttle bus (Line 1), which leads with 3.50 euro in just over an hour, in the city center.
The city center is well connected by metro. The red line leads in 9 stops at the Alameda metro station. From here, the green line leading into the city center (Rossio is the 5th stop). Warning! The airport has two terminals, T1 and T2. Metro joins only the T1 and T2 is connected through a dedicated shuttle (but free). Therefore, be careful in the return path as the metro leading to T1. If your flight leaves from T2 you will therefore need to take a later shuttle (from T1 to T2).
You can also consider the taxi leading into the center with just over 15 Euros.
NOT TO BE MISSED
WHERE TO EAT
You cannot say to have been in Lisbon if you have not tasted the typical national dish, the codfish, that in Lisbon is prepared in many ways. Each local is obviously good. I tried the “D. Alfonso or Gordo“, 100 meters from the Sé Cathedral, a place where in the evening hours playing the Fado, the traditional Portuguese music (Click here for my review on tripdvisor). Out of the restaurant, try one of the many sweet, delicious, colorful, gracing the windows of bakeries and trying relentlessly anyone who approaches.
Il blog dei miei viaggi 