Tourism in Lisbon

Discover the Portuguese capital and its surrounding History.

Lisbon © Carlos Gil

25th April Bridge © Antonio Sacchetti

Lisbon is the portuguese capital, it has less than 600 thousand inhabitants and it’s a nest of History and Culture celebrated by the interlacement of different people. Lisbon is capital of the district and a metropolitan area.

The relevant History of this city is determined by the constant presence and culture mutation. This city was dominated, during the neolithic by iberian communities which used its port to transport aliments to Cornwall and Sicilia. It was then inhabited by the Celtics, pre-roman communities, which called it Olissipo and the conquered by the romans, which left several remains throughout the city. Before being conquered by Portugal’s first king, D. Afonso Henriques, in 1147, Lisbon was enclosed by the muslims.

Belém Tower © Celestino Manuel

Tram (Eléctrico) © Ricardo Fdz.

Several historic happenings have been molding the city as it is nowadays, as the great earthquake which then allowed the construction of the pombaline downtown, the Discoveries period when the Jeronimos Monastery was built as well as the Belém Tower.

Nevertheless, not every monument has centuries of existence which proves the modernity of this city and its constant urge for change. The Discoveries Monument, with only 50 years and the recent borough of Parque das Nações, built after the Expo 98 are good examples.

This city has many accessible vias, both terrestrial, railways and underground, "the Metro de Lisboa". It even has two majestic bridges which connect Lisbon to the other side of the river. Through all these ways, 500 thousand cars and even more people come to Lisbon everyday.

One of the most famous cultural manifestations in Lisbon is the Fado, the typical kind of music from Lisbon which describes very well their lifestyle and attitude towards life. Alfama, a small borough in one of Lisbon’s hills is considered the birthplace of Fado, here some of the most important singers were born and grew.

Besides all this, Lisbon also have many entertainment venues, adapted for everyone no matter its taste or motivation for the trio. You might shop in some of the most important glamorous avenues, Avenida da Liberdade, on the designated Armazéns do Chiado or even in Bairro Alto, the alternative borough where, apart from shops, painting workshops you might also find numerous bars to which hundreds of people come everyday.

The weather in Lisbon is mild throughout the year. It might become slightly colder during the winter but it soon recover to its floral spring.

On this capital you might find the most important university centre in Portugal, known as University City which attracts thousands of students both national and international which seek this city every year for the excellency of its courses and for the quality of life.

Regarding other infraestructures, Lisbon is also provided with several Hospitals, an airport, known as Aeroporto da Portela, several fluvial ports with capacity to receive wide dimensioned cruises, typical electric trains which climb the most steep hills of the city, cicling ways, shopping centres (one of the biggest shopping centres in Europe, Dolce Vita Tejo, is only few minutes away from Lisbon), two football stadiums, theatres, as the National Theatre and several interesting museums as the Electricity Museum, Knowledge Pavillion, Lisbon Oceanarium and the Navy Museum.

We should also highlight the Lisbon Zoo which houses more than 2000 animals from more than 322 different species. A space for species’ conservation which tries to encounter the animal needs recreating the perfect habitat, just in the middle of the busy city centre.

If you’re coming to visit Lisbon we recommend you to acquire the Lisboa Card which will provide you free access to public transports (bus, lifts, trams, metro and even trains to Sintra and Cascais) as well as monuments and museums. This card might even give you other discounts up tp 50% in many touristic sites.

If you’re planning your trip to Lisbon, wonder on the following pages and get to know the most important details about this beautiful unique city. You might even consult our hotel section where you might book online your stay with all the commodity and safety.

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Other worth-visiting nearby towns and cities:

Why "Portugal Travel"?

Portugal Travel is an organization of Portuguese agencies whose objectives are:

✓ To make Portugal, its culture and its heritage known.
✓ To promote sustainable tourism.

In collaboration with:

Escola Superior de Hotelaria e Turismo do Estoril

Turismo de Portugal

Tourism in Lisbon

Discover the Portuguese capital and its surrounding History.

Recommended Excursions:

Lisbon

What to see:

What to do:

Other worth-visiting nearby towns and cities:

Why "Portugal Travel"?

In collaboration with: