World City Guide

Sightseeing

Sightseeing Overview
Getting around Lisbon is all part of the fun, with a city centre that is easily navigable on foot for reasonably fit visitors. When the gradients become too much, the rapidly improving metro system is on hand and there is also the bus network, as well as the enjoyable array of clanking trams, bobbing ferries, crawling funiculars and lofty elevadors.

The elevadors and funiculars are a good place for visitors to start exploring the city, as they offer expansive views. Alternatively, So Jorge Castelo also commands impressive vistas, with the rambling Alfama old town rumbling away below the ramparts and the grid-like order of the Baixa visible just to the west. The Baixa is the business and shopping centre of the city, boasting its grandest square, Praa do Comercio, which lies right on the banks of the River Tagus. Baixa borders the Biarro Alto, a hilly coil of narrow streets that buzzes with shoppers by day and partygoers at night. Heading further west, the once neglected docklands have been revamped over the last decade, with new shops, bars and restaurants spicing up the old warehouses. Even further west, towards the Atlantic, is the suburb of Belm, on the city’s western extremities, which is the heart of the old Portuguese Empire, with a string of attractions that include the Torre de Belm, Mosteiro dos Jernimos and the Centro Cultural de Belm.

Expo 98 left the impressive legacy of the Parque das Naes, to the east of the city centre, which is at the opposite end of the time scale from Belm – an ultra modern playground that is home to Europe’s second largest Oceanarium, a huge shopping centre, river walkways and concert venues.

Meanwhile, outside the city boundaries, the twin resorts of Estoril and Cascais offer a beach escape in the summer months, while the mountain retreat of Sintra is a perennially popular day trip and place to cool off when the mercury gets up in the city.

Tourist Information
Associao Turismo de Lisboa
Lisboa Welcome Centre, Praa do Comrcio
Tel: (21) 031 2810 or 031 2815
E-mail: alt@alt-turismolisboa.pt
Website: www.atl-turismolisboa.pt
Opening hours: Daily 0900-2000.

The main tourist office dispenses information on its ground level and sells souvenirs on the second floor. Other offices are located at Praa dos Restauradores, Mercado da Ribeira, Rua Augugsta, Belm, Santa Apolnia station and the airport. There are also information kiosks near main tourist sites.

Passes
The Lisboa Card offers unlimited travel and free or discounted entry to more than 50 museums and attractions, as well as a guide to Lisbon. There are 24-hour (13.25 adult/5.90 child), 48-hour (22.50 adult/9.10 child), and 72-hour (27.50 adult/11.90 child) cards available for purchase at Associao Turismo de Lisboa offices.