Between the Tagus and the hills: 13 places to feel Lisbon

Lisbon: tradition, history and modernity in 13 must-see places

Lisbon is a city that is discovered in layers. Founded more than two thousand years ago, it was inhabited by Phoenicians, Romans and Moors, until it was reconquered in 1147 by D. Afonso Henriques. Since then, it has become the scene of great moments in Portugal's history, such as the Maritime Discoveries, which transformed it into a global capital.

🌆 The places that tell the story of the city

• Alfama, Mouraria and Bairro Alto Neighborhoods that keep the memory of medieval and popular Lisbon. Alfama survived the earthquake of 1755 and continues to be the birthplace of fado.

• São Jorge Castle A fortress that witnessed the Christian reconquest and served as a royal residence until the sixteenth century.

• Jerónimos Monastery Built in the sixteenth century to celebrate the epic of the Discoveries. It is one of the greatest symbols of power and faith in the Manueline era.

• Belém Tower Built in 1514 as a defense of the Tagus bar, it became an icon of sea travel and Portuguese expansion.

• Monument to the Discoveries Modern monument (1960) that honors navigators and recalls Lisbon's role as a port of the world.

• Commerce Square (Terreiro do Paço) Rebuilt after the earthquake of 1755, it is the heart of Pombaline Lisbon and a symbol of the Enlightenment city.

• Santa Justa Elevator Inaugurated in 1902, it is an example of iron engineering and the modernization of nineteenth-century Lisbon.

• Lisbon Cathedral (Cathedral) Founded in 1147, after the reconquest, it mixes Romanesque and Gothic styles. It is the oldest church in the city.

• National Tile Museum Housed in the former convent of Madre de Deus, it shows how the tile has become an art of Portuguese identity since the sixteenth century.

• Lisbon Oceanarium Built for Expo 98, it represents contemporary and forward-looking Lisbon.

• Park of Nations An old industrial area transformed into a modern space, it is a symbol of the urban regeneration of the city.

• LX Factory An old textile factory from the nineteenth century, today converted into a creative and cultural hub.

• Pastéis de Belém Created in the nineteenth century by monks from the Jerónimos Monastery, they have become the most famous sweet in Lisbon.

📌 Conclusion

Lisbon is a city that lives between the past and the present. From Manueline palaces to reinvented factories, from medieval quarters to modern areas, each place tells a part of Portugal's history. It is this mix of tradition and innovation that makes Lisbon a unique destination in Europe