Tourist information - Lisbon
On the right bank of the broad Tagus river estuary, the capital of Portugal graciously reclines over rolling hills. This is a remarkable geographical location as well as does much to explain the cosmopolitan history of the city. Its excellent natural light, which has long inspired writers, photographs and also filmmakers, the brightly coloured structures straddling the slopes, the striking ochre of the roofs, the tiling on so many facades and also the narrow twisting alleys of the medieval districts bestow Lisbon with the peculiar atmosphere of a city perched somewhere among the European north and also the Mediterranean south. Through millennia, the wonderful natural harbour of the Tagus was used by traders as well as seafarers. Lisbon´s long history begins under the Phoenicians as Alis-Ubbo, before becoming the Roman settlement of Felicita Julia Olisipo at the second century. With the arrival of the Moors from the 8th century, it was renamed Aschbouna. The city fell to the Portuguese in 1147, when conquered by the first king of Portugal, Afonso Henriques. It became the national capital in 1255. Wandering its distinctive neighbourhoods, taking the tram through historical neighbourhoods, riding the century-old lifts up and down the steep slopes, having a boat ride on the Tagus, or even jumping over the metro, itself a veritable underground museum of contemporary Portuguese art, there are so a number of ways to discover the great diversity and cultural depth that Lisbon has to offer. Towards the west, close to the mouth of the Tagus, visit Belém having its gardens and also monuments to the Lisbon of the Voyages of Discovery now proclaimed UNESCO World Heritage. Much was renewed right after the 1755 earthquake. A regular, symmetrical plan was developed for the "Baixa (Downtown)" opening it up to both the light and the river. There, you will come across the traditional commerce featured in our suggestions in ´The Heart of Lisbon´. Additionally, there is the seductive appeal of the Chiado; a neighbourhood evoking the bourgeois tastes of 19th century Lisbon. Into the east, the Parque das Nações (Park of Nations) concentrates a massive number of leisure facilities boasting the largest Oceanarium in all Europe. By night, the traditional neighbourhoods fall under the spell of Fado, the melancholic style of Portuguese folk music, while a younger crowd flocks to lively, stylish bars of the Docas, down by the river, or the Bairro Alto, adjoining the Chiado. To ensure your visit a lot more pleasant, the Lisbon Tourism Office launched the ´Lisboa Card´ providing a wide range of benefits and advantages. Ljao/jan/1v21