It is difficult not to be fascinated by Lisbon charm! Look around! The showy trade zones are found side by side with the cozy streets, magnificent castles, and multicolored small houses, decorated with the bright abaciscus. Anyway, a mass of pleasant surprises and pleasures are waiting for you at every step. Here are few recommendations about what to do and what to see in Lisbon, saving your money at that. Away we go!
Travel around the yellow tram
The yellow tram is as legendary Lisbon symbol as the red call-box is considered to be a symbol of London. The most interesting route is № 28. It goes through the ancient part of the city: from Campo Ourique to Martim Moniz city square. At times, the tram goes through the narrow streets: you can touch the stony houses, putting out your hand through the small tram window.
The rout is full of the city sights: Lisbon Cathedral, Conceicao Velha Church, Thorny House, St. George Castle, exciting viewing points. Try to plan your trip in the evening, or early morning: there are many tourists and locals here in the day time. The ticket costs about 2, 85 EUR.
Advice: be careful and try not to leave your personal things unattended. There is always a chance to meet pocket lifters in the city transport.
Watch Lisbon from a birds’ eye view
St. George Castle (Castelo de S. Jorge) is seen from the every point of Lisbon. It was time, when this castle was the property of Romans, Visigoths, Moors and Portuguese monarchs. This castle is a museum now: the gardens are full of peacocks as far as viewing posts are full of tourists, admiring by Lisbon panoramic views.
You can get here by tram № 28. Do not miss the beautiful souvenir shop with the Portuguese dishware, hand-made toys and magnets. The working hours are November-February from 9 a.m. till 6 p.m. In the period from March till October the museum works from 9 a.m. till 9 p.m.
Win the tops
Meet Lisbon lifts; they are three, being the special kind of the city transport, situated over the hills. Sure enough, these are the same yellow trams, going up the city. The lifts Gloria and Lavra start their routs just from the Restauradores Square. The first of them goes up to the viewing point Sao Pedro de Alcantara. The second lift goes to the colorful and picturesque Torel Garden. The third lift, which is celled Bica, connects Cais do Sodre train station with the popular city district Bairro Alto.
45-meters high irony tower stands in the very heart of Lisbon – this is the next city lift Santa Justa. It goes to the viewing point in Chiado district and Carmo Church Ruins.
Listen to fado
Fado is not just music, but the cultural property of people. You do not need to learn Portuguese to feel the deepness of fado melodies. You can hear fado everywhere: from the opened windows, music shops, in the excursion buses. You can also come to the special Museum to listen to fado alive. Oh, do not miss the number of restaurants in the districts of Bairro Alto, Alfama and Madragoa. The concerts usually start at 9-10 p.m. The entrance is usually free -just as the food and drinks cost much more expensive.
Advice: Portuguese restaurants are full of starters. Even, if you did not order all those tasty treats, you can try any of them. Just remember that all these food will be included in your calculation. This not a way to trick out your money – it is just a local tradition.
Admire of azulejos
Painted enameled stoneware that makes Lisbon so charming and interesting is called azulejos. It is not only aesthetically pleasant, but practically functioned: azulejos protects buildings’ fronts from being wet. You have a chance to see the ancient tile panel picture of Lisbon in the St. Roque Church. Actually, there is no need to go somewhere to find azulejos compositions. Just look around! This is the most popular decorating material in the Portugal – the visiting card of the country.
Sleep with sharks
Lisbon Oceanarium is the biggest aquarium in Europe. First of all, it is worth seeing because of 16 000 of water inhabitants. Besides fish and sharks that you can face through the aquarium window, you meet penguins, sea lions, turtles, otters, and exotic birds. Walking the long glassy tunnel, you get into the underwater world. There are many interesting excursion programs here. One of them is staying overnight with sharks!
Eat the cake
Belem is the most famous historical district of Lisbon. A lot of prominent people, Vasco da Gama, Fernan Magellan, started their expeditions from right there. Nevertheless, Belem is also famous of its art of cooking. Not to miss a legendary cafe Pasteis de Belem. The sweets of this cafe become more and more popular every year. Actually, these tasty pastry cups with the cream anglaise and cinnamon attract people from all over the world. The set of warm cakes costs about 5 EUR. The price cannot stop you from enjoying this tasty masterpiece.
That was the small part of the city interesting places. The rest of them you can meet during your city trip. Lisbon is a city of buses. The famous bus network Hop On Hop Off is also popular here. However, the tickets are not cheap, making this way of travelling not very popular for tourists.
If you prefer travelling by public transport, it is better to buy Lisbon Card. This is your chance to use all kinds of city transport, as you wish. This is also a nice opportunity to get a free entrance into the popular city museums. Try to save more than 50-100 EUR for a couple of days! Anyway, the choice of the most of tourists is hiring a car. Rental car services enjoy their popularity. Driving car, you have a nice opportunity to learn the city in the confortable climate, thinking of nothing, but the beauty of Lisbon.
Author Bio
Lily Berns is a writer and she likes to explore new tourist destinations and their hidden spots.