LISBON, Portugal — Portugal’s capital is a city of neighborhoods.
There’s Baixa, the heart of the city, with its shops, banks and cafes.
Bairro Alto, a working-class district, perks up at night, thanks to its restaurants, bars and clubs.
Sophisticated Chiado offers theaters, bookshops and designer stores.
And the Alfama overlooks all of them, topped by the commanding Castelo de São Jorge, built by the Moors in the 11th century.
But for me, the character and spirit of this city of 565,000 is best seen in its public squares — open spaces big and small, decorated with historic monuments and modern art, where tourists mingle with locals rushing for the Metro, browsing adjacent shops and lingering at sidewalk cafes.
Savoring a pastel de nata, or custard pastry, best served warm and sprinkled with confectioners’ sugar or cinnamon, I watch life in Rossio, Lisbon’s main square.
People sit and read newspapers by the fountain while parents and grandparents lead children over wavy, black-and-white cobblestones representing the sea. Busloads of Spaniards settle around the column topped by the statue of Dom Pedro IV, singing, cheering and gearing up for a pivotal soccer match. Vendors roast chestnuts, laminate anything you want and sell lottery tickets.
“Squares are traditional meeting places,” says Claudia Costa, 31, a tour guide who was born and raised in the narrow streets of the Alfama. “People congregated there during earthquakes. There’s nothing tall to topple on them.”
There are so many squares that Costa can’t even guess the number. This city, which was rocked by an earthquake in the 14th century and shaken by a 6.0 “big tremor” last year, is defined by the Great Earthquake of 1755.
On Nov. 1, All Saints Day, with most of the 270,000 residents in churches for Sunday Mass, three tremors leveled cathedrals and palaces, businesses and homes. The quake and resulting tsunami and fires killed 90,000 people and devastated the city.
That’s why the buildings of Lisbon, which was occupied by the Romans in 205 B.C. and occupied by the Moors in A.D. 714, are closer in age to those of our country than to those of the city’s European counterparts. A few historic landmarks remain, but most have been rebuilt.
Somehow, the outlying neighborhood of Belem, anchored on the Tagus River, suffered the least damage, so that’s where we head first, to see original 16th-century monuments to Portugal’s great explorers.
BELEM
Catching the 15E tram at Figueira Square, my wife, Valerie, teenage daughter, Rebecca, and I ride 3 miles along the river, past two cruise terminals, getting off in front of the National Coach Museum.
The former riding school, part of Belem Palace, houses one of the largest and most valuable collections of royal coaches in the world, and is one of the city’s most popular attractions. Most of the gilded coaches are from the 17th to the 19th century, but a simple wooden coach used by Phillip II, former king of Spain and Portugal, dates to about 1600.
The main hall, with its paintings, murals and 18th-century architecture, is equally impressive — it could just as easily have hosted a royal banquet as the royal horses.
We also can’t pass up the Casa Pasteis de Belem, birthplace of the custard pastry in 1837 and guardian of its secret recipe. There are tour buses out front and a takeout line out the door. A series of dining rooms are adorned with original tiles.
“There are 600 seats, and they’re filled by locals on Sunday, when they sell 50,000 custards,” Costa later tells us. “They sell 10,000 on weekdays.”
Nourished, we cross the street to the dramatic, block-long, white limestone Jeronimos Monastery, a UNESCO World Heritage site. King Manuel I ordered it built in 1502 to commemorate Vasco da Gama’s voyage to India.
Both the church, built on the site of a sailors’ chapel founded by Prince Henry the Navigator, and the Cloister are examples of Portugal’s unique Manueline style — a combination of Gothic, Renaissance and Moorish architecture, embellished by nautical elements such as ropes, shells, anchors and nets.
Following directions in Rick Steves’ Portugal guidebook, we spot sculptures of historic figures, whimsical gargoyles (monkey, cricket and kitten), and da Gama’s tomb. King Manuel’s personal symbol, the armillary sphere — a globe surrounded by movable rings for navigation — pops up everywhere.
We have the expansive complex almost to ourselves on this temperate, midweek afternoon in March, weeks before peak season starts.
Across the busy boulevard — we eventually find the pedestrian tunnel under it — the Monument to the Discoveries and Belem Tower provide bird’s-eye views of the river the explorers sailed on. The tower, also a World Heritage monument, stands at the mouth of the harbor — the sailors’ last vision of home as they headed off to sea and the first on their return.
Our hotel, the Executive Suites VIP Eden, is perfectly located for exploring the city. The 1930s art deco building, originally a theater, stands majestically across from Restauradores Square in Baixa. Within a few steps are a Metro station, the Rossio train station with its horseshoe- shaped archways and Hotel Avenida, Lisbon’s first five-star hotel, which opened in 1892.
I think the square is named for the neighboring restaurant district, but Costa explains that its obelisk honors the restauradores, or restorers of Portugal’s independence from Spain in 1640.
Stretching north from the square is the Avenida da Liberdade, or Liberty Street, “the Champs Elysees of Portugal,” Costa says, lined with fancy shops and businesses — no residences.
Following Costa, we head off on a four-hour tour of Lisbon’s three main neighborhoods.
BAIRRO ALTO
After buying Metro passes, we board the Elevador da Gloria, one of three funiculars in the City of Seven Hills. “There are really more than seven hills,” Costa says on our 30-second ride up to Bairro Alto. “Rome has seven hills, so we have to have seven hills.”
At the top, gardens provide a panoramic view of the city. Nobles lived in this neighborhood until the earthquake of 1755, when they moved to Belem and the nearby city of Sintra, Costa says.
We bypass the Port Wine Institute — it’s too early to sample some of the 300-plus ports — for São Roque Church, built by the Jesuits in the 1500s and named for the patron saint of plague victims. Its facade is plain, but inside, eight side chapels — each for a different noble family — dazzle with gold figures that actually are gilded chestnut carvings and marble inlaid with artwork resembling tiles.
São Roque is the only church in Lisbon with original tiles, Costa says. It was restored in baroque style in the early 1800s. In 1836, they stopped burying parishioners beneath the center floorboards and started removing the remains, hoping to stem the spread of the plague.
The most lavish chapel, named for St. John the Baptist, was built in Rome in the 1740s as a gift from Portugal’s king to the pope. Precious gems and materials such as agate, jade, alabaster, ivory, gold, silver and bronze were used to display the riches of Portugal’s colonies in Asia, Africa and South America. But the pope rejected the gift, so the chapel was disassembled, crated and shipped here, Costa says. The “paintings” of John the Baptist and others are actually mosaic tiles, used because of the danger of fire.
We walk single file along sidewalks barely wider than curbs to Trinity Convent, originally a monastery dating to 1294, which was destroyed several times by fires and earthquake. Original 19th-century tiles in what once was the monks’ dining hall — now a beer hall — depict the elements — earth, wind, fire and water — and the four seasons.
To the rear, in a nonsmoking room, a mural shows monks enjoying the beer they made. These days, students start their night here with beer and a Portuguese beef stick for about $14, then head to the disco and bars, Costa says.
It’s too early for beer, too, so we move on to Carmo Square and the National Guard headquarters, where dictator Antonio de Oliveira Salazar’s successor was overthrown in 1974. The relatively bloodless coup is known as the Carnation Revolution, for the flowers that the people put in soldiers’ rifles. Costa’s mother and father, a soldier who had served in the colony of Mozambique, were here that April day, she says.
The shady square is named for neighboring Carmo Convent and Church, the city’s most vivid reminder of the 1755 earthquake. Built for the Carmelite Order in 1389, only the towering Gothic walls and arches remain, with a museum inside.
While we wait for the Santa Justa Lift for the ride down to the center of town, we take in the view of Rossio Square, the castle and the river. Workers are readying Comercio Square, with the landmark Triumph Arch, for Pope Benedict XVI’s visit.
Unfortunately, the cafe atop the elevator’s 147-foot iron tower, built in 1902 by a student of Gustav Eiffel, is closed. The wood-paneled compartment, with Gothic-style windows matching those in the convent, is limited to 20 passengers and requires a ticket. We make it down in 25 seconds flat.
BAIXA-CHIADO
Passing up port and beer was easy; the pastry shop, impossible.
Standing along the glass cases inside Cafe A Brasileira with the locals for a late breakfast, we sample light, phyllo-like pastries filled with eggs and ham or topped with apple or pineapple. Outside the 105-year-old cafe sits a statue of Fernando Pessoa, one of Portugal’s greatest poets, who hung out here with his literary friends in the 1920s and ’30s.
This district between two hills was leveled by the earthquake, but was quickly rebuilt by the Marquis of Pombal, who laid out the streets in an easy-to-negotiate grid.
On many blocks, the 18th-century neoclassical buildings look cloned, Costa points out, because after the first house was built, workers would copy it. Sadly, the apartments in the four or so floors above the street-level businesses are mostly empty because the rents are too high, she says.
“The population is 2.5 million, but 2 million live outside the city,” Costa says. “It’s much cheaper — about half the price.”
THE ALFAMA
When we miss the quaint yellow tram to São Jorge Castle, Costa says we’re better off taking the bus.
“The tram is dangerous,” she explains. “Pickpockets.”
The castle tops Lisbon’s highest point, the “cradle of the city,” dating to Roman occupation, Costa says. The first fortification dates from the sixth century, when it was occupied by the Visigoths, followed by the Moors. Portugal’s first king, Afonso Henriques, captured it in 1147.
By the 20th century, the castle was in ruins when the dictator Salazar ordered the destruction of all forts. Ironically, he then saved the landmark by having it rebuilt with the original stones — which would have disappeared otherwise — though they are mixed randomly. Costa points out red bricks as remnants of the Moorish fort.
From gardens with cork and olive trees and colorful peacocks, we get the best views of Lisbon. Instead of climbing the towers, we walk along the ramparts, through a little district of shops and cafes, and then down the hill along narrow, winding streets.
As we descend countless steps, Costa explains that they were built to make it more difficult for the enemy to haul cannon and other equipment up the hill. And the labyrinth of streets was designed for foreigners to get lost.
Without Costa, the plan would have worked on us.
Back in Baixa, our half-day tour ends at a restaurant Costa recommends for dinner. Open only a month, Adego do Artur isn’t in any guidebooks.
Our guide joins us at a sidewalk table for drinks and a snack, continuing to give us tips for the rest of our five-day stay.
That night, the three of us return for traditional Portuguese food: Iberia pork, rice fish (a mild fish and shrimp in a tomato broth), and a skewer of veal and shrimp. Costa also recommended the cuttlefish (tastes like squid), but I save that for another night at another place.
A soccer game is on TV — the Madrid team, whose fans we saw in the Rossio, is playing Sporting Lisbon — and we finally get that it has nothing to do with next month’s World Cup tournament.
As the plates are cleared, the owner, Artur, introduces himself and shows us a glossy black-and- white photo of him playing soccer in Boston in June 1979. Back home a few months later, he suffered a stroke on the practice field and returned to Boston for treatment, he tells us.
Artur provides complimentary glasses of port, then moves on to the next table, showing the photo. We head off to stroll the streets, check e-mail at an Internet cafe, and enjoy the comfortable spring evening.
Drawn back to Cafe a Brasileira, we sit outside for dessert and coffee. Their pastel de nata rivals Belem’s custards.
We’ve been in the city less than 48 hours, and we’re feeling like Lisboetas.
Lisbon Insider’s Guide
Peak seasons are April to mid-June and late September through October. The heat drives Lisboetas out of town in July and August. During our mid-March visit, temperatures in the mid-60s were perfect for walking the streets and dining at sidewalk cafes.
GET THERE: Air Canada, British Airways, Continental, Delta, United, and US Airways fly to Lisbon (LIS) from Denver International Airport (DEN) with one stop. The lowest recent round-trip fare was about $1,345.
GET AROUND: Trolleys, funiculars, buses and the Metro (subway) make it easy and fun to explore the hilly city’s neighborhoods and suburbs — just take precautions to thwart pickpockets. The honor system is used, so be sure to have a ticket or risk an on-the-spot fine of about $160.
The Lisboa Card covers all public transportation and trains to the coastal towns of Sintra and Cascais, plus admission to many museums and discounts for others, city tours and the AeroBus airport bus. It’s a good deal when visiting many museums in one day: about $23 for one day; $39, two days; $49, three days. Available online or at Tourist Information booths at Restauradores and Comercio squares, the airport, Santa Apolonia train station and Belem. You can buy the card in advance — it’s not activated until you use it.
The AeroBus ticket for our ride from the airport to city center (about $5) also was good that day for trolleys, funiculars and buses, but not the Metro.
The one-day 7 Colinaspass covers the Metro, funiculars, trolleys and buses for about $5.40, including 75 cents for the card, which can be bought and reloaded at all Metro stations.
Information: carris.pt, metrolisboa.pt.
TOURS: You can get acquainted with the city by riding the three trolleys, taking self-guided walking tours (take the Rick Steves Portugal guidebook with you), or paying for Carris bus and tram tours. There’s also a Tejo River cruise.
We toured Belem on our own, but we hired Claudia Costa, who has worked with Steves, to show us the three main neighborhoods in four hours. She met us at our hotel, showed us the most important sites while steering clear of time-wasters, and shared stories not in guidebooks. She also stopped when we needed a break and continued giving us tips during a long post-tour drink — all for about $150 plus tip. E-mail: claudiacosta@hotmail.com.
STAY: Executive Suites VIP Eden, Restauradores Square, . Stylish, spacious (by European standards), centrally located and a real bargain, especially for families. We paid about $137 a night for an apartment with a bedroom, living room with pull-out couch, kitchen and bathroom. The rate was the same for one to four guests, and we got it for almost half price by booking online.
Residencial Florescente, Rua das Portas de Santo Antco, residencialflores . Our first choice, based on its website, TripAdvisor postings and guidebooks, the newly renovated, 68-room hotel was booked. It’s on the bustling “eating lane” a block from Restauradores Square.
DINE: Adega do Artur, Rua das Porpas de St. Antao, Baixa. This is a new restaurant owned by a former soccer star, featuring traditional Portuguese dishes, including fish, beef, pork and chicken. Sidewalk tables and a comfortable dining room — with a TV to watch soccer matches. Try the sangria.
Cafe A Brasiliera, Rua Garrett 100-122, Baixa. Serves sandwiches, but we never got past the pastries, eating at the glass display cases or relaxing at outdoor tables on the pedestrian-only street. The pasteis (custard pastries) here are as good as those at the renowned Casa Pasteis de Belem.
Sources: “Rick Steves’ Portugal,” “Fodor’s Portugal,” “Frommer’s Portugal,” “Frommer’s Lisbon day-by-day”)
Bill Reed: breed@phillynews.com
