Lisbon, Portugal
Lisbon
The Portuguese capital of Lisbon is a major European city which is charming and intriguing thanks to its long history, picturesque location – built on seven hills and on the coast of the ocean, and of course the architecture and all-around culture.
All of the things mentioned above, create a specific atmosphere in which this sun-kissed city lives and thrives in something akin to a Latin fairytale populated with old buildings and even older traditions.
Having been build on seven hills, one can assume that the streets are rather sloped, so much so that a decent amount of them won’t be accessible with motorized vehicles, however the century-old wooden trams and iron funiculars are still in use, lurching and rumbling their way, through, around and up the steep cobble-stoned hills.
Lisbon is a European capital that maintains very strong links to its history, and the varied heritage of the city can be seen all throughout, especially in its unique neighborhoods with their particularities. For instance the Baixa districts, this is where you’ll find herbalists, haberdashers and tailors – yes haberdashers still exist – one next to each other alongside baroque streets.
The Alfama neighborhood is a decidedly Moorish influenced area of town, a place where sunset-amber walls and narrow lanes surround an Arabic-style medieval castle which overlooks the terracotta rooftops of the city which it protected in a by-gone time.
Lisbon has solid reasons to be proud of its heritage, one of the brightest moments in its history being the period in which it was the focal point for many important geographical discoveries, a period known as the “Age of Discoveries”. The city celebrates this era with a wonderful monument and a lavish monastery at the imperial Belem waterfront.
Those who consider themselves to be wild urbanites will absolutely love Lisbon, because the city transforms once the sun sets, and the nocturnal activities offered by the city range from the smooth and quiet to the loud and excessive. Usually a night out will start on the cobbled lanes of boho Bairro Alto, where bars are aplenty, and will continue on the sundecks of the many river-facing warehouse clubs, where European music trends hold sway.
And of course, these are just a few broad strokes with which to paint this wonderful city, we haven’t even mentioned the weather, the food, the people or the beaches, rest assured that your time there will not be a boring one.
