Archive for the 'Architecture' Category

Aura Restaurant, terrace & lounge café Praça do Comércio Lisbon: Portuguese gastronomy surrounded by stunning architecture facing the Tagus river

Lisbon was already well known for its good food and beautiful terraces. But it’s all become much better since February this year: Pátio da Galé, facing the Tagus river and surrounded by the most stunning architecture, is a new and magical meeting place for both its population and visitors. Famous Praça do Comércio  , one of the most majestic squares [...]

Former Palace Santa Catarina Lisbon: history, art gallery, international ‘Pop Up’ festival & popular viewpoint Adamastor near the Tagus River

Right next to one of the most popular viewpoints (miradouros) on the river Tagus (Tejo) in Lisbon Adamastor,  you’ll find Palácio Verride, a former 18th- century Palace, better known as Palácio de Santa Catarina. ‘Pop Up’ 2010 Art Gallery Santa Catarina Palace: Artwork Tiago Chagas Nowadays the municipality of Lisbon is the owner of the former Palace, and excellent art [...]

Remarkable Cemetery of ‘Pleasures’ (Cemitério dos Prazeres) Lisbon & Amália Rodrigues

This remarkable cemetery is really an interesting place to visit. Famous Portuguese personalities are buried here, mainly actors, singers, writers, painters and television presenters. The mortal remains of  Amália Rodrigues, the famous fado artist,  were transferred to the National Pantheon  in Lisbon (under enormous pressure from her admirers and a change in the law requiring a [...]

MUDE museum in Lisbon: an ode to art, design & fashion, full of extraordinary pieces

MUDE Museum is really worth a visit! Opened in May 2009 in Baixa, it has already received more than 75,000 visitors. The fashion collection contains work by famous designers like Balenciaga, Pierre Balmain and Paco Rabanne. The Collection results of the Francisco Capelo’s work and dedication, started in the 1990s, with more than 1,200 design [...]

Portuguese gastronomy: Restaurant ‘Chaminés do Palácio’, great Portuguese lunch & the Independence Palace Lisbon

There are a lot of high quality restaurants crowding the downtown streets of Lisbon, but if you like to enjoy a great Portuguese lunch located in the heart of Lisbon in a pleasant and historic environment, I can recommend ‘Chaminés do Palácio’ (‘the chimneys of the Palace’). The restaurant’s entrance and the beautiful patio of the Palácio [...]

Visit the ‘Palace of Independence’ Rossio Lisbon & the conspiracy against the Spanish occupation in 1640

The beautiful Palácio da Independência (Palace of Independence), located in Lisbon close to the Rossio Square (just near national theatre D. Maria II ), on the north side of the Largo de São Domingos , is known by two names. It was given its original name of Palácio de Almada in honor of its former owner, the [...]

The strange history of National Theater Doña Maria II Lisbon & backstage guided tours

Teatro Nacional Doña Maria II has a strange history, like a lot of historical buildings in Lisbon. It was built on the ruins of one of the city’s finest buildings, the Palácio dos Estaus, which had burned down and which had housed the court of the Holy Inquisition. The liberal revolution and the end of [...]

Saldaña, Estefania, Arroios: wonderful areas to discover in Lisbon & famous Pastelaria Versailles

If you like to walk around outside of tourist areas go to Saldaña , the fashionable Avenidas Novas (a part of Lisbon built in the 1950s), with department stores, cinemas, museums, supermarkets and libraries. Avenida da República near Saldaña square. A must-do is to have breakfast or lunch in the wonderful old tea- and lunchroom Pastelaria Versailles (opened in 1922) which [...]

Rua dos Bacalhoeiros Lisbon: terraces, museum Casa dos Bicos, tourist shops, restaurants & famous Lisbon Cannery shop

Quite close to the historic Alfama neighborhood, a very nice street to walk around at Lisbon’ city center is Rua dos Bacalhoeiros (street of the cod fish sellers). The buildings that face the Tejo River look lovely, but if you take a closer look, they mostly are in a worse condition. Walking from Praça do Comércio in the direction to Alfama, you will get to [...]

Museum of Decorative Arts Lisbon, a former 17th century Palace near Portas do Sol viewpoint: fascinating collection & lovely azulejos (Portuguese tiles)

In this wonderful former Palace in Lisbon (Museu-Escola de Artes Decorativas), Museum and school, it’s forbidden to make pictures. After taking a few ones a guard warned me. Suddenly, walking from room to room, 4 guards kept an eye on me. Portugal’s most important furniture collection can be viewed here: valuable wooden Portuguese, French and English furniture dating from the 15th to [...]