Lisbon’s famous funiculars: Bica, Gloria, Lavra, spectacular viewpoints & ‘Art in movement’

The funiculars Bica, Gloria and Lavra in Lisbon taking you up to spectacular viewpoints (miradouros).

Bica funicular silver tourist information

The (normally yellow) and famous tourist attraction funicular in Bica  (YouTube)

Artist Alexandre Farto  covered the outside of the funicular with mirror-acrylic, called it ‘Espectro’  (Spectre) and pays tribute to the neighbourhood that is reflected in the lift during the journey, as if it were a film…. (From January – June 2010). Amazing!

Bica funicular silver March 2010 3 street

Bica funicular Lisbon

This project  ‘Art in movement’  (“Arte em Movimento”) is part of a Cultural Program for the promotion of Public Art, which CARRIS  (bus & tram services including timetables) intends to carry out in some vehicles of its public service fleet. In 2010, the chosen vehicles were one lift (the Santa Justa) and the 3 funiculars, all of them are national monuments since 2002.

Bica funicular March 2010 hanging laundry

Street view Bica funicular

Typical Portuguese:  hanging laundry, drying in the wind.

Bica funicular silver March 2010 2 street

View from Bica funicular

It climbs the Rua da Bica de Duarte Belo for 245 metres from the Rua Sao Paulo.

Bica funicular March 2010 restaurant cafe

Largo de Santo Antoninho, right next to Bica’s funicular downhill starting point.

Famous tea/lunchroom Versailles Lisbon & surrounding areas

If you like to walk around outside of tourist areas go to Saldanha , the fashionable Avenidas Novas (a part of Lisbon built in the 1950s), with department stores, cinemas, museums, supermarkets and libraries.

Lisbon Versailles tearoom restaurant outside Avenida Republica

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 has it’s own bakery.

Saldana Lisbon statue Square Praça do Duque de Saldana

Praça Duque de Saldaña. Monument of the great liberal Marshal who gives the square its name. Designed by Thomaz Costa and Ventura Terra, unveiled in 1909. The base of the monument contains a bronze figure of victory. At Saldaña Square there’s the highly frequented cinema Monumental where many young Portuguese meet in the bar of the cinema, ‘Movies’ .

Saldana Restaurant Galeto Lisbon december 08

Famous restaurant Galeto, a classic spot. Avenida Da República, 14. Open from 07.30 am – 03.30 (!). Delicious food and quite cheap (dinner and snacks). Galeto (movie) is well known in Lisbon for its friendly and courteous service.

Lisbon market in Arroios fish

Market mercado de Arroios , fresh fish, flowers and fruit. Arroios is a very atmospheric working class neighborhood with great markets and very good prices in restaurants and shops.

Lisbon little shops Estefania neighborhoos

Estefania: a nice and very quiet area, with lots of typical Portuguese small business ‘mom and pop’ and food shops.

Lisbon cheap tradtional restaurants Estefania

Rua Ilha da Terceira, Estefania. To eat out, try the pastelerias (cheap small restaurants, great Portugese food). Not one tourist in sight…..Chiado, Baixia and Alfama are easily reached by public transport, and even at night a taxi isn’t more than 5 euros.

Lisbon Estefania Rua da Ilha Terceira restaurant owners

The bill? Grilled salmon 5,50 euro, soup 0,90. A glass of wine 0,75.

Lisbon Saldanha luxurous shopping center

Luxury shopping center Saldanha, quite near Avenida da Liberdade, (Liberty Avenue). This broad boulevard is the Portuguese equivalent of the Champs Elysees in Paris with lots of luxury boutiques selling international brands.

Lisbon Avenida da Liberdade Pombal statue

Marquis of Pombals’ statue , a despotic marquis….more…..The Rotunda, or, officially, Praça do Marqués de Pombal

Teahouse Confeitaria Nacional Lisbon: international award & the King’s cake

This famous traditional teahouse opened in 1829 when Portugal was divided by the liberal struggles. It still remains in the hands of the same family today and has won recognition in various international exhibitions both for its traditional Portuguese cakes and pastries, and for its creative innovation over the years.

Lisbon Confeitaria Nacional10 rabbit coelhinho

Teahouse Confeitaria Nacional Lisbon

Very creative, very sweet, but delicious: ‘coelinho‘ (small rabbit): 1,30 euro

Confeitaria Nacional, Lisbon’s oldest Confectionary, once supplier of the Royal Family2

Teahouse Confeitaria Nacional Lisbon

The interior has not changed since it was opened, and this teahouse is very popular with locals who cannot pass up the oportunity of good tea (c), with traditional (and fabulous) Portuguese sweets and pastries.

Confeitaria Nacional, Lisbon’s oldest Confectionary, once supplier of the Royal Family3

Teahouse Confeitaria Nacional Lisbon

Confeitaria Nacional launched the “Bolo Rei” (The Kings Cake), customarily associated with Christmas (who gets the bean?) brought to Portugal by the son of the founder in the middle of the 19th Century.

Confeitaria Nacional, Lisbon’s oldest Confectionary, once supplier of the Royal Family6

Teahouse Confeitaria Nacional Lisbon

Tearoom upstairs. Taste the most typical Portuguese cakes, such as Queijadas de Sintra or Doces de Ovos de Aveiro , a sweet paste made with just eggs and sugar.

Confeitaria Nacional, Lisbon’s oldest Confectionary, once supplier of the Royal Family11

Teahouse Confeitaria Nacional Lisbon

Confeitaria Nacional, Lisbon’s oldest Confectionary, once supplier of the Royal Family4

Confeitaria Nacional ,

Praça da Figueira 18B, Lisbon, more…. 

Confeitaria Nacional, Lisbon’s oldest Confectionary, once supplier of the Royal Family9

Teahouse Confeitaria Nacional Lisbon

Lisbon: Campo dos Mártires da Pátria, hospital São José & funeral cars

Campo dos Mártires da Pátria is really worth a visit! You can walk up the rather steepy hill at the end of Rua de São José or take the funicular of Lavra, the first transportation to overcome a hill in Lisbon, 120 years ago.

Campo dos Mártires da Pátria 1 Park view Castelo

Campo dos Mártires da Pátria, view on castle of São Jorge .

Students are taking a break in the park. Here you find the memorial statue of  Dr. Sousa Martins, erected in 1904, outside the main Faculty of Medicine, historic City Campus of the University of Lisbon, home to several faculties including Law and Medicine.

In the nearby lovely park (Jardim da Cordoaria is a small cafe “O Coreto. This place is located on one of the 7 hills of Lisbon, the view from here is really wonderful.

Monument dr Martin Sousa13 Jardim da Cordoaria cafe “O Coreto’

The nearby lovely large tree-lined park (Jardim da Cordoaria) and small cafe “O Coreto’ (the Kiosk).

You can walk down the hill, not too steepy, to the center’s Rossio Square with many restaurants and shopping zones. A few pictures from my walk starting at Rua Manuel Bento de Sousa:

Walking around hospital São José car coffins

Hospital São José, near the Faculty of Medicine.

Waiting for a dead body

It is said that funeral cars are waiting here in line, like a taxi queue, to be the first one to pick up a dead body… anyway, when I was passing by I saw a truck delivering new coffins…..

Lisbon Hospital entrance São José Rua do Sao Lazaro

Hospital São José , ortopedia entrance at Rua de Sao Lazaro.

Lisbon Hospital São José1

Walk until Travessa do Hospital and go right.

Hospital São José is an immense building, strechting out toward Praça Martim Moniz.

walking from Hospital São José2 view Castelo Sao Jorge

View on Castle São Jorge

Walking around Hospital São José4 rainbow

View from the hospital’s parking lot

Hospital São José19 beautiful

Beautiful entrance at Rua José a Serrano. The name of the hospital São José is paying hommage to King Joseph I.

Lisbon Rua da Arco da Graca1

Rua do Arco da Graça. On the left side of this street, a lot of new apartments are being built.

Lisbon Rossio Square

Rossio Square beautiful and very popular tourist attraction.

Museum Casa dos Bicos Lisbon, restaurants & famous fish 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.

Lisbon Rua dos Bacalhoeiros near Casa dos Bicos

Rua dos Bacalhoeiros Lisbon

Walking from Praça do Comércio in the direction to Alfama, you will get to Rua dos Bacalhoeiros. The famous 28 tram (eletrico) passes here on its way to the Santa Apolonia station.

Lisbon Rua dos Bacalhoeiros terraces near Casa dos Bicos

Rua dos Bacalhoeiros Lisbon 2009

This part of the street is really beautiful. The small restaurants with a terrace outside are popular; even in wintertime when the sun is shining you can enjoy a beer or have lunch outside.

Lisbon Rua dos Bacalhoeiros Adega do Atum near Casa dos Bicos

Rua dos Bacalhoeiros Lisbon

Just near ‘Casa dos Bicos’ is restaurant ‘Adega do Atum‘, The waiters are friendly and not too agressive. They serve traditional fish and meat meals and have the Portuguese Sagres beer on tap (imperial). Try ‘Salade de Atum’ (tuna fish € 7 ) for lunch 🙂

Lisbon Rua dos Bacalhoeiros Casa dos Bicos

Rua dos Bacalhoeiros Lisbon & Casa dos Bicos (House of the pointed stones)

Casa dos Bicos (House of the pointed stones).  

This Palace was built in the early 16th century, a notable part of Lisbon’s heritage and one of the few examples with traces of the 15th C. architecture.

From 1981 to 1982, Casa dos Bicos was the site of excavations, many archaelogical findings were unearthed (ceramic and glass pieces a.o.). Worth a visit!

Lisbon Rua dos Bacalhoeiros3 shop nr 117 Silva & Feijó

Rua dos Bacalhoeiros Lisbon

You will find various shops in this street. Silva & Feijó, on the other side of Casa dos Bicos, sells a.o. wines and typical Portuguese handicrafts.

Lisbon Rua dos Bacalhoeiros lots of restaurants

Rua dos Bacalhoeiros Lisbon

Lunchtime in Lisbon. This part of the street is filled with lots of restaurants, from traditional Portuguese to Chinese.

A Churrasqueira is a restaurant serving grilled meat or fish, many offering as much as you can eat: the waiters move around the restaurant with the skewers, slicing meat onto your plate. Frango de Churrasco with piri piri (a kind of salty roasted chicken spiced with hot red chili sauce) is very popular.

Lisbon Rua dos Bacalhoeiros restaurant espetada

Rua dos Bacalhoeiros Lisbon

Restaurant Churrasqueira Santo António.

Carlos Marcalo, Rua dos Bacalhoeiros 133, invites you to try their ‘espetada‘, a typical Portuguese dish made of large chunks of fish or beef rubbed in garlic and salt with vegetables such as onions and bell peppers.

Lisbon Rua dos Bacalhoeiros shop canned fish

Luís Vieira.

Conserveira de Lisboa (The Lisbon Cannery), nr 34.  Famous! Wonderful very old preserved-fish store with hundreds of colourful tins of the Portuguese favorite fish. This shop opened 80 years ago, nothing has changed.

Lisbon Roa do Comerico shit

Rua do do Comércio ,

The shit of today will fertilize tomorrow...” 😉 a building drawing, just around the corner of Rua dos Bacalhoeiros and Rua da Madalena

Café ‘Leitaria A Camponeza’ Lisbon, once a milkshop & Portuguese ‘Art Nouveau’ style

If you look for a nice and quiet café after walking around in the Rossio area in Lisbon, this 100 years old cafe is really worth it to sit down and admire the place !

Lisbon cafe Leitaria Camponeza2

Cafe ” Leitaria A Camponeza”, Lisbon

This is an old-fashioned Leitaria (milkshop), specializing in milk products and pastries, whose blue-tiled walls display bucolic scenes.

Mostly Purtuguese people are drinking a bica (strong coffee) or a tea (chá) while reading a newspaper.

Lisbon Leitaria Camponeza4

Cafe ” Leitaria A Camponeza”, Lisbon

This house is for over 100 years in the same family: Ana Claudia Diogo (r) and her niece Filipa Indias.

Lisbon cafe Leitaria Camponeza7

Cafe ” Leitaria A Camponeza”, Lisbon

Ana Diogo’s grand grand father, José Domingos Diogo, built this place (pictures of the family are hanging on the wall), from origin a milkshop, in Portuguese ‘Art Nouveau’ style and beautiful tiles (azulejos). The café was recently renovated, but with care….

Lisbon cafe Leitaria Camponeza10

Cafe ” Leitaria A Camponeza”, Lisbon

Chá (tea) in a pot (in style) 1,20 euro. The coffee, cakes, and sandwiches are all good.

Lisbon cafe Leitaria Camponeza8

Cafe ” Leitaria A Camponeza”

Open from 07:45 – 19:00, closed on Sundays

Lisbon cafe Leitaria Camponeza15

Cafe Leitaria ‘A Camponeza’ , Rua dos Sapateiros, 155/157, Lisbon

Traditional Christmas window dressing in Lisbon & a pierced Santa Claus

Already in October Lisbon is busy decorating the streets and the trees with lots of Christmas lights. The windows of the shops are dressed up with Christmas decorations, and some are quite remarkable!  Portuguese creativity in Lisbon’s commercial heart 🙂

Lisbon Christmas window dressing Largo do Chiado

Christmas window dressing at Largo do Chiado

Elegant shopping district, close to luxury hotel Bairro Alto and Lisbon’s famous nightlife:  possibly one of the best spots in Europe for a night out!

Lisbon window dressing Christmas time Rua da Prata

Traditional Christmas window dressing  Rua da Prata

Lisbon remarkable Christmas window dressing penis piercings Santa Claus

In the same street, Rua da Prata 88, a pierced Santa Claus

TRIPARTE TATTOO – Body Piercing – Tattoo shop Rua da Prata, 88-90 Baixa, Lisboa

Christmas shopping Lisbon window Hermes

Hermés in December, they love ‘animal window dressing’, Largo do Chiado 9, Lisbon

Lisbon Christmas window dressing Biaxa

Baixa area
Lisbon remarkable Christmas window dressing stars wearing glasses

Rua do Carmo (2010)

Did you ever see stars in the sky wearing glasses ? This street is close to the famous tourist attraction ‘Santa Justa elevator’ (Elevador de Santa Justa) and my favorite square in Lisbon : Praça do Carmo

Lisbon remarkable window dressing Christams reindeer recommend sexual desire product

Rua da Madalena, a reindeer in the window is placed in front of a poster ‘ how to increase your sexual desire’ : ‘Libidosil‘ (2010)

..more about this remarkable street….

Remarkable window dressing Lisbon Alfama butcher shop

 Alfama, Rua dos Remediostalho (butcher) do Chafariz

Even de butchers decorate their shops for Christmas… 😉

Remarkable window dressing Lisbon hearing aid

…Hearing Aid shop & new batteries (pilhas 5 euro)

Christmas time in Lisbon tram decorations

Besides: Jingle bells! Even trams (Eletrico Natal) are decorated with lights and steered by Santa Claus himself!

Christmas time in Lisbon Tram and Santa Claus conductur

‘Boas Festas e Feliz Natal’ (Merry Christmas and happy New Year!), Praça da Figueira, more about this area……..

 

Walking around Lisbon: from viewpoint Santa Catarina to the waterfront of the Tagus river

Don’t miss the wonderful views from Miradouro de Santa Catarina or ‘Adamastor‘, a popular gathering place in Lisbon. From this vista point you have the most breathtaking views of the Tagus (Tejo) river, the 25th of April Bridge and the Cristo Rei monument.

Santa Catarina Adamastor September 2009

Adamastor‘ or Miradouro de Santa Catarina ( More information on this website) is one of the favourite places of many Lisbon locals and visitors, and also the nearby cafe/restaurant Noobai.

Lisbon Rua de Santa Catarina

Close to Miradouro de Santa Catarina you can go for a walk to the waterfront of the Tejo river. Rua de Santa Catarina in the afternoon, a typical Lisbon street.

Lisbon Rua de Santa Catarina smart parking

A very smart way to park your car in the narrow streets of Lisbon!

Lisbon Rua Fernandes Tomas

View on the Tagus River from Rua Fernandes Tomas

Lisbon Rua Boa Vista

At the end of Rua Fernandes Tomas towards the river you cross Rua Boa Vista (street named after an island of Cape Verde, former colony of Portugal), a lively street with lots of shops, typical Portuguese restaurants and bars.

Mercado da Ribeira Avenida 24 de Julho

Avenida 24 de Julho, just in front of the river Tejo. The beautiful building of the Mercado do Ribeira (market near the river, since 1882) is topped with a Moorish-style dome. This market is worth a visit! ‘from hot ‘piri-piri to funeral flowers’

Cais do Sodre Womean

On the waterfront, near Cais do Sodré. Women are selling fresh fruit.

Lisbon Cais do Sodre ferry

The river Tejo, Cais do Sodré , Lisbon’s major bus, metro, trainstation and ferry terminal to Cacilhas, Seixal, Montijo and ferries to Trafaria and Porto Brandão (near the white and unspoilt beaches of Caparica).

Portuguese pavement, lovely wave design, high heals & Theatre Dona Maria II Lisbon

Portuguese pavement workers are real artists! In Lisbon there’s always a lot of work to do, like in Rua da Rosa in Bairro Alto, one of the oldest districts.

Lisbon pavement workers Bairro Alto

Lisbon, area Bairro Alto

Upon a well compacted trench of argillaceous materials, craftsmen lay a bedding of gravel, which will accommodate the stones, acting as a cement.

Pavement Lisbon wave design Rossio

Lovely wave design “the wide sea”, Lisbon’s Rossio Square, the popular name of the Pedro IV Square (Praça de Dom Pedro IV), the ‘heart’ of Lisbon

Teatro Nacional Dona Maria II.

You can discover the theater (or take the time to enjoy a good show). From Monday to Friday there are guided tours, in several languages.

The pavement mostly is laid out in a repetitive pattern, or recreates symbols that are evocative of Portugal’s nautical past.

Besides: the neoclassical Dona Maria II Theatre was built in 1842 on the site of the former Inquisition Palace where processions, auto-da-fés (execution by burning) and public executions took place from 1531 to 1777.

Lisbon pavement Rua Aurea

Beautiful pavement in Rua Áurea, a shopping street in Baixa

Slippery cobbles & high heels

Besides: despite of the artistic appeal, this pavement is not really safe. The uneven surface makes it difficult to navigate. When the cobbles are wet, they are rather slippery. A reason for ladies not wearing high heels…..don’t forget your sandals!

Lisbon pavement Praca do Comercio

Pavement Praço do Comércio, 2008

a spectacular example of Portuguese calçada, made by hand.

Lisbon Pavement Camara Municipal

Pavement Praça do Municipao with Lisbon’s beautiful City Hall (Câmara Municipal). Visitors can admire the interior on Sunday mornings for free.

Future for pavement workers the future is unsure. Once an activity performed by hundreds of craftsmen in Portuguese cities and villages, traditional paving is increasingly becoming restricted to conservation works or important architectural projects. Less abundant materials, dwindling numbers of craftsmen and criticism to its widespread use are forcing municipalities to consider other alternatives.

Lisbon Walker: guided walks through historical Lisbon

Lisbon has steadily built up an image of one of the world’s most interesting cities to visit. Its stunning location and historic significance is generously complemented by remarkable aesthetics, making it stand out as one of the few capital cities still human in pace and in scale.

17thcenturyportal.jpg

To discover Lisbon in the company of friendly and knowledgeable tour guides is the whole point of Lisbon Walker, overtaking the limitations of guidebooks to unveil the real personality of this unique location. All walking tours are in English.

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If you want to join one of the tour guides for a walk through Lisbon, just choose one of the historical tours on the Lisbon Walker Website and all you need to do is show up at the meeting point near Praça do Comércio, according to the timetable of the walks. Regular walking tour ticket (2008) – €15.00 per person/tour. Under 26, over 65, holders of Lisboa Card or valid tickets from TAP, CP or Sightseeing tours: €10.00 per person/tour. Children under 12 free tour. Each walk takes between 2 and 3 hours.

Lisbon Walker Fish Market

Fish Market

Lisbon Walker Bairro Alto

Bairro Alto

Lisbon walker Carmo Square

Square (Praça) do Carmo

Lisbon Walker Alfama

Alfama