Lisbon. Everyone’s going however, so it’s time to work out how to see the place while avoiding undue interaction with bus-size tour groups and hordes of weekending Danes until things cool down.

Lisbon has had it’s work cut out for it trying to become a grand European capital, in part owing to a catastrophic earthquake in 1755 followed by invasion and destitution in the Napoleonic Wars. A fairly extended dalliance with fascist government (1933-74) and it’s geographic isolation from the rest of Europe (assisted by its neighbor Spain’s own dalliance with fascism between 1939 and 1974) has meant that Lisbon has retained an older feel.

Orientation: the city is arranged in a bowl around the Baixa district, which is perhaps the least interesting part of the city, reconstructed after the earthquake and then further modernized in a grid pattern. To the West of the Baixa are the Chiado and Bairro Alto districts, and to the east is the medieval/moorish Alfama, more of which later. These areas are all walkable if you don’t mind some sharp hills to get you there. Further west along the waterfront is the Belem district, which is where Vasco da Gama sailed for India in 1497 and is worth seeing for a fix of maritime history.

The Baixa is a good shopping area if you need one, and it opens out onto the Praca do Comercio for waterfront views. The Chiado, up the hillside just west of the Baixa, is a good area to wander with a late 19th century feel. Stop off at the Cafe do Brasil and see the Museum of Contemporary Art. Just east of the Baixa is the Alfama, the city’s original medieval center lying below the originally Moorish Sao George castle, which is worth a look if you want some windy hillside streets.

Once you have had a general wander around, it’s worth focusing in on some specific destinations and here are some ideas.

Belem. If you want a handle on why and how Portugal stepped out into the world you can head out to Belem, the waterfront area where Vasco da Gama set out for India and where the massive Mosteiro dos Jeronimos was built to commemorate his safe return. Start with the Museu de Marinha, the maritime museum, where there will be plenty of nautical material.

Renaissance-era navigation charts with the known world covered off and the rest a mystery.

Funky sail and steam powered late 19th-century frigates.

Goa became Portugal’s foothold in India in 1510 until they were forcibly ejected by the Indian military in 1961.

The Gulbenkian. The Museu Calouste Gulbenkian is a must-see for art. Calouste Gulbenkian was an original 1%-er, an Armenian Turk who started in the oil business in the late 19th century, developing interests in Iran and elsewhere, and making a mint in the process. Fleeing Turkey in 1896 after the first of many Armenian massacres, he took British citizenship. Turkey’s neutrality in WW2 made life less comfortable for him in the UK, and he later emigrated to Lisbon, leaving his accumulated artworks to his foundation. The collection is spectacular as a sample across human creativity and the modern art museum – in a separate building covered with the same admission – is worth a visit.

 

The Aljube. Portugal’s history attempts to be more dramatic than many European countries, and largely succeeds, covering the formation of the state from warring Iberian tribes, the first global empire, hundreds of years contending with Spanish dominance of the Iberian peninsular, joining in the slaughter of WWI trench warfare and then succumbing to fascist dictatorship between 1933 and 1974, before reemerging as a vibrant democracy since. The Aljube Museum on Rua Augusto Rosa 42 covers Portugal’s political history under fascism, and is located in the former secret police headquarters under the Salazar regime. It’s a history of repression and dictatorship, but also explains how the regime was ultimately ejected.

The Alfama and and Lisbon Cathedral are also convenient to Aljube.

Arte Antigua. You can reach further back into Portugal’s history at the Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga. There is a lot of religious and royal art, although the Japanese Namban folding screens from the early 1600’s depicting the early interaction with the Portuguese are fascinating. The Portuguese arrived at Nagasaki in 1543 and the depictions of the arrival and trading are detailed yet slightly cartoonish.

Also worth a look is this painting of St. Vincent and the Portuguese court, dated from around 1470 with remarkably lifelike and expressive figures. No messing around when you have to fend off the Spanish while invading North Africa.

Logistics

I stayed at the My Story Hotel Tejo at the northeast corner end of the Baixa, which was good as a base to explore the city.

In general, a good place to head out for the evening is Bairro Alto and I’d avoid the Baixa and Alfama as it tends to be a bit overrun. Some restaurants and pubs that worked out well were:

Ribadouro, Av. da Liberdade 155. Great fresh seafood, a bit pricey but worth it.

Mercado da Ribeira – Time Out Market, Av. 24 de Julho 49. Time Out Market has great variety – order self-serve and grab a communal spot on the tables.

Terras Gerais Bistro, Calçada Santana 70. Small Brazilian family operation, well worth it.

Picanha, R. das Janelas Verdes 96. Save your meat requirements for this place.

Varina da Madragoa, R. Madres 34. Neighborhood favorite of the late great author Jose Saramago.

Duque Brewpub, Calçada do Duque 51. Great Portuguese microbrews in the Bairro Alto.

The Beer Station, Largo duque de Cadaval 17.

Dois Corvos Cervejeira, R. Cap. Leitão 94.

Passes. Lisboa Story Centre, Praça do Comércio 78. You can pick up museum and transport passes here with the Lisboa Card, and this is worth it if you are going heavy on the museums – https://www.lisboacard.org/discounts/. If you just need a bus and metro pass, you can buy a Viva Viagem card at transit stations – if arriving at the airport you can start with the metro station there and go into town that way.