Torre de Belém

Belém Tower (in Portuguese Torre de Belém) or the Tower of St Vincent is a fortified tower located in the Belém district of Lisbon, Portugal. It is an UNESCO World Heritage Site (along with the nearby Jerónimos Monastery) because of the significant role it played in the Portuguese maritime discoveries of the era of the Age of Discoveries. The tower was commissioned by King John II to be both part of a defense system at the mouth of the Tagus River and a ceremonial gateway to Lisbon.

The tower was built in the early 16th century and is a prominent example of the Portuguese Manueline style, but it also incorporates hints of other architectural styles. The structure was built from lioz limestone and is composed of a bastion and the 30 meter (100 foot), four story tower. It has incorrectly been stated that the tower was built in the middle of the Tagus and now sits near the shore because the river was redirected after the 1755 Lisbon earthquake. In fact, the tower was built on a small island in the Tagus River near the Lisbon shore.

Lisbon Travel Tips

Ornate, colourful, marinated in tradition – a taste of Lisbon can be very filling. Here are some digestible insider tips:


Couvert: there’s one essential commandment regarding Portuguese dining etiquette: whatever you eat you must pay for, whether or not you ordered it. Waiters bring bread, olives and other goodies to your table the moment you sit down. This unordered appetiser is called couvert and can cost anywhere from €1 per person to over €12. If you don’t want it, you can send it away, no offence taken. There’s also no shame in asking the price – ‘quanto e isso?’


Breakfast: the Portuguese don’t really do breakfast. By mid-morning, when peckish, Portuguese nibble on one of a mountain of fresh pastries (including sinful conventual cakes) from one of the many pastelarias. But they won’t go past a bica (an espresso) standing at a bar.


Vegetarians: fish-eaters will get by, but serious vegetarians might have problems in Portugal. Even vegetable dishes usually include meat. Markets offer fruit, vegetables, grains and nuts. Vegetables are rarely served in restaurants, but end up in soups (however, these may be cooked with bones).


Opening hours: most museums are closed on Mondays, and Sundays are very quiet (many shops and restaurants close).


Tipping: service is usually not added to the bill. It’s customary to leave a few coins or 5% (or even 10%) in smarter places and/or if the service was exceptional. Always ask if they accept credit cards if you’re planning to use one.


Language courses: Lisbon is a great place to take a crash course in Portuguese, including the highly recommended Centro de Informação e Documentação Anti-Colonial (CIDAC).


Stay in a pousada: the government-run pousadas network, offers accommodation in castles, monasteries and palaces.


Stay in a Turihab property: part of another government scheme (Turismo de Habitação, Turismo Rural or Agroturismo), these properties provide some of the best value accommodation in Portugal. You can look them up online at www.turihab.pt or www.solaresdeportugal.pt.

Welcome to Lisboa

Lisoa

Situated on the north banks of the River Tagus, the charm of Lisbon exists in its strong links to the past. Its renovated palaces, magnificent churches and an impressive castle mirror the city's rich cultural heritage. Its eclectic blend of neighborhoods, culture and architecture distinguish this capital city uniquely from the other European capitals and make it a truly fascinating and comprehensive city to visit.

A city set on seven hills, as the legend tells, with its cobble-stoned pavements and narrow streets full of Art Nouveau cafés promises a lot to discover. Most popular spots in Lisbon are; located around Rossio and Praça do Comércio, Baixa; situated on the hill around St. George’s Castle, Alfama and Mouraria; and set on Tagus River, Belém.

Lisbon also hosts a great number of remarkable museums of ancient and modern art, some of which are Calouste Gulbenkian Museum, National Museum of Contemporary Art, National Coach Museum, Berardo Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art and Carmo Archaeological Museum. But, Lisbon isn't all culture and history; Bairro Alto is the center of nightlife with various restaurants and bars where melancholic traditional Portuguese music, Fado, can also be listened.

When tired of sight-seeing, shopping in Lisbon will take all your tiredness away! The biggest shopping mall in Iberian Peninsula, Centro Commercial Colombo, will offer you innumerous options. For those who prefer to shop in local markets, there is a fascinating flea market at the Campo de Santa Clara.

The best way to discover Lisbon is to get lost in its narrow streets and up and down roads! Every narrow street will tell you a different story and every story will reach to your heart easily!

Lisbon travel Guide

Lisbon bears the mark of an incredible heritage with laid-back pride. Spread over seven hills  north of the Rio Tejo (Tagus River) estuary, the city also presents a variety of faces to those who negotiate its switchback streets. In the oldest bairros (neighborhoods), stepped alleys are lined with pastel-color houses decked with laundry; here and there miradouros (vantage points) afford spectacular views. Eléctricos (trams) clank through the streets, and blue-and-white azulejos (and glazed ceramic tiles) adorn churches and fountains.

Of course, parts of Lisbon lack charm. Even some downtown areas have lost their classic Portuguese appearance as the city has become more cosmopolitan: shiny office blocks have replaced some 19th- and 20th-century Art Nouveau buildings. And centenarian trams share the streets with "fast trams" and smoke-belching automobiles.

Some modernization has improved matters, though. In preparing to host the 1998 World Exposition, Lisbon spruced up public buildings, overhauled its subway system, and completed an impressive second bridge across the river. Today the Expo site is an expansive riverfront development known as Parque das Nações, and the city is a popular port of call for cruises, whose passengers disembark onto a revitalized waterfront.