Sunny Lisbon

Globalization is everywhere and running fast and Lisbon is no exception. In the last decade shopping malls have been growing in Lisbon like mushrooms, unfortunately with a not so differentiated offer of shops among them. One of the biggest Portuguese companies, Sonae, has invested in two of the major shopping centers in Lisbon, the giant Colombo and the smaller Vasco da Gama. I’ll start by Vasco da Gama simply because it’s less off track than Colombo.

Located in the Parque das Nações area (former Expo 98 ground) it is side by side with the Gare do Oriente station, the main entry point by train in the city. At a short walking distance from it you can find FIL (International Fair and Congress Room), concert room Atlantico Pavilion, the Oceanário, the Casino Lisboa and a few other points of interest in this modern and new area. The building itself was the main gate to the Expo 98 exhibition and has converted to the existing infrastructure right after it’s end. The shopping has a large supermarket, cinemas and an underground parking lot. Keep in mind it’s existence because :

• Eating – Since it has a area dedicated to restaurants and most of them being fast food / menu choices, it’s easy to get a cheap meal here, if you sightseeing in the Parque das Nações (Expo 98) area. On the top floor you also have some more expensive restaurants, if you prefer a quieter and better meal.
• Sights – The building is modern and connected physically with the Gare do Oriente station. On top of it, two towers where built in the last few years, the S.Gabriel and S. Rafael Towers. They were named after two ships that the sea captain Vasco da Gama used when he discovered a sea-route to India, in 1497.  I recommend the top balcony, that you can access by stairs close to the restaurant area. The balcony has a great view of the Expo area and of the Tagus river and has some shady spots with chairs were you can relax and have a drink.
• Shopping – Well, it’s a shopping, so yes, you can do that there. 

General Info – Schedules

Shopping : 09:00h to 24:00h 
Supermarket : Monday to Saturday : 9h00 to 24h00; Sundays and Holidays: 9h00 to 13h00
Health Club Solinca: De Monday to Friday: 7h00 to 22h00;  Weekends and Holidays : 9h00 to 20h00
Cinemas : Tickets : Monday to Saturday: 11h30 to 24h30; Sundays and Holidays : 10h00 to 24h:30.

Visiting a city is usually a feast to the eyes. A new landspace, historical buildings, the famous painting. In this post I want to tell you about what else you can taste, feel and hear in your Lisbon visit. Please, make sure you enjoy them all.

• Pasteis de Belém – They can be found in one of the oldest pastry houses in Lisbon, located right by the Jeronimos Monastery, in Belém area (between and the Monastery and the Belem Palace, where you can also find the Coches Museum). The “Pastel de Belém” is a unique recipe for a nationwide cake, the “Pastel de Nata”. The version you’ll be eating here is something you won’t find anywhere else. Choose a table, have your breakfast or afternoon snack here.

• Ginjinha – You may not be a big fan of alcoolic drinks, but don’t worry, as the ginjinha is a shot size drink, that won’t get in your system, at least if you have just one. The drink is a sweet version of brandy, and has in name (and taste) from the Ginja, a special kind of cherries that grow in Portugal. You can get one almost everywhere in town, but the most tipical spot to get one is in Praça de São Domingos, between Rua Portas de Santo Antão and the Rossio square.

• The Sun And The Sea – Like the title of our blog says, Lisbon in a sunny city, and located right by the ocean. The weather here is normally sunny, and even in the winter months when the temperature drops, you can almost everyday catch the sun outside. So enjoy yourself, take a train to Cascais and Estoril, have a walk by the beach, breath the salty air and feel the warmth of the sun on your skin.

• Fado - You’ll find it in every city guide, and it’s not enough to stress it. Lisboa spirit lives in Fado houses, little restaurants in the Alfama district where Fado, the national music, is sang, not by big stars, but by amateurs and residents, keeping it’s true nature. The songs are melancholic and sad, just like the blues. They speak of “saudade” the portuguese word, for missing something or someone.
• The Nightlife – When it’s time to party in Lisbon, schedules and clocks are left at home. The nightlife in the city starts late (around midnight) and ends up at… well whenever you feel like it, since there are houses open until 9 or 10 in morning. Enjoy the Bairro Alto district with is small bars or the riverside are of 24 de Julho, with it’s dance clubs. Have a beer and have fun, enjoy yourself.

When you think about bullfighting you’ll normally think of Spain,  but Portugal  also has an historical background that brought this tradition to present days. Being in favor or against it, the fact is that they exist and are very common is Portugal, mostly on the central and southern parts of the country. Lisbon has in Campo Pequeno it’s official bullfighting ring.

The building was completed in 1892, and has a very particular style inspired in Moorish buildings of the Iberia Peninsula, built in orange bricks and with cyan domes. For many years, however, the building suffered profound degradation until the beginning of this century, when it was fully remodeled. Today it has it’s doors open again, and more than a bullfighting ring, it is also a concert room (Muse, James Blunt or Lou Reed are some of the names who have played there) and a shopping mall, with stores and small restaurants.

Bullfighting

Summer is the official season for bullfighting performances. You can check the official Campo Pequeno website for future venues and prices (sorry the page only seems to have a Portuguese version, use our Translate Me This! page to post any questions). If you seen a show like this in Spain, let me tell about the two main differences between bullfighting in these countries. First, in Portugal, it’s not allowed to kill the bull in the arena, since it’s considered an act of cruelty to kill an animal for entertainment. Second, it’s a Portuguese tradition to have groups of Forcados, men facing the bull on feet, with no sword or cape, trying to hold them with their single hands. You can check this video to get the idea.

Prices and More Information

You can check the official web page for accurate prices of the venues, but just for information, watching a bullfight can cost you something between close to 20€ to 75€, prices vary with the location of your seat.

Official Web Site

Lisbon has a good and growing network of subways, but for some reasons I cannot really explain, it misses at least two connections that could be very handy for those visiting it : A connection with the Belém area and a connection to the airport. This last one has been planned and delayed for many years, as a construction of a new airport is beginning to take shape. But meanwhile the subway expansion has started, and Lisbon Airport will have an subway connection in the years to come. But right now, it doesn’t.

When arriving to the airport you have two options available to get to a more central part of the city : the bus or taxi. I will talk about taxis when I have the chance, but right now I would like to focus on bus connection, specially on the AeroBus and AeroShuttle special bus services, created to serve the one’s arriving or leaving town through the airport.

Aerobus

It’s the first of the two connections created to serve the airport. It runs daily from 07:00 AM to 11:00 PM, at 20 minutes intervals.

Normal tickets cost 3€, but you can buy the frequent travelers ticket pack (it costs 10€ and has 5 tickets, meaning 2€ for trip). If you have a Lisboa Card, ticket price has a discount, costing only 1.65€.

Leaving the airport, the bus goes through the Campo Pequeno, Saldanha square, Marquês de Pombal square, Restauradores / Rossio (downtown) , Praça do Comércio and finally Cais do Sodré.

If you’re going to Sintra, take this bus to Entrecampos. Here you can take a train on the Sintra Train line.

If you’re going to Estoril or Cascais, take this bus to Cais do Sodré. Here you can take a train on the Cascais Train line.

AeroShuttle

The more recent connection from the airport . It runs daily from 07:00 AM to 11:00 PM, at 30 minutes intervals.

Normal tickets cost 3€, but you can buy the frequent travelers ticket pack (it costs 10€ and has 5 tickets, meaning 2€ for trip). If you have a Lisboa Card, ticket price has a discount, costing only 1.65€.

Leaving the airport, the bus goes through Campo Grande, Sete Rios, Praça de Espanha ending close to the Marquês de Pombal square. This bus connection has recently expanded, also connecting the airport with the Gare do Oriente station.

Like I have said before Lisbon is not the most plain city in the world. It has a lot of hills and depressions, and although giving it a special landscape it can be tricky if you want to ride a bike or if you have to carry your groceries up-hill.

Well the hills have been there since the beginning of time (give or take a million years) and the industrial age brought to Lisbon some solutions that would minimize the problem. So three funiculars and one elevator has built. I want to talk more about them in the future, but by now, I just want you to know that they exist and where they are located. So you have :

• Glória Funicular (Elevador da Glória) – It connects the Restauradores square with Bairro Alto
• Bica Funicular (Elevador da Bica) – It connects Av. Boavista (Cais do Sodré) to Bairro Alto
• Lavra Funicular (Elevador do Lavra) – It connects Rua de Portas de Santo Antão and Campo de Santa, close to São José Hospital.
• Santa Justa Elevator (Elevador de Santa Justa) - Today it goes nowhere. It used to connect the downtown area with Bairro Alto, but today it just gives you access to a nice café and a great view of the downtown area and the hill surrounding it.