Unhurried lifestyle, scenic and historic destinations, and a myriad of awe-inspiring recreational activities — there is much more about Lisbon city than this. Portugal’s vibrant and cosmopolitan capital, Lisbon is a city to awaken your senses, with something untypical and different, offering a memorable experience you will not soon forget!
Facts You Should Know about Lisbon
1. Lisbon is known worldwide as the ‘City of Seven Hills,’ (in Portuguese ‘Cidade das Sete Colinas’), which, according to legend, was originally built over seven steep hills on the margins of River Tagus, including the mystic Colina de São Jorge – the highest of the seven where first inhabitants are thought to have settled; Colina de São Vicente – the location of the Alfama area; Colina de Santa Catarina, located near Bairro Alto; Colina das Chagas with the main street Largo do Carmo; Colina de Santo André, where in the 16th century Lisbon’s elite and rich built charming palaces here; Colina de Sant’Ana featuring the square of Praça da Figueira; and Colina de São Roque – the viewpoint called the Miradouro de São Pedro de Alcântara. Walking uphill seems a bit difficult, but the scene you’ll see at the top is unrivalled and well worth the effort.
2. Another interesting fact about Lisbon is that the majority of its streets, well, at least the pavements are black or white, and people say the reason for this centers around Lisbon’s patron Saint Vincent. Thus, the white color represents the white attire of Christian Crusaders that once defeated the moors, while the black color represents the black outfit that Saint Vincent used to wear.
3. One of the city’s best attractions lying beneath the streets of downtown shopping area is the secreted ‘Galerias Romanas’ or Underground Roman Galleries, built around 2,000 years ago. First identified and discovered during the reconstruction of Lisbon after the great earthquake of November 1, 1755, Galerias Romanas contain rooms, corridors, chambers and bridges. The entrance of this amazing world is marked by block of metal at the top of Rua da Conceicao, which is only open to the public once a year due to the dangerous conditions lurking below. Access to this interesting site is practically via a hole in the ground, just in the middle of the street with trams and cars passing by. Admission is free and the visits are guided by experts and technicians.
4. Another unique fact that makes Lisbon an interesting travel destination, is the existence of the Elevator de Santa Justa, which is a lift at Santa Justa Street that serves to link downtown Lisbon with the Large do Carmo, offering exceptional sweeping views over the city’s skyline. Designed by Raul Mesnier de Ponsard, an apprentice of Gustave Eiffel, this remarkable Lisbon masterpiece goes up to 45 meters, carrying 25 persons in each of its two cabins. This Gothic-style street elevator was inaugurated in 1902, since when it has become one of the most visited tourist attractions in Lisbon.
5. Lisbon is also blessed to house Europe’s longest bridge – the cable-stayed Vasco da Gama Bridge (Ponte Vasco da Gama in Portuguese), which is a marvel of modern technology, allowing free flowing of traffic between north and south of Lisbon. This seemingly never-ending bridge has a length of 17.2 kilometers (10 miles) and was designed to withstand an earthquake four times greater than that of 1755 in Lisbon, which took lives of around 35,000 people. The bridge was first opened to traffic on March 29, 1998, eighteen months after its construction.
