It is the first city and capital to be visited in Portugal. Istanbul and Lisbon are two very similar cities. In addition to having two sides like Istanbul, it is a city built in Lisbon on seven hills. It hosts many cultures by hosting people from almost every nationality.
If you want to visit Lisbon in detail, I recommend you to spend at least two days in Lisbon. It is a very big city, so it has a lot of places to see. With its colorful streets, enormous urban trams that can reach even the smallest and ramp, Lisbon is truly a beautiful city.
For those who intend to come to Lisbon from Guimarães or Braga, the most alternative way is by intercity buses. You are considered young in many places up to 26 years old and you can benefit from various discounts. This journey is more costly by plane or train. I bought the bus ticket for Lisbon on the internet. You can also have the opportunity to see many parts of Portugal during the Journey.
If you are in Porto, it may make more sense to use the airline, but I can say that the bus is more advantageous in terms of cost.
Sintra, which is about 20 km from Lisbon, is definitely a place to go and see. You can find the necessary information at the end of the article.
Places to Visit in Lisbon
Praça do Comércio
You can start your trips by accepting this square as the center. There are various cafes, souvenirs and places to sit by the sea in the square. The yellow structure on the back has been used as a palace for many years and after it was greatly damaged by the earthquake in 1755, it was restored and reached its current appearance.
There is also a statue in front of this square where you can sit and take pictures during the day, but it is flooded at night.
Belém Tower
The tower was built in memory of the Portuguese explorer Vasco de Gama in the early 16th century. It is one of the most known symbols of the city of Lisbon. In addition, the name of the region where the tower is located is Belém. This region is home to many historical monuments and structures. Belém Tower was included in the World Heritage List by UNESCO in 1983 along with the Jerónimos Monastery. This monastery is also located in the Belém Region. Its construction took a century and cost 70 kg of gold each year. It is one of the interesting information I encountered when I searched on the internet. :)
You can easily reach the tower by using the trams on the square I mentioned above.
It is a monument in memory of geographical discoveries. The monument was built on the banks of the Tejo River, where ships sailed in unknown directions in the 15th and 16th centuries. Among the 30 important people on both sides of the monument are statues of the following names.
- Prince Henry (Supporter of Geographical Discoveries)
- Vasco da Gama (Sailor who discovered the Indian route)
- Pedro Álvares Cabral (Brazil's explorer)
- Ferdinand Magellan (Sailor on the first world tour)
- Diogo Cão (First explorer to reach the Congo River)
- Bartolomeu Dias (sailor who crossed the Cape of Good Hope)
Sintra
Cabo da Roca
Sintra is one of the municipalities of the Lisbon Region. The city, which takes its name from the surrounding Sintra Mountains, is about 40 minutes by train from Lisbon city center. If you have decided to visit Lisbon, I would definitely recommend you to visit Pena Palace and Cabo da Roca in this region.
Pena Palace
The most important thing that makes this palace, located on a hill of the Sintra Mountains, is definitely its colorful structure. It has a great atmosphere with the park around it.
I do not remember the full entrance fee of the palace, but after visiting the palace, I definitely recommend you to visit the park around the palace.
The most liked place in Lisbon and Portugal is Cabo da Roca. Apart from being the westernmost of Europe, it has no other property but has a wonderful view and atmosphere. In fact, neither palaces, churches, or cathedrals attracted my attention so much. I realized that History, Architecture and Art do not have much importance for me against Nature.
