Discover Portugal

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You may also obtain information from Manor Houses of Portugal by completing the form on any page of their site.

Lisbon

Current Lisbon Time- Weather

Belém

Well on one trip, we finally went to Belém. It was very easy to get there. At the Praça do Comércio we caught the number 15 tram. This was one of the new modern air-conditioned models that we started seeing in our earlier visits. The old trams are still around and I for one certainly hope that they keep them running. Anyway it is a short ride to Belém and it only cost 150$ Escudos. We got off the tram and walked around the huge public park that is a few blocks down from the tramline. Then we made it over to the Discovers monument, stopped for coffee at a small restaurant and caught the tram back to Lisbon.

UNESCO classified Belém Tower (shown left) as a world heritage site in 1983. It was originally built in 1520 to defend Lisbon against the threats of invaders. It used to reside somewhere near the middle of the River Tagus at Belém, but now it can be found clinging to the northern bank.

Another must see site is the Monument to the Discoveries.

Monument to the Discoveries

Belém is well worth a day trip, except on Mondays - when most of the Museums are closed.

Statue in Belem

This statue commemorates the first Air Crossing of the South Atlantic by the Portuguese Naval aviators Lieutenant Commander Artur Sacadura Cabral and Captain Carlos Gago Coutinho in 1922. This remarkable flight from Lisbon to Rio de Janeiro took place using a small single engine wood and fabric seaplane without even a radio.

Fairey 17 Aircraft

Things to see here are the Hieronymite Monastery; Naval Museum; National Coach Museum, Monument to the Discoveries; tower of Belém and in the hills behind the town the Palácio Nacional da Ajuda.

Two new congress centers are also under construction (at Junqueira, on the waterfront road between the Praça do Comércio and Belém just to the west of the city) to add to the exisiting facilities like those at Parque Das Nações and the Belém Culture Centre. Among the events hosted at these facilities were the European Council Meeting Extraordinary in March and Euro- American summit.

Centro Cultural de Belém

If you have a few minutes to spare take a guided tour of the Monastery of Jerónimos. The Jerónimos Monastery took almost a century to be built and reflects the prosperity of the Portuguese Empire during the Golden Age of Discoveries. It was built as a tribute to the courageous navigators who helped establish Lisbon as the hub of a thriving empire. Vasco da Gama and Luís de Camões are buried here. The Monastery is an outstanding example of Manueline architecture and was classified as a World Heritage site by UNESCO.

Monastery of Jerónimos

Lisboa

Rossio

Rossio

On our trips to Portugal, we have spent over fifty-one days in Lisbon and have not seen all of it yet. Yes, you can probably see most of the museums and tourist attractions in a few days, but you haven't seen the city and its people in that time.

In the Lisbon Pages, Hugo Carvalho provides you with five scenic walking tours of the City of Lisbon. So for you convince and pleasure, I have provided you with the link to these descriptions of the City of Lisbon.

Description of the City

You may also obtain information from Manor Houses of Portugal by completing the form on any page of their site.

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