The Lisbon region, with its sporting and cultural diversity, is an ideal holiday destination for va-
cationers looking for variety. Whether concerts, theater, museums, nightlife, history, gastronomy
or leisure sports in the open air such as golf and surfing: the Lisbon region leaves nothing to be desired.
Situated at the mouth of the Tagus River (“Río Tejo”) and presumably founded by the
Phoenicians around 1200 B.C. C. as a trading post, Lisbon fascinates the visitor with its rich
cultural and historical heritage and is always worth a weekend getaway to the city. in its eventful
History has witnessed many invaders such as the Greeks, Carthaginians, Romans, Alans,
Vandals, Swabians, Visigoths and Moors. In 1147, the 400 years of Muslim domination of
Lisbon ended when the crusaders led by Alfonso I of Portugal recaptured Lisbon during
the Christian Reconquest.
All the rulers left their cultural traces in the city, thus making Lisbon an exciting and
unique mix of the most different cultural and architectural influences with the Romanesque,
Gothic, Manueline, Baroque and traditional Portuguese architecture. during the call
“Portuguese Age of Discovery” between the 15th and 17th centuries Lisbon became strategic
very important as a starting point for the Portuguese exploration of Africa, India, the Far East
and Brazil. The legendary Portuguese navigator Vasco da Gama set out from Lisbon in 1497 to discover
towards the sea route to India.
Although Lisbon was largely destroyed by a disastrous earthquake in 1755 and completely
rebuilt in contemporary architectural style afterwards, many historical monuments have
remained intact by this natural catastrophe and are proof of the cultural and historical heritage
diversity of this port. Among these historical sites of interest is the Lisbon Castle/
São Jorge Castle (“Castelo de São Jorge”) built in a citadel style and Lisbon Cathedral.
dral (“Santa Maria Maior de Lisboa” or “Sé de Lisboa”) built in the 12th and 13th centuries
Late Romanesque style, to name a few. The Tower of Belém (“Tower of Belém”)
with its Portuguese late Gothic, Manueline and Renaissance style and the Jerónimos
Monastery (“Mosteiro dos Jerónimos”) with its Manueline, Plateresque, Renaissance and
Gothic in style, they were built in the 16th century and declared a World Heritage Site by the
UNESCO in 1983.
At the beginning of the 19th century, Lisbon was invaded and sacked by the army of Napoleon Bonaparte. In 1910 the first Portuguese Republic was declared. In 1998 Lisbon hosted the Expo ’98 Universal Exhibition.
Art lovers will enjoy Lisbon’s various museums, such as the “Museo do Azulejo” (Museum
of Portuguese-style tile mosaics), the “Oceanário de Lisboa” (Lisbon Oceanarium) and the
“National Museum of Ancient Art” (National Museum of Ancient Art). Opera lovers will appreciate
the rich cultural agenda of the “Teatro Nacional de São Carlos”. Tourists will love it too
the various cafes and restaurants and the numerous shopping possibilities such as the Vasco
Shopping da Gama and Shopping Amoreiras. Don’t miss a performance of fado music.
in Alfama, the oldest neighborhood in Lisbon.
Lisbon’s public transport system is very well developed and allows quick and easy access.
to the surrounding region of Lisbon with Sintra, the Estoril coast and the Setúbal peninsula.
Sintra and the Estoril Coast are located in the Ribatejo region north of the Tagus estuary
(hence the name “Ribatejo” which means “riba do Tejo” (“on or beyond the banks of the
Tagus”)). The Estoril Coast with its beaches and tourist centers offers a wide variety of
free time activities such as tennis, walking, swimming or sailing and is the best option
for beach vacations. The high density of golf courses on the Estoril Coast also makes it a
Free for golfers. Surfers will prefer surfing hotspots like Carcavelos and Ericeira.
Another day trip destination that can be easily reached from Lisbon is Sintra. Its historical monuments such as
like the National Palace of Pena from the 19th century, the 9th and 10th century
Moorish Castle (Castelo dos Mouros) and Sintra National Palace from the 15th and 16th centuries
(Palácio Nacional de Sintra) and the Sintra-Cascais National Park are always worth a visit.
Sintra was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1995.
The Setúbal peninsula (also called “Costa Azul” (“Blue Coast”)) is located in the Alentejo region
south of the Tagus estuary (hence the name “Alentejo” which means “além do Tejo” (“beyond
the Tagus”)). It is famous for the Arrábida National Park. The visitor will be impressed with its
unique Mediterranean vegetation untouched by tourism development and with untouched nature
wildlife and you can expect to see storks, flamingos and dolphins, flamingos. dolphin watching
it is a major tourist attraction. The protected area of nature invites the traveler to various leisure activities
time activities such as river cruises, hikes, mountain biking, horseback riding, hot air balloon rides,
diving and golf.
