Best of Lisbon Insider Guide Experience the Inspiration of the City

Best of Lisbon a creative look at your Lisbon experience. So now you know some places to go, things to do, bars and cafes. In this Best-of-Lisbon page we want to deepen your experience. To fire your imagination. To lead you under the surface of the city into it's soul. The city that inspired Pessoa and Saramargo, Mariza and Madredeus.

"Sad, Cheerful city once more I dream here"

Fernando Pessoa

A long time favorite of Artists and Poets, Lisbon continues to inspire Film-Makers, Designers, Painters and Modern Writers. The best of Lisbon experience happens when you engage with the city imaginatively. If you are an artist you will want to draw and paint or maybe write poems. Lisbon is a city of infinite possibilities.

You can't miss the beauty of Lisbon's River Tagus setting and the richness of Lisbon monuments. The river is narrow and blue at Belem with the monuments and the bridge shimmering in the haze. To the east beyond Santa Appolonia it is called "the sea of straw" because the river gleams golden in the evening light.

Lisbon Sights Lisbon Monuments lisbon museums

Ancient Lisbon

Wander the old streets and labyrinth of Alfama alleys. Forget the itinerary and just enjoy the view - a palm tree silhouetted on a wall. Sit at a terrace cafe and enjoy the pastel shades and sunlight on the water. You may find you've made a new friend with Lisbon itself.

Lisbon is full of art in its azulejos, street paintings, graffiti. There also many inspiring galleries to see how others have interpreted the city. Go to the Principe Real area to encounter artistic Lsbon.

Check out films with Lisbon as a main character. Lisbon Story by Wim Wenders, In the White City by Alain Tanner or Alice by Marco Martins. Lisbon Districts Alfama Culture Music

Best of Lisbon. Principe Real, the garden at the heart of cultural Lisbon and one of the haunts of Ricardo Reis in Saramargo's novel

Maybe you just want to sit down with pen and paper to draw your own impressions of the city.

After the Alfama cross over to the opposite hill Bairro Alto, Principe Real, Santos, Lapa -the cultural heartlands of the city where many artist and writers live and hang out. It is a great place to see Lisbon at its best, the soft light, flowers, people relaxing. From Principe Real take a walk to the Colonial Botanical Gardens. A sensual gem full of colour. A great place to draw, huge palms give shade - and the city spreading out below is magnificent.

Lisbon breathes atmosphere from brooding melancholic to delightfully light. You'll miss Lisbon's aesthetic soul if you try to do too much. Evening is a great time to wander the streets near the river below the Alfama, Santos, Lapa and Santa Catarina.You may be reminded of some emotions that are disappearing or are already off the map.

Views of the river are always delightful and can surprise.

"Turning the corner we suddenly see

The shimmering blues of the Tagus

And our body becomes light

Our soul is winged"

Sophia de Mello Breyner

Best of Lisbon. Lisbon is very beautiful with a great light for photographers. There are photo opportunities all around Lisbon. At dusk the city becomes more profound, the colours deepen and the atmosphere thickens. There is a melancholy which touches the soul.

Later, things change again, the party begins, there are opportunities for shots of people as revelers hit the streets. In the local festivals of February, Easter and June the atmosphere is seductive. You start off observing but soon you will join in the fun.

Don't miss seeing Lisbon from the other side of the river - take the ferry to Cacilhas for fantastic views and photos. You also see another side of the Lisbon story when you do.

See our Lisbon Photos page for panoramic and River Tagus views around Lisbon.

Continue to research Lisbon before you arrive ! Our site tries to show the fascinating depth of the Portuguese myth and Lisbon Story. It's a labyrinth that includes Moors, Templars, Fado and Salted Cod ! The influence of the sea is never far away. Lisbon is a meeting point of cultures, never static, always changing.

Best of Lisbon. Looking eastward from the Alfama to less fashionable Lisbon. Near here the group Madredeus was born and the Museum of Azulejos is housed in an ancient convent.

Music of a City

Best of Lisbon Music. Lisbon has a musical soul and several musical cultures.There is a constant blending here and musicians will find inspiration in many styles. Fado is central of course and any visitor should listen to Cristina Branco, Ana Moura, Mariza and Camane, before coming to Lisbon.

Also check out the lyrics of the Fados if you can, and get a feel for the language and sensibility. Fado is something special- it can redefine your idea of what poetry is and what it is for. The Fado singer aims straight for the heart and can bring an audience to tears. Senhor Vinho in Lapa is the fado club where Mariza sometimes sings. Mesa das Frades is in the heart of the Alfama. The Tasca do Chico in the Bairro Alto is for more impromptu performances.

There are great Brazilian and African clubs in Lisbon. Check out the Casa de Morna where new Morna star Lura often sings. Jazz lovers go to the Hot club in Praca do Alegria for atmosphere and music. There are impro sessions here for those who want to play.

Chapito near the castle is one of the most artistic venues a Circus school, bar and restaurant full of youthful vitality and a very romantic setting. There are Fado nights on Fridays and jazz concerts often. If you are into Circus skills this is also the place to go. The best of Lisbon for sure.

For more on the Fado singers of today see Modern Fado for information on Amalia and Fado history see lisbon fado or music in portugal

culture lisbon

Other Lisbons

Best of Lisbon off the tourist trail. Usually foreigners see Downtown and West Lisbon, Belem and the Alfama principally. These places inspired the filmakers Wenders and Tanner. However, Portuguese writers and film makers concentrate on other Lisbons - usually poorer where new Lisboettas mingle with the older population of the city. Where African music can be heard from doorways as well as Fado.

Almirante Reis the less fashionable main avenue of Lisbon is a key landmark of the work of Antonio Lobo Antunes considered by many the greatest Lisbon writer. It is a chaotic lively street with great local restaurants and some dives, it runs beside the Anjos, Graca and Mouraria areas beneath the Castle. You can see this Lisbon if you stay on the 28 tram and don't get off at the Castle or Graca.

This is the area that Detective Coelho retreats to in "A Small Death in Lisbon" by Robert Wilson.

The best most characterful and the most Lisboeta of all the Cervejarias is also near here, Ramiros near Intendent metro just minutes from Rossio. This is a real Lisbon place, go with the flow, the waiters move fast but will advise, start with prawns and beer you will soon get into the atmosphere.

Intendent and Calcada Santa Ana above Rossio are the most African parts of Lisbon. There are great bars and restaurants here and a completely different atmosphere. It can be rough and ready, so don't be conspicuous -usually there is no trouble at all.

There is a Best of Lisbon secret here too, Campo Matires de Patria Gardens and the least known elevator - Lavra. These places seem almost ignored by the flow of modern life.

Great places to draw, write or watch - Lisbon at it's most eccentric. Best of Lisbon top Enjoying Lisbon
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