ART IN LISBON METRO

Ever since the construction of the first stations in the 1950s, it has been the Lisbon Metro’s goal to make the underground environment more and more friendly to the user.

It has been called "an underground gallery", with many of its stations decorated by modern artists. The most outstanding is the red line, with spacious stations covered in tile panels with contemporary designs. Other stops feature sculptures and quotes by famous authors and philosophers.

QUELUZ PALACE

The building of the palace, designed by Mateus Vicente de Oliveira, began in 1747. Although much smaller, it is frequently called the “Portuguese Versailles”, converted in the late 1700s to a royal summer residence. It’s surrounded by queen-of-hearts formal gardens, with oak-lined avenues, fountains (including the Fonte de Neptuno, ascribed to Italian master Bernini) and an azulejo lined canal where the royals went boating.

One of the wings of the Queluz Palace, the Dona Maria Pavilion, built between 1785 and 1792 and designed by Manuel Caetano de Sousa, is now a guest room for the exclusive use of foreign heads of state visiting Portugal.

SE CATHEDRAL OF LISBON

Se Cathedral of Lisbon has seen a lot of history go on around it since its construction in 1147. A popular tourist destination around Lisbon, the fact that it is still standing today is a testament to its rich history and also to the strength of the people of this region. After the region was recaptured from the Moors, the people had the church built as a monument to their liberation.

In the 1700s, the region was rocked by a powerful earthquake, and sections of the Se Cathedral of Lisbon were destroyed. The subsequent renovation was begun by Alfonso IV and reworked under his direction. The chancel, the royal family’s tombs, the nave and other major sections of the church had been crushed, and later restored to even greater glory and dedicated to St. Vincent, patron saint of Lisbon.

THE AJUDA NATIONAL PALACE

In the first half of the 18th century, King John V planned to build a summer residence in the Ajuda hill. The building of this Royal Palace in this place, however, would take place only after the Earthquake of 1755 which destroyed the royal residence, Paço da Ribeira (Ribeira Palace), at the Terreiro do Paço (Palace Public Square).

Although this palace was never completed as planned due to the exile of the royal family in Brazil caused by the French invasion of Portugal, it is still one of Europe's most perfect romantic buildings.

Its interior is richly filled with furniture, tapestries, statues, and extravagant decorative arts, the result of unprecedented wealth in the 1700s when diamonds were discovered in the then Portuguese colony of Brazil.

The Palace was closed after the proclamation of the Republic in 1910 and reopened to the public in 1968, as a Museum. Gathering important collections from the 15th to the 20th century, mainly of decorative arts, the Palace is still used by the Portuguese State for official ceremonies.

TOMAR

Tomar is one of central Portugal's most appealing small cities. With its pedestrian-friendly historic centre, its pretty riverside park frequented by swans, herons and families of ducks, and its charming natural setting adjacent to the lush Mata Nacional dos Sete Montes (Seven Hills National Forest), it wins lots of points for aesthetics.

But to understand what makes Tomar truly extraordinary, cast your gaze skyward to the crenellated walls of the Convento de Cristo, which forms a beautiful backdrop from almost any vantage point. Eight-and-a-half centuries after its founding, this venerable headquarters of the legendary Knights Templar still rules the hill above town, casting Tomar in the role of supporting actor. Now a Unesco World Heritage Site, Tomar’s crown jewel is a rambling concoction of Gothic, Manueline and Renaissance architecture that bears extravagant witness to its integral role in centuries of Portuguese history, from the founding of Portugal as a nation-state to the Age of Discoveries.

The Rio Nabão neatly divides the town, with new developments largely concentrated on the east bank and the old town to the west. The monastery looks down on it all from a wooded hilltop at the town’s western edge.

VILA VIÇOSA

 

Everything around Vila Viçosa's peaceful broad streets lined with orange and lemon trees seems to be made of marble. Benches, pavements, framing of windows and doorways, and even the toilets in the bus station are made of this shining "white gold," the local marble from the enormous quarries outside the town. 

This was once home to the Bragança dynasty, whose kings ruled Portugal until it became a republic (Dom Carlos spent his last night here before his assassination). There is also a fine castle – one of the few nonmarble structures in town – an excellent archaeological museum, appealing churches and a friendly laid-back citizenry who are proud of their sparkling town.

 

COMPORTA

An hour away from Lisbon, where the Tagus peninsula merges with the mainland, Sluice emerges as a unique paradise where the hotels blend with the natural surroundings, the food is natural and the beaches are deserted and wild. This is a luxury made ​​in Portugal.

One territory, known only by the most cool world travelers, that maintains its pristine beaches and where happiness is to let yourself surrender to nature in its purest state. Here the eco-chic spirit is more than an adjective is a vital activity.

ELECTRICITY MUSEUM

The Tejo Power Station is one of Lisbon's architectural landmarks and boasts a façade of undeniable beauty. In its day it was a real pioneer in electricity generation. Today, almost a century since it was built, the power station has again taken on innovative aspects and a prominent position as an Electricity Museum.

The main part of the permanent exhibition is the power station itself, i.e. all the equipment making up the old generating unit, which is still all there today. The exhibition endeavours to give visitors a clear idea of the way Lisbon's old thermoelectric plant worked, identifying its different components and explaining how it operated.