[Lisbon, Portugal, May 15, 2025]

And just like that, our four days in Madeira came to an end and it was time to return to Lisbon for two more fun-filled days before going back to the US. Teddy and I caught the first flight out of Madeira, which was at the ungodly hour of 5:50 am. Besides being one of the cheapest options, the early flight allowed Teddy to make it all the way back to Sofia for a wedding, and me to have a full day of sightseeing.

Upon arrival, I took an Uber to my hotel in Rossio square, right smack in the middle of the historic Baixa district. I dropped off my bags and promptly went back out to start exploring.

I noticed on my map app that my hotel was a stone’s throw away from the Santa Justa elevator. Thanks to social media, riding the Neo-Gothic style structure has become a right of passage for visitors. Hoping to beat the crowds that line up to ride it, I headed there. When I arrived a few minutes before its opening time of 9 am, only a handful of people were already in line.

I loved the intricate iron work of the elevator as well as the spiral staircases connecting to the upper and lower floors, which were, unfortunately, off limits.

Next, I queued up the Lisbon city walk on the Rick Steves Audio Europe app and set out to explore the sights I had just seen from above.

I first headed to the harbor, to Praça do Comércio. Massive buildings surround the square on 3 sides, with the Tagus river on the 4th. Lisboa, named after an ancient word that means calm fort, was born here. For centuries, Portuguese sailors departed from here to distant lands and came back here to trade their goods. The square’s name, Plaza of Commerce, honors the sailors.

The statue in the middle of the square depicts King Jose I on horseback. He came to power in 1750. The horse is stomping on snakes, symbolizing Portugal’s victories over its enemies. The elephant statue represents Portugal’s vast empire, which at the time sprawled from Brazil to Africa to India and China. The statue faces the harbor, where the riches of the world poured in.

5 years into the reign of King Jose I, on Nov 1, 1755, a devastating earthquake struck Portugal. A large tsunami followed and leveled the city. What the tsunami didn’t destroy, the fire that broke out did. King Jose I and his prime minister, the Marquis of Pombal set to work to revive the city. Praca do Comercio and the statue celebrate Lisbon coming back to life after the earthquake. The Marquis of Pombal started transforming Lisbon into a modern, urban-planned European capital. The buildings surrounding the square are typical of what is now known as Pombal architecture. They housed Pombal’s ministers and are still home to government offices today.

The Arch of Rua Augusta serves as the entrance to the square from the city. It stands 100 ft tall and symbolizes Lisbon’s rebirth after the earthquake.

Once I passed the arch, I was on Rua Augusta. This pedestrian street is paved with fine black and white mosaic stones made of basalt and limestone. The mosaic work is called calcada. There are different patterns in use throughout the city and I enjoyed discovering them. Laying down these pavers is hard, manual labor, making the upkeep expensive. In addition, the pavers are slippery when wet. Lisbon is considering doing away with them, but I hope they don’t. They are such a unique feature!

Rua Augusta is the main thoroughfare in Baixa. Baixa means low – this part of the Lisbon is at the bottom of the hills that the rest of the city was built on.

Soon, I reached Praca da Figueira. This square features a statue of King John I. He ushered in Portugal’s golden age. In 1385 he defeated the Spanish in the famous battle of Batalha. He married a princess from England, which forged a strong bond between the two countries. The couple had a son, prince Henry the Navigator. They sent Henry to explore the coast of Africa, which launched to the Age of Discovery, which in turn lead to the expeditions of Vasco da Gama and others. King John’s descendants would rule Portugal until the end of the monarchy in 1910.

In the corner of the square is Confeitaria Nacional, one of the oldest pastry shops in Lisbon. The unique thing about pastries in Lisbon is that many of the recipes were the invention of nuns! They used egg whites to starch their religious habits, and needed a use for the yolks. With sugar pouring in from the colonies, what was one to do but bake?

Exiting the square, I continued to a classic deli for bacalhau – dried cod. Cod is an essential part of Portugal, which is sort of strange because it’s not native to Portuguese waters. Around the year 1500, the Portuguese went to Newfoundland. They found huge amounts of cod there, but they had to preserve it by salting and drying. And this is still how it’s preserved even today. When you’re ready to cook with it, you have to put it in a little bit of milk or water for a couple of days first. Even though the Portuguese can get fresh cod easily nowadays, they still prefer bacalhau. One of the most popular dishes is Bacalhau a Bras.

At the end of the block, I checked out the Church of Sao Domingos and the square in front. The church dates back to the 1200s. It was often used as a wedding venues of kings and queens. The square in front of the church was pleasant and featured the famous mosaic pavement. The round stone monument with the Jewish star of David is a reminder that this square was once the local headquarters of the Inquisition. In 1506, the city massacred the town’s Jews right in this square.

One of Lisbon’s famous spots, A Ginjinha bar, was right off the square. This is the oldest such bar in town. The Ginjinha is made of sour cherry, sugar, cinnamon and a little bit of brandy. Well, not a little bit. Ginjinha has 33% alcohol. You step right up to the bar and order it with a cherry inside or without. I didn’t try it, since it was still quite early and I am not a fan of sour things.

Now I was back at Rossio square, where my hotel was. The long rectangular square is dotted with fountains and a big column in the middle, as well as various stalls with street vendors. The national theater flanks one side of the square. Yet another mosaic pattern on the ground evoked the waves of the sea.

Next, I passed the Rossio train station. It was built around 1900. Its facade is in Neo-Manueline style, which drew from the Manueline architecture popular in the Portuguese golden age in the 1500s. I loved the two horseshoes at the entrance. The elaborate stonework of the Manueline style was everywhere.

Just up the street was Praca dos Restauradores. This square features a big obelisk and more magnificent mosaics. Its name translates to Plaza of Restoration. It celebrates the restoration of Portuguese independence from Spain following the aptly named Restoration War of 1668.

At the upper edge of the square, I caught the Gloria funicular up the hill to another classic Lisbon neighborhood, the Barrio Alto. The two trolley cars run up and down the hill by a counterbalance system. There are two cars attached by a cable and the one coming down pulls up the trolley coming up. The cars are assisted by electric power. Unfortunately, a few months after my visit, in September 2025, a tragic accident occurred here. The car coming down the hill derailed, hurled down the hill and hit a building. 16 people died and the funicular remains closed as of the writing of this blog post.

At the top, there is a park with a balcony. This is the Miradouro de Sao Pedro, which has great views of the city. The Baxia, the low neighborhood, was below me, and the Alfama neighborhood was above that. The Castle of St Jorge topped that hill, and I could even see the city’s cathedral, the Se.

Since I had just been to Porto, where I enjoyed lots of port wine, I ducked into the Port Wine institute nearby. The walls were lined with150 different kinds of port.

Down the street was the Sao Roque Church. The Jesuit church was built in the 1500s. It was one of the most ornate churches I’ve ever seen.

The square outside the church, Largo Trindade Coelho, features a newspaper kiosk where many locals get their lottery tickets. There is a statue of a man selling lottery tickets and you can rub the ticket he seems to be handing out for good luck. I am not sure it works – I have yet to win the lottery.

Down the hill was Cervejaria da Trindade – Lisbon’s oldest beerhall. The main room inside dates from the 1800s and is full of colorful azulejos. It was only 11 am and the place had barely just opened. I decided to come back to it later for lunch.

Now I was back to the same general area where the Santa Justa Elevator tops out. The Convent of Carmo is located here. The church’s Gothic arches now stick up in the sky as the roof of the church collapsed during the 1755 earthquake. It crushed many of the people inside, who had gathered for All Saints Day. The Marquis of Pombal insisted that the church not be rebuilt. He decreed that the Gothic arches remain as they are as a reminder of the tragedy.

The last part of the walk took me through the Chiado neighborhood. It is known for its artsy but casual charm. I finished at Cafe A Brasileira, a 100-year-old institution. Poets, writers and painters would hang out here in the 1920s.

By this time, it was early afternoon and I could finally check into my hotel. I grabbed a shower and changed clothes, then headed out to meet my friend Vessi for lunch at Cervejaria. We sat at a table outside and enjoyed the must haves – bacalhau croquettes and a beer, as well as a couple of other dishes. The place is definitely touristy. As one large group came out from inside the restaurant, a few people lingered on each side of our table and actually started talking over us. We had to politely tell them to move away.

Afterwards, we walked up the hill to the Alfama neighborhood. We briefly considered taking one of the historic trams, 28. But the line to get on was too long and we walked instead.

We passed the church of Saint Anthony, a Roman Catholic church in the Baroque-Rococo style. The current building dates from the 1760s, as it had to be rebuilt after the 1755 earthquake.

The Lisbon cathedral, or the Se, was just up the street. It is the oldest church in the city, built in 1147. It was quite busy though, so we didn’t go in.

Finally, we made it to the Castle of Sao Jorge. The hill on which Saint George’s Castle stands has played an important part in the history of Lisbon. It has been fortified successively by Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Romans, and Moors, before the Portuguese conquered it in the 1147 Siege of Lisbon. Since then, it has served as a royal palace, a military barracks, home of the National Archive, and now as a national monument and museum. I loved the views from the terrace. I could see and recognize most all of the landmarks I had visited earlier in the day. I also enjoyed climbing on the walls and exploring the fortification. But with the early wake up for my flight from Funchal, I quickly grew tired. Vessi and I grabbed a quick drink as we made our way down the hill. Then it was time for some sleep, as I had a grand adventure planned for my last day in Portugal.