Travel news: Seven things to do and see in Lisbon, Portugal

Lisbon is the hilly, coastal capital of Portugal known for its historic charm, stunning viewpoints, yellow trams and iconic yellow-and-white architecture.

I visited the "City of Seven Hills" in July 2017 and enjoyed traversing throughout the city as well as the beautiful summer weather.

Here, Travel News Blitz’s Ayla Vaughan explores seven things to do and see in Lisbon, Portugal.

Oceanário de Lisboa

The Oceanário de Lisboa is world-renowned and one of the largest aquariums in Europe, featuring over 15,000 marine creatures from 500 species.

Visitors can view their three exhibits (Aquarium, Submerged Universe and Forests Underwater) and admire the stunning building which sits above the sea and has bridges connecting the different parts of the structure.

Praça do Comércio

Praça do Comércio is one of the biggest squares in Europe and is located in this stylish area of downtown Lisbon, making it a great place for a leisurely stroll with an amazing view of the harbour.

It often displays beautiful works of art and sculpture, but also features shops, cafes and restaurants nearby combining modern and contemporary architecture.

Torre de Belém

Torre de Belém is a 16th-century tower which serves as a monument to Portugal's Age of Discovery, which shaped much of the country’s history and the establishment of their global empire.

This fortification served as a point of arrival and departure for Portuguese explorers and as a ceremonial gateway to Lisbon, whilst also being a prominent example of the Portuguese Manueline architecture style.

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Jerónimos Monastery

Jerónimos Monastery is a masterpiece of Manueline and Gothic architecture, which was inspired by Vasco da Gama who is buried here with other great navigators of the past.

It is a former monastery of the Order of Saint Jerome (a Catholic cloistered religious order), but was secularized in 1833 and now has many purposes, hosting museums and being the resting place of historical figures from the country.

Padrão Dos Descobrimentos

Padrão Dos Descobrimentos was built in honour of Portugal's Prince Henry the Navigator in 1960 and to commemorate the nation’s many famous explorers and adventurers, as well as the era’s monarchs, cartographers, artists, scientists and missionaries.

Additionally, it is a dramatic work of art in stone that resembles the explorers leaving to navigate the seas of the world, showing the importance of this historic period to Portugal in modern times.

Castelo De São Jorge

Castelo De São Jorge is located on a hill that has played an important part in the history of Lisbon, having served as the location of fortifications occupied by the Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Romans and Moors, before its eventual conquest by the Portuguese in 1147. 

Since the 12th century, it has served as a royal palace, a military barracks, home of the Torre do Tombo National Archive and now as a national monument and museum.

Igreja de São Vicente de Fora

The Igreja de São Vicente de Fora is a 17th-century church and monastery, and one of the most important monasteries and mannerist (a style in European art) buildings in the country. 

Furthermore, it contains the royal pantheon of the Braganza monarchs of Portugal, as well as beautiful ceramic tiles - called azulejo - formed into panels that depict several different scenes from fables written by Jean de La Fontaine.

Lastly, its many parts include a cistern, entrance hall, cloisters, church, sacristy, pantheon of the patriarchs, Chapel Palhavã, Chapel of Saint Anthony and a panoramic view of Lisbon from its rooftop.

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