Walking Tour of Lisbon Portugual | Narrated Walk through Baixa
Hello, everybody. It's Margaret here from Free Tours By Foot and today, I'm going to be taking you on a virtual tour of Lisbon. We'll be focusing on the area of the city known as the Baixa, part of Lisbon's downtown featuring a mix of beautiful buildings, decorated streets, open plazas, and plenty of history. We're starting our walk today on the banks of the Tagas or Teja River which flows from Spain through Lisbon and onto the Atlantic Ocean. From this very countless explorers such as Fasco the Gama left these shores to explore the globe opening up priceless trade routes and connecting Europe with the rest of the world for better and for worse as we make our way through town you'll notice the strong connection between Lisbon and the seafaring past so it's fitting that we'll begin our walk here As we come to the edge of the water, you'll see two small columns ahead of us. We're standing on what's known as the
column pier named after these pillars which represent the two pillars of the Temple of Solomon, wisdom and devotion. These mark the traditional and symbolic aquatic entrance into Lisbon. Here you can see the arrivals of Queen Elizabeth the second of the United Kingdom. And King Alfonso the 13th of
Spain. As we pan to the right, you'll notice the large bridge. This is the 25th of April Bridge named after the date of the Carnation Revolution which resulted in the creation of a Portuguese democracy. If it looks familiar to you, this could be because it's designed after the San Francisco Bay Bridge and painted the same color as the Golden Gate Bridge. To the right in this photo, you'll also notice the Catholic Monument, the Sanctuary of Christ the King, inspired by the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio the Janeiro, built to express for the relative sparing of Portugal during the Second World War. You can see it just
to the left of the stone pillar in front of us. This area along the river's edge is a popular place for visitors and locals to come and relax but centuries ago this was actually the courtyard of a royal palace Rivera Palace the main royal residence in Lisbon from the early 1500s until its destruction in 1755 in fact nearly all of this part of Lisbon was destroyed in 1755 in a rapid series of tragic events on the first of November that year All Saints Day Lisbon was rocked by a massive earthquake so strong shocks reported as far away as Greenland. Lit candles in place throughout the city for the religious holiday were shaken from their ledges sparking a firestorm that tore through the wooden city. The terrified residents who had survived the collapse of the city's buildings and the ensuing fire rushed to the water's edge only to be met with an exposed riverbed. A horrifying precursor to three tsunami waves that would obliterate what was left of the city. 85% of Lisbon was destroyed and in a city with a of around 200, 000, it's thought 30 to 40 thousand of them were killed. In place of
the ruined palace today stands the Prasad the Commercio. This beautiful open plaza that houses a number of state departments including the Supreme Court. The large statue in the middle of the plaza depicts King Joseph the first who was on the throne at the time of the earthquake. The royal family weren't in the city center that day so they all survived the tragedy. However, the event triggered a severe case of claustrophobia in the king and for the rest of his life, he would only live in a series of tents. The circular medallion on the front of the statue depicts the marquee the Pambal. He was prime minister during Joseph's reign and the
reconstruction of the city lay entirely in his hands. In fact, the area we're exploring today is sometimes referred to as the Besha Pambalina in honor of the man who rebuilt it. His work here was important not just for the appearance of the structures he created but the fact that his rebuilt city features the first earthquake resistant buildings in the world. On this side of the you'll find the Lisbon Story Center. The story center is a museum of local history beginning from the region's mythical routes and its oldest archaeology. It's not a traditional museum. You'll find immersive exhibits
and detailed sets recreating historic Lisbon events. It's a great place to visit with children and has an excellent audio tour of the whole museum. If you're travelling on a budget, a time of recording, entrance is just seven euros for an adult ticket. Well, let's go back into the square and get a good look at the huge arch that dominates this part of the plaza. We're coming up to the Rua Augusta Arch named for the long street of the Rua Augusta that runs behind it which we're going to see shortly. It's designed as a triumphal arch often built in the Roman Empire to celebrate military victories. This one, however, celebrates the
reconstruction of the city following the 1755 earthquake. It took over a century to complete begun in 1755 and finally finished in 1873. The arch is highly decorated with a number of figures carved by French sculptor Celestine Anatol Kamal. On the very top
stands a figure representing glory. She's crowning Valor on our left and genius on our right. Below them is just the code of arms of Portugal. The two reclining figures on either
side represent Lisbon's two rivers. The Teju on our left and the Doro on our right. From left to right, the four standing figures are Veriotus, an ancient Lucitanian who fought against the Romans in the second century BC, Fasco Digama, the legendary explorer who first chartered the sea root from Europe to India, the Marquis the Pambal, whose work is honored by the arch, and Domuno Alvarez Pereira, a general who secured Portugal's independence from Castile in the 14th century. Note that the arch is open to the public and you can actually go inside and up to the top for some incredible views. Here's the we've just seen.
And over here part of the Besha, the streets we're about to explore. Now, let's walk along and get a look underneath the arch. It's beautiful almost everywhere you look. Thank you for the view. Look at that lovely detail.
Here you get a glimpse of the entrance of the Ministry of Justice. And from here we're going to make our way to another important plaza. As we look at all the buildings around us, you'll likely notice the unique Lisbon street lamps hanging from nearly every building. More modern lamps you'll find on posts but these
original cast iron creations are attached directly to the Pomberlin buildings. Originally olive oil lamps at the end of the 18th century, they were later turned electric in 1878. Most of them feature a design unique to the city, a caravel ship with two ravens, the symbol of Lisbon. This is the Prasa to Munasipio Municipal Square and home of Lisbon City Hall which is here on our immediate left. This version of the city hall building dates from 1880 after the previous Pomelin structure was lost in a fire. On the
fifth of October in 1910 that Portugal was officially declared a republic after the overthrow of the Bargainzian dynasty. The building you can see ahead on the left with the Portuguese flag on top is the Court of Appeal. And the in front of us situated on top of five steps of limestone is the pillary of Lisbon. Purely symbolic, it's made from a single block of marble and is topped with a guilt metal sphere.
And as we look over here, we'll see our next stop. Located inside an old converted church, this is the Museu Du De Niro, the Museum of Money. Run by the Bank of Portugal, the exhibits inside take a broad view of the subject of money, spanning the lengths of the world and timeline of human history. It's
an interesting place to visit with hands-on exhibitions and the definite feel of an old world church combined with the sleekness of a modern bank. In addition to that, once inside you can access the crypt of the church and see the remnants of Lisbon's 13th century walls and best of all it's free. Just a brief pause here. If you look down the street ahead, you'll notice the road moves upward. Now, Baisha means low and that's the area we're exploring today but Lisbon also has an upper district, the Bairu Altu, known for its night life, the Bairo Altu is filled with winding streets and historical structures that manage to escape the destruction of the Baisha. If you want to explore the Bairo Altu, let us take you. You'll find a link to our virtual tour
of the district below. Hi, now we're about to come out onto the Rua Augusta and as we turn the corner you'll see that arch bearing its name the building to our left is the museum of design and fashion housed in a former bank you can see it's under construction at the time of filming the collection inside is focused on modern fashion and design from the 1930s onward and the museum often has outdoor exhibits on the street here which are free to enjoy Rua Augusta is a pedestrian only street, a place that aside for socializing, dining, window shopping, and actual shopping. The long corridor of Pomberlin buildings is flanked by the arch behind us and Russell Square on the other end which will visit later. The street really comes alive around
sunset when outdoor dining and drinking replaces working and walking. As we approach the street up ahead, we'll be standing on a crossroads with the tram line that runs along this street, the number 28, is one of the best trams to take in Lisbon in terms of sight scene. Check out our post detailing all the information you need to make the most of your journey on the number 28 using the link below. The 28 takes you up to the
Bairu Altu and Shiadu neighborhoods in this direction. And out to Alphama one of Lisbon's oldest areas and home to the castle of Saint George in this direction and here comes one of those tram cars now some of the wooden trolleys planking to the streets of Lisbon have been in operation since the 1930s and are now an iconic part of the city skate running every 15 minutes or so in the city center the building just across the street to our right is Millennium BCP but this modern day bank has a secret treasure underneath. Let's get closer. Here it is. Around 2000 years ago, the area we're walking through was the site of the Roman city of Elizabeth situated on the western edge of the Roman Empire. This phase of Lisbon's history was lost until the 1755 earthquake which uncovered Roman galleries under the city. Still until the 20th century, some of these ruins make up an archaeological site underneath this bank and it's open to the public for free guided tours every day but Sunday. The entrance to use when taking these tours is down
a side street here behind these big green doors. You can see beautiful tiling on the side of the building. Up here on the corner on the left is little cafe specializing in codfish cakes, a Portuguese specialty. Made with cod fish, potato, egg, parsley, and then deep fried.
You'll find them all over Lisbon and they make a delicious little treat. Here you can see it. And above it beautiful tiles all along the side of the building. Known as Azuleju, this style of ceramic tile making was brought into Portugal from the Moors centuries ago. You'll find them all over the city and in every
district. Now we're heading back on the Rua Augusta. As you can see from the street sign up ahead. And as we go you'll notice these tiles under our feet known as calsada or Portuguese pavement. These are popular
throughout not only Portugal but former Portuguese colonies as well. And if we look up ahead we see another building with more of those beautiful Azul tiles on the right. Beautiful. Most of the Calsada in Lisbon date from the 1840s and later but are sadly now in danger of disappearing. The upkeep is intensive and requires specialist skill that's not particularly highly paid in addition to the safety hazards they cause when wet or when the pattern is missing tiles.
Straight up ahead of us, you'll see the buildings begin to rise up. This is the Alphama tucked up in the hills. The purplish building directly ahead of us holds the Elevator Costello, built to take visitors from below streets of the Baisha up into Alphama. We're now approaching Saint Nicholas Church which you can see just step ahead into the right and as we come out, you'll see all along the street, there are tiled covered shops with flats above built into the side of it. Here you can see it's all one building. This is reflective of the
style. Impressive, beautiful to look at, and also efficient. Here, there are sacred, commercial, and residential spaces all sharing the same walls. Built on the side of a 13th century church, this virgin was erected at the end of the 18th century. The church is beautifully decorated on the
inside with paintings from the scenes of the life of Saint Nicholas and is furnished with multi-colored marble. Now we're going to turn and make our way onto or Silver Street and there's a goldsmith street on the other side of the church. The Pomelin rebuild of the Baisha saw the city streets laid out in straight rows in a new world style grid pattern with names referring to the local trades of the area. Nearby this area, you'll also find Shoemaker Street and Draper Street, just to name a few. And now we'll make that turn down Silver Street. We're now making our way toward the Santa Gista elevator which connects the with the Largo Ducampo. Lisbon is a hilly city
and throughout the decades, there have been multiple attempts to find ways to easily get people from the lower to the upper districts and this is one of my favorites. Built in 1902 and originally powered by Steam. The Santa Justta Lift was designed by architect Raul Mesnier Duposnad who was inspired by the Eiffel Tower. The structure is 45 meters or 148 feet tall. Just over seven stories. And contains two
polished wooden carriages inside. Each pulled by 16 cables. Although made of iron is still delicately designed. If you want to take the ride, it's included in a Lisboa card or day pass for the metro. Otherwise, at time of recording, it's just a little over five euros. There's also a viewing platform at the very top of the structure that can be accessed for a few extra euro. But the pedestrian bridge
to the top also offers good views like what you can see here. If you want to know what Lisbon looks like from the top of the Santa Just to Lift, make sure to check out our walk in the Shiadu area. You'll find the link below. Oh and just over here you'll find oh never mind. That's for after the tour. Um Anyway, carrying on.
Just through this archway is the incredible King Kedra the fourth square or as the locals call it the Rosio. There's actually been a huge public square here since the Middle Ages. Let's see what the current one looks like. And here we are. Firstly, you'll notice the Calsada under our feet. The plaza here is blanketed with this unindulating design representing the waves of the sea. The tiles are made from the salt, the black, and limestone, the white. It's actually but us walking along
here after a few drinks in the evening. Here's one of two beautiful fountains in the plaza. Installed in 1889 they were cast in France and designed by famed French sculptors who completed the main pieces and Michelle Leonat who designed the smaller figures and ornaments. If you look at the detail you'll find fish shells and anchors all references to the sea hence the four mermaids. The large figures near the bottom are Poseidon and Aphrodite and Aki and Galatia from the handle opera of the same name. If you
find yourself in this bin and you're wanting to take a tour, then the Rosio is a great place to start as many walking tour companies have walks that begin right here. Make sure to check out our website for more information. Were now standing at the base of the column of Pedro the fourth. The figures around the bottom represent justice,
wisdom, strength, and moderation. All qualities attributed to the king. Pedro himself is standing on the top. The document he's holding is Portugal's constitution. During his brief time ruling Portugal and Brazil where he was known as Emperor Pedro the first, Pedro seated some power to a parliament. That compromise between absolute monarchy and representative system is what governed Portugal for most of a century until the end of the monarchy in 1910. If you look ahead and slightly above us, you'll get a glimpse of the remains of the Carmel Convent, originally founded in 1389. The ruin structure, another victim of a 1755
earthquake, now houses an archaeological museum. As we move to the left of the convent you'll get another view of the top of the Santa Gista elevator. The building straight ahead of us with the columns in front is the Queen Maria the second National Theatre. The most prestigious of Lisbon's theaters. Originally built in 1450 to house foreign dignitaries visiting Lisbon. It
was later the headquarters of the inquisition. Miraculously it survived the 1755 earthquake but was destroyed by fire in 1836. The version standing now was completed in 1846 and dedicated to Queen Mary the second who was on the throne at the time. The figure on the very top of the theater is that of Gil Vicente considered the founder of Portuguese Theatre whose works incidentally were censured by the inquisition that was housed here. We're now entering Fig Tree Square. The hill that you see
ahead of us is called Molerea and is adjacent to Alphama and the Saint George Castle which you can see to the left of the hilltop. Remember those free walking tours I told you about that star in the Rossu. Some of them will take you all the way up there. The main statue in the square is that of King John the first who became king of Portugal in 1385. He was the
country's longest ruler on the throne for 48 years and he left behind a dynasty that lasted two centuries. His son Prince Henry the navigator made Portugal's first expeditions to Africa setting off centuries of empire building. His heirs also include Manuel the first the king for whom the Manualline architectural style is named. Despite the and time period of the king depicted, this statue was only erected in 1971. Although small, this square is worth visiting for two different reasons. Firstly, the transport links. Right in the corner of the square is a tram stop which serves number 12 and number fifteen. The twelve goes up to Alphama and is an
alternative to the more famous and more crowded, number twenty-eight that we talked about earlier. The 15 goes to another area of Lisbon, Bellem, a virtual tour of which you'll find linked below. Secondly, Figtree Square is home to Confederera Nacional. Founded in 1829 and considered by many to be the best bakery in Lisbon. This institution was once confectioner to the royal family. The specialty, pastel denata, Portuguese egg tart. These iconic treats are sold
everywhere in Portugal but they're particularly associated with Lisbon. In the 18th century, monasteries and convents used huge quantities of egg whites to starch their clothes and the spare yolks were sent to the kitchen to be made into cakes and pastries bringing pastel the to the world. As we leave the square, we're going to come across a charming little shop just down here on our left known as Baccalaria Silva. They sell all sorts of things inside like ham and olive oil but this is also an excellent place to buy cod, Pagalo. I mentioned cod fish cakes earlier but this is
something different, salted cod. As we've discussed, Portugal was a seafaring nation and when packing their ships for international travel centuries ago, dried and salted preserved cod was a staple. People still buy a day. The fish must be soaked in water which is changed every so often for 24- 72 hours. Then it's ready to cook as normal. It's said there are over 1, 000 recipes for salted cod in Portugal alone. And in many parts of the country it serves as the traditional Christmas Eve meal. Our next stop is at the bottom of the small, the Church of Saint Dominic.
This church has a long history and aside from hosting royal weddings that history is mostly filled with disaster and tragedy. Destroyed in the 1755 earthquake, the church took 200 years to rebuild, only to be completely gutted by fire in 1959, suffering the loss of many important paintings and statues. It was reopened as you see it today in 1994, although some signs of the fire still exist inside. The church also associated with the inquisition. It was inside here that it passed many sentences on those cruelly considered heretics. Jesuit missionary Gabriel Malagrida was executed
just outside the church publicly strangled to death in 1761. Later, the church was also the location of the forced baptisms of African slaves who were brought here from the ships before being sent off to life in fields or mines. The area became home to many African descended Portuguese and today the church generally had an African born priest. And on the 19th of April 15 06 a recently converted Jewish man was pulled from the church and publicly beaten to death accused of heresy sparking a massacre that would spread throughout the city the primary target was the city's Jewish community even those who had recently converted to Christianity in nearly three days it's estimated that more than 1900 people were tortured and murdered slaughtered or burnt at the stake since two thousand there's been a small monument outside the church showcasing the star of David paying respects to the Jewish people murdered during what's now known as the Lisbon massacre. But now for something a little lighter a barnia is a sweet liqueur made from local brandy infused with sour cherries and cinnamon originally made by monks it was believe to have medicinal benefits personally I still choose to believe the bar here and it is literally just a bar opened in 1840 and has become the definitive Gina establishment in Lisbon they sell shots of the drink and absolutely nothing else for one euro each the only thing you need to side is if to have your drink with or without. Meaning with or without a piece of
cherry in the glass. We've made our way back to the top of the Rosieu and you can see the Queen Mary the second theatre just ahead of us here. But instead of returning to the plaza, we're going to make our way down here. Directly ahead of us sits the iconic Rosio train station. It's been designed in a style known as Neomanuline. The manual style is a Portuguese late gothic style of architecture. Rooted in Gothic and Moorish with the details
from the many places Portugal colonized or traded with plus maritime symbols for the mastery of the ocean that made it all possible. The neo and neomanuline means that this building is a late imitation of that style. The station opened in 1891. There isn't much architectural style still standing in the city today which makes the station all that more important. The figure depicted between the two doors
is King Sebastian of Portugal. A king whose disappearance in battle prompted the 60 years of union was Spain. Much like his real life counterpart the statue of King Sebastian had also disappeared. The victim of a tourist trying to climb onto
it for a photograph. But he has since returned to his rightful place. Note that the station is not just nice to look at, it's useful too. From here, you can take a train to reach an area known as Centra, a one-time playground for the royals and the royally rich. It's a stunning collection of palaces, castles, estates, villas, and gardens all nestled alongside a nature park which makes it a Unesco world heritage site and if you want to visit it virtually, just let us take you. You'll find a link below. But today, instead of heading to the station, we'll make our way up this street.
This is the avenue of liberty built in the style of the here we're on the southern tip of the avenue in Restore Square. During the rebuilding the Baisha after the 1755 earthquake this area was designated for a gated park exclusively accessible by the city's nobility. In turn they built homes along the park and in the late 19th century it became a street. It's still a cosmopolitan powerful space.
Embassy's hotel and some of the most expensive shopping in Europe as well as one of the most prestigious addresses in Portugal are to be found along the avenue. And you'll notice more of those exceptional calcita tiles we talked about earlier. Beautiful. The pillar in front of us here is the monument to the restores. I mentioned to you previously that Spain and Portugal were joined for a period of 60 years. 60 tumultuous years from the Portuguese side and it
finally ended with the war of independence in 1640 that led to the restoration of the Portuguese crown. This monument was constructed in 1886 as a statement of support for Portugal's continued independence. It was one of the last touches in the conversion of the area from park to street. In script carved into the stone mention the battles in the war of restoration and there are two bronze figures on either side representing victory and independence. Here
we see independence. A glance here to our left shows us the Tiatro Eden or Eden Theatre. This interesting building opened as a movie theater in 1931 and the large white classic art deco reliefs across the front and top portray the act of film making as a stuff of heroic legend. The giant square openings beneath them on the left and right of the facade used to display gigantic movie posters. Today however it operates as an hotel. Not bad is it? There are the spaces for the old movie posters. Will head
further down the avenue. The pink building ahead of us here is the Faz Palace. Originally built in 1777 as the home of the count of Castella Miller. It was purchased in 1889 by the Marquis the Faz who turned it into a Louis the 14th style wonderland inside.
Complete with the hall of mirrors inspired by the Palace of Versailles. The interior is not generally open to the public although there are occasional guided tours. However, every Monday evening, the palace hosts a concert in the Hall of Mirrors and if you can believe it, it's absolutely free. Running up alongside the palace, you'll find the Gloria Fenicular. This finicular has been running since 1885 to make
this hilly city a little easier to scale. There are two cars on the route and originally the mechanism relied on the gravity of the upper descending car to pull the lower ascending car along with a push from different kinds of power depending on the era. It's the work of Raul Mesnier Du Ponsad whose name you might recognize from the Santagista elevator. There are only two top and bottom. A one way ticket is just under three euro at time of recording. But today we're going to make our way on foot. We've got a lot of calories to
burn after the codfish cakes and pastel denata. And we've made it. Climbing that hill has taken us out of the Besha and into the Bairu Altu, the high town. We're
heading to our final stop, the Sal Pedro the Alecantara viewpoint for some amazing views of the streets we've just been exploring. And here we are. To the left of our view is the Lisbon we have yet to uncover. As we look around below us here is the Baisha and you can just about make out the Castle of Saint George on the hill opposite just in the distance and to the right we can see all the way back to the Teju where our journey started And now let's zoom in.
Again, starting on our left and moving back towards the water. Again panning over the streets of the and coming into view will be the Castle of Saint George. Just there up on the hill. I hope you've enjoyed your virtual walking tour of
Lisbon today. You'll find links to more of our virtual tours in Lisbon and the rest of the world in the information below. If you enjoyed the video, please like, subscribe, and share with your friends. Again, my name is Margaret with Free Tours By Foot and it's been my pleasure walking with you for every step of our journey.
2022-02-23 08:44
