The Avenida da Liberdade, is Lisbon’s main boulevard and the location for designer shops, expensive restaurants and trendy bars. Between the luxurious and exclusive decadence, there are fine examples of classical 19th-century Portuguese architecture and the two central plazas contain charming water features and grand statues. The avenue extends up hill, from Restauradores square to the Marques de Pombal square and is a pleasant place for tourists to stroll along or stare into the windows of the fashionable boutiques. The walk along the length of the Avenida da Liberdade is a recommended activity for those visitors with plenty of time to discover Lisbon.

The Praça Dom Pedro IV is the main central square of Lisbon and the true heart of the city. The Portuguese take pride in their great square with its nauseating stone paving, grand fountains and statue of (supposedly) Dom Pedro IV. Lisbon revolves around Rossio, it is here that the students come to sing, workers to protest and tourists to drink overpriced coffee. Praça Dom Pedro is often referred simply to its much older name of Rossio.

Visit Lisbon Cathedral Se, built immediately after Christians took Lisbon, in 1147 and admire the church’s intricate stained glass rose window, reconstructed with fragments from the original while learning about the reconstruction performed just last century.

Continue on your journey to “Senhora do Monte” hill, where you will be overwhelmed with one of the most spectacular panoramic views of Lisbon, as well as of the estuary of the Tagus river.

Time to visit the Belem Quarter, the monumental area dedicated to the great Portuguese seafarers of the 15th and 16th-centuries. Here you will visit the Tower of Belem (the symbol of Lisbon), the monastery of St. Gerome (Mosteiro dos Jeronimos), a masterpiece of Portuguese 16th-century architecture and World Heritage listed monument by UNESCO, and the monument to the Discoveries.

Mosteiro dos Jerónimos is the most popular monument in Portugal. It’s King Manuel I tribute to the great explorers of the 15th century (which includes the sea route to India founded by Vasco da Gama in 1498). We’ll not only learn about the Portuguese maritime discoveries, but we’ll also visit the church where Vasco da Gama is buried (we won’t go inside the monastery, but we'll visit the church).

Visit the tomb of the Portuguese explorer, Vasco da Gama and the poet Luis de Camões. Continue to Belém Tower and Padrão dos Descobrimentos (Monument to the Discoveries). Belém Tower was strategically built on the north bank of the Tagus River between 1514 and 1520, in order to protect Lisbon from attack. One of the jewels of architecture from the reign of King Manuel I, it was also inscribed by UNESCO in 1983.