LISBON
Portugal’s capital sits on the
north bank of the Tagus estuary, 17 km (10 miles) from the Atlantic. The city has a
population of about 700,000 but the conurbation of ‘Grande Lisboa’, which has
engulfed many surrounding villages, has over one million people. Razed to the ground by
the earthquake of 1755, the city centre is essentially 18th century, with
carefully planned, elegant streets in the Baixa. On the hills on either side of the
centre, the narrow streets of Alfama and Bairro Alto make it a personal, approachable
city. Since its days of glory during the Age of Discovery, when the city was at the
forefront of world trade, Lisbon has been an important port. Today the docks have moved;
however, the great monuments in Belém still bear witness to the city’s maritime
past.
Back to
CT-land