Follow the stream of the river Tagus in Lisbon

Lisbon is the capital of Portugal with 500.000 inhabitants and a population of nearly 3 million in the urban area. A very rich cultural city with many historical and contemporary influences. It is famous for its cobblestone pavements and an egg custard pastry ‘Pastéis de Belém’.

What to do if you only have one day in Lisbon?

We have chosen to walk along the river Tagus. Surprised by all that got on our path. The goal was to reach the Torre de Belém on the north banks of the river Tagus. This is an 8 kilometer walk from the port of Lisbon. You can also take a bike or an electric scooter as there is a nice bike lane along the route. This path along the riverbanks is flat, although Lisbon lays on 7 hills.

On the north side of the square Praça do Comércio you find the Arco da Rua Augusta. Each of the 6 pillars are 11 meters high. They built the arch in memory of the reconstruction of the city after the earthquake in 1755. The statues on the arch are all of great historical figures. For example the statue of Vasco da Gama who discovered the route of India.

In 1966 they opened the famous suspension bridge for public. At that time they called it the Ponte de Salazar after the prime minister Salazar. The name of the bridge changed to Ponte 25 de Abril during the military coup of April 25th in 1974. This was the start of the Carnation Revolution against the remnants of Salazar’s dictatorship. The bridge connects the city of Lisbon with the city of Almada that is divided by the Tagus river. The bridge is 2,28 kilometers long and at hightide it’s 70 meters above sea-level.

The Portuguese Renaissance or the Golden Age

Padrâo dos Descobrimientos is the monument of the discoveries. Meaning the discoveries by the Portuguese during the 15th and 16th centuries. The monument is 52 meters high and it is a ship with curved sails in the wind. On both sides of the ship there are 33 historical figures in total. They all have something to do with exploring the new world, from writers, explorers, captains, navigators, painters and royalties. You can see a movie and a lift that brings you to the top floor for a stunning view. On the square is a 50-meter diameter compass rose made of different types of limestone. In the middle is a map of the world showing the routes of the Portuguese discoveries.

The Torre de Belém on the north banks of the Tagus river is from the 16th century in a late Manueline Style built in the middle of the Portuguese Renaissance. The fortress commemorates the voyages of Vasco da Gama and the grandeur of the Portuguese power in the 15th and 16th centuries. Nowadays you can reach the Torre de Belém by a small wooden bridge. Before the earthquake of 1755 the fortress was situated on a small island in the middle of the river Tagus.