In my humble opinion, Lisbon is one of the most dynamic cities in Europe; it changes and transforms continuously. I went there for the first time almost 20 years ago and then come back many times in the last few years and every time I am amazed. The city administration is investing a lot to promote (with the sound of laws) foreign investments in the area, and is de-taxing domestic investors. The results are evident! The boom in foreign visits in Lisbon and throughout Portugal has reached levels never seen before in recent years. Former disreputable neighborhoods that become fashionable, new museums, new exhibition spaces and large infrastructures, without ever losing its identity. If you go there for the first time and for a few days of course you will have to dedicate yourself to visiting the most "classic" places (you can find everything in my previous article on Lisbon), but if you have more time you can discover more unusual and alternative places that will make you feel a lisbonese doc.
Remember that you can buy the Lisboa Card which includes tickets to many of the most important and famous attractions / museums in the city (and you will skip the queues!) As well as unlimited public transport.
Unusual Lisbon: 15 places you can't miss
1) Plaza Príncipe Real
2) LX Factory
LX Factory is located in a former industrial complex dedicated to the printing of Portuguese newspapers and newspapers converted from 2008 to today into ateliers, restaurants, bookstores, coworking spaces, theaters, laboratories, etc. It is a very active complex: the central avenue and all the Open Air area, for example, are used for the Vintage market on Sundays, for concerts and for various festivaleventi especially in the summer months. Above all, do not miss the beautiful Bookstore Ler Devagar and the murals scattered throughout the area.
The LX Factory is also a great choice for the evening: super cool restaurants and cool clubs. The view of the XNUMXth June bridge from here is incredible, you will feel like you are in Brooklyn!
3) Mayor
4) Santa Clara vintage market
5) Coleçcao Berardo Museum
6) A gita to Cacilhas
7) Silver Arm Factory
11) Campo de Ourique Market
All tourists usually go to the very hipster Time-out Market near Cais do Sodré and only very few go as far as Campo de Ourique Market. We are talking about one of the oldest covered markets in Lisbon, located in a very popular neighborhood, Campo de Ourique (in the north of the city) which is undergoing a major redevelopment. The market was renovated and reopened in 2013 and, next to the stalls selling fresh fruit, bread, fish or meat, there are small tasquinhas, taverns, charcutaria, marisqueira, ice cream parlors and small gourmet shops. You can order whatever you want and then eat it at one of the many tables located in the central space of the market.
12) Cold Greenhouse
As a great lover of botanical gardens, I always go to look for them in every city I visit and Lisbon has many, one more beautiful than the other! L'Cold Greenhouse (which means cold greenhouse) is the last one I discovered and is inside the Eduardo VII Park, the main park of Lisbon at the end of the big one Avenida da Libertade. It is called this because, unlike other greenhouses, no type of heating is used. In reality, the garden includes several greenhouses, the cold one, the hot one and the 'sweet' one where there are cacti and so-called succulent plants. It goes without saying that it is an absolute oasis of peace. I walked there for an hour and met 10 people in all. If you are looking for a place to regenerate yourself this is the right place! (the entrance ticket costs 3 euros - price 2019).
13) National Palace of Aid
Another great passion of mine are the royal palaces so I certainly couldn't miss the Portuguese Royal Palace! The National Palace of Aid it was built at the behest of the royal family in 1802 and is located on a hill above Belém. The palace, however, was still incomplete when the royals were forced to flee to Brazil in 1807. Like all royal palaces, here too opulence is not lacking! Beautiful the royal apartments, the throne room, the immense dining room and the ballroom. The entrance ticket costs 5 euros (price 2019). Almost in front of the building there is also the Jardim Botanico d'Ajuda, one of the oldest in Lisbon. Designed in 1768, it was owned by the royal family until the birth of the Republic in 1910. It is a beautiful garden from which you also enjoy a magnificent view on Belém, on the 25 de Abril bridge and on the Cristo Rei. The entrance ticket costs 2 euros (price 2019).
14) Frontier Palace
Il Palace of the Marquises of Fronteira is a historic residence located in Benfica, in the suburbs of Lisbon, and was built starting from 1640. The palace is still inhabited by the descendants of Don Joaode Mascarenhas but some rooms are used as a museum and, together with the gardens, can be visit on certain fixed days / times. The palace and the Italian gardens they are decorated with magnificent azulejos depicting battle scenes or playing monkeys. Among the rooms, the Battle Hall stands out, decorated with scenes from the war of independence. The oldest part of the estate is represented by a chapel dating back to the sixteenth century. Here you will find the times and days when it can be visited.
15) Chinese Pavilion
I don't know how I could have escaped this place for so many years, it seems impossible to me !! The Chinese Pavilion it is an amazing venue which is located near the main square of Principe Real. In the nineteenth century it was a tea and coffee shop, today it is a bar organized in several rooms full of furniture and display cabinets that exhibit about 800 pieces from all over the world (one is dedicated to tram models). It's a super cozy bar with (obviously) vintage air to come and drink. Some evenings they even do fado shows.
You might be inAlso read these other articles on Lisbon and Portugal:
- Lisbon: what to see in 3 days (if you are going there for the first time)
- Restaurants in Lisbon: 15 must-see addresses
- Where to sleep in Lisbon: better neighborhoods and hotels
- How to organize a trip to the Azores: when to go, how and where
- Azores: what to see and what to do in these dream islands
- Alentejo (Portugal): what to see
- What to see in the Algarve: a road trip in southern Portugal
- Madeira: what to see on the island of eternal spring
