The Baixa<\/strong> district was rebuilt after a tidal wave and earthquake in 1755. You’ll find many grand squares (including the Pra\u00e7a do Com\u00e9rcio<\/strong>) and wide avenues. A little further on, the Bairro Alto<\/strong> district stands out as the city’s lively and fashionable quarter, with its countless bars, clubs, restaurants, and shops of all kinds, as well as its own cathedral and botanical garden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the chic and elegant Chiado<\/strong> district, you can visit the ruins of the Carmo Church<\/strong>, browse the shops on Rua do Carmo<\/strong> and Rua Garrett<\/strong> with their historic shopfronts, before visiting the Chiado National Museum of Contemporary Art<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As for the Bel\u00e9m<\/strong> district, it is closely linked to the departure of Vasco da Gama’s caravels for India. You’ll find many sites of interest here: the Museum of Ancient Art<\/strong>, the Navy Museum<\/strong>, the Cultural Centre<\/strong>, and of course, the magnificent Bel\u00e9m Tower<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Don’t forget to explore the Parque das Na\u00e7\u00f5es (Park of Nations)<\/strong>, so different from the rest of the city with its avant-garde architecture. It includes various interesting venues like the Ocean\u00e1rio<\/strong>, the Portugal Pavilion<\/strong>, the Pavilion of Knowledge and Living Science<\/strong>, the Lisbon Casino<\/strong>, and many more. A cable car will take you on a 1km journey near the Vasco da Gama bridge, at the foot of the eponymous tower.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A manageable, human-scale city rich with countless treasures, of which we have mentioned only a few examples here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Lisbon region is located in the middle of the country and stretches on either side of the Tagus estuary. It is bordered to the north by the Centre region, to the east by the Alentejo, and to the west by the Atlantic Ocean, while its southern boundary is shared between the latter two. North of the Tagus, the landscape is one of hills, while to the south, you’ll find more rugged coastlines and nature reserves. This region is home to about 25% of Portugal’s total population, and it offers many sites to discover, which often leads to quite dense and sometimes difficult traffic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Besides Lisbon itself, which deserves a visit of several days, you can discover several interesting places in this region. Here are a few examples.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The town of Sintra<\/strong> and its palaces, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is an unmissable first stop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Not far from there, Cabo da Roca<\/strong> marks the most westerly point of mainland Europe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The village of Cascais<\/strong> is also well worth a visit with its typical 19th-century architecture, from the period when it became a seaside resort for Europe’s wealthiest holidaymakers. Today, it remains a very popular seaside spot and a charming fishing port.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Further south, the Serra da Arr\u00e1bida Natural Park<\/strong> offers a stunning area where the deep green of the mountain vegetation meets the bright white of the limestone cliffs and the deep blue of the ocean.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Peniche<\/strong>, a major fishing port, offers a historic heart worth exploring in addition to its many maritime activities. Offshore, the Berlengas<\/strong> nature reserve, an archipelago of wild beauty, serves as a refuge for many migratory birds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Back on the coast, Estoril<\/strong> charms visitors with its sandy beaches, its park filled with tropical plants, and its beautiful avenues shaded by palm trees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In Set\u00fabal<\/strong>, besides taking a dip in the sea, you’ll enjoy visiting the Church of S\u00e3o Juli\u00e3o<\/strong>, the fortress, the museum, the Church of Jesus<\/strong> and the Castle of S\u00e3o Filipe<\/strong>, not to mention the old town.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Finally, surfers can surf to their heart’s content in Sesimbra<\/strong>, a fishing village with a surf spot well-known to enthusiasts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A region full of treasures that won’t disappoint.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Lisbon is a firm favourite for European travellers, and it’s set to remain so this summer! Its easy accessibility and still-affordable prices for both travel and expenses on the ground are two of its main draws. But you can also add the variety of its neighbourhoods, its monuments, its pretty cobbled streets, its unique atmosphere, and a consistently warm welcome. So, what is there to see and do in a week in Lisbon and the nearby region? Three days to discover the Portuguese capital… Explore the Alfama district by wandering through its winding alleyways, peaceful squares, and terraces. Here you … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1744,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_strive_editorial_status":"complete","_strive_copy_of":0,"_strive_checklists":"\"\"","_strive_active_checklist":"","_strive_post_notes":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[202],"class_list":["post-1743","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-europe","tag-portugal","no-featured-image-padding"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thebesttimetovisit.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1743","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thebesttimetovisit.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thebesttimetovisit.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thebesttimetovisit.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thebesttimetovisit.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1743"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.thebesttimetovisit.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1743\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1746,"href":"https:\/\/www.thebesttimetovisit.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1743\/revisions\/1746"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thebesttimetovisit.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1744"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thebesttimetovisit.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1743"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thebesttimetovisit.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1743"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thebesttimetovisit.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1743"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}… and four days to explore the surrounding region<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"Palais](\"https:\/\/partir.ouest-france.fr\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Palais-de-Pena-Sintra-1200x800.jpg\")