Europe > Portugal > Lisbon > Lisbon > Articles > Lisbon

Lisbon defies its cliches. I came expecting a frenetic Latin-style metropolis, but found a compact and cosmopolitan capital which moves at an old-world pace - its gentle rhythms ideal for a giving traveller in search of a city break.

I took the city’s pulse from the ramparts Castelo de Sao Jorge, rather than the roar of traffic, its music and chatter, which drifted up from the rooftop-cafes and squares. The castle was reluctant to disturb this tranquility – the freshly scrubbed and pristine stone walls hiding its bloody history as the site for the last stand of Lisbon’s Moors against besieging Crusaders taking a break .

Down the cobbles from St George’s castle is the Alfama. Stretch your arms here and you can almost touch the opposing walls of its narrow streets - testimony to its history as the Arabic kasbah and fishermen’s homesteads. The locals animate the alleyways – old men poking their sun-beaten faces though tiny windows, teenagers lolling in doorways and women mounting washing lines in patchwork rainbows against the plaster walls.

It was from Alfama’s restaurants and cafes that I first heard the city’s signature sound -fado. This mournful folk-blues fusion is the town’s soul speaking though music - lamenting songs of poverty, solitude and the seafaring life. There are plenty of commercial fado shows advertised, but the best way to experience Lisbon’s blues is by stumbling accross an impromptu performance in a local bar.

Fado and faith are close relations in the Alfama, where the twin towers of the Romanesque Cathedral rise above the neigbourhood’s squat terraced houses. Known to the locals as the Se, their church - like the music- is stripped back to its soul. Inside this almost shockingly plain building entraces you with its calm and unearthly power.

At the base of the Catheral hill is the Baixo - where the valley running between Lisbon’s hills meets the river Tejo. The riverfront is marked by the Praca do Comercio – a collonaded square policed by the bronze statue of Dom Jose, monarch during the capital’s rebuilding in the 18th century following a devastating earthquake that razed the city.

Behind the Praca do Comercio’s great archway is a grid of boulevards. Old trades give the streets their names and though the sapateiros (cobblers) and prata (silversmiths) have gone, the Baixa grid offers some great shops and some fine Art Deco shopfronts.

Rising from the western end of the Baixa is the elevador. Built in 1902 as Lisbon’s answer to the Eiffel Tower, this supersize laticework lift whisks people from the Baixa the hundred or so feet to the Bairro Alto. Even though Lisboan’s insist that the elevador is the symbol of the city, they never ride it - preferring to walk up the hill. So I joined the tourists to make my way to the top to a bar which offers music and some of the best views in town.

The crisscross of 17th century streets which make up the Bairro Alto are a contrasting mixture of cool shops squeezed into the front-rooms of former houses, trendy restaurants and traditional cafes run to a constant soundtrack of Potugese football, tattoo parlours and jazz and fado bars.

The ever present graffiti on the walls of this upper town sets a rebellious tone. But during the day it settles into a relaxed rhythm of elder residents sitting on steps and aspiring young Ronaldos kicking a ball along the cobbles. By night the area transforms into the city’s hot spot, with clubbers and diners jostling for space.

Just south of the Bairro Alto is Chiado. Taking its name from the pen name of the poet Antonio Ribeiro, its bohemian chic makes it one of Lisbon’s most attractive quarters - full of its fasionable botiques and cafes. The Braziliera cafe on Rua Garret was home to the city’s writers and thinkers

I took my place next to the poet Fernando Pessoa, whose bronze statue his favourite pavement table. The who buskers in the square entertained us with their laid-back street performances. This was Lisbon personified - a city with time on its hands and music in its soul. A truely compelling combination.

The streets in the Baixo grid are a place to shop for men’s and women’s clothes and shoes, with a mixture of international brands and local shops. The Bairro Alto and Chiado are home to alternative designers and arts and craft shops. Gifts to bring back include azulejos, brightly coloured local tiles (make sure it’s the hand painted tradition, and not mass produced imitations) carpets, and fado recordings.

Food
Lisbon offers good food at good value. Places to eat can be found all though the city. Not surprisingly, seafood is a speciality, particularly around the river at Rua das Portas de Santo Antao.

Try Casa do Leao, located inside the Castelo de Sao Jorge - the terrace garden has fantastic views of the city. Dishes include a high-quality mix of Portuguese and international food.

Restaurante Martinho Da Arcada. Dating back to 1778, this venerable old cafe-restaurant sits under the arches of one of the town’s great squares. Poets and politicians have lunched here over the years. It specialises in regional Portuguese cuisine with a colonial dash.

Pasteis de Belem (Daily 8am-10pm). Make a pilgrimage to the home of the gastronomic symbol of Lisbon, the custard tart. Legend has it that the recipe goes back two hundred years when nuns baked pastries at the neighboring Monastery. During the 1820 revolution, the monastery was disbanded, but the secret recipe lived on with a confectioner who opened this patisserie and bar.

Transport
Trams are part of the city heritage. You should take every opportunity to ride the historic wooden electric electricos that rattle up and down the historic hills and streets. The more modern trams are air-conditioned, a good respite from the summer heat. Take the modern super-tram 15 along the river Tagus to Belem, where you should stop to visit the monument to the great Portuguese explorers, the tower and the gothic gem the Geronimo monastery. The three funicular railways offer a quick lift up to the high hills and the Bairro Alto.

Articles

• More from Marc Zakian