The Most Beautiful Parts of Portugal

The longest bridge in Europe is the Vasco da Gama bridge

The Vasco da Gama Bridge (Ponte Vasco da Gama in Portuguese) is one of the longest bridges in Europe (it’s supposed to be the longest) and stretches across the Tagus River in Lisbon. It measures a total of 17.2 km. Its purpose is to help with the heavy traffic on the other bridge in Lisbon – the 25 de Abril bridge. Vasco da Gama bridge is really fascinating since it’s so long. The construction began in February 1995 and the bridge opened to traffic on March 29, 1998, just in time for Expo 98, a world exhibition celebrating the 500th anniversary of the discovery of the Vasco da Gama sea route from Europe to India. The bridge is located a bit out of the city, but worth the visit.

The Suspension Bridge (Ponte 25 de Abril in Portuguese) is another famous bridge which is reminiscent of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco and is 2.3 km long. It has an upper and a lower floor. The upper one is for cars, while the lower one has been running a train line since 1999. The bridge was designed by an American company that was also responsible for the bridge in San Francisco, hence such a resemblance.

Alfama, the oldest district of Lisbon

I mostly walked in Lisbon, but took the time to enjoy the ride on the famous tram no. 28, which goes all the way to Alfama, Lisbon’s oldest quarter. There are usually a lot of tourists here, as is usual for the most beautiful part of the city. If you look at the buildings, you can see they’re mostly brightly colored, but are often blue and have a tiled facade. More of these tiles can be explored in detail at the Museum of Portuguese Tile Mosaics. Alfama is also home to the oldest church in the city, the Lisbon Cathedral, which was built in 1147.

Alfama is also known for fado music. Alfama offers several viewpoints for a beautiful view of the city, one of which is at the castle of St. Gregory (Castelo de São Jorge). It’s a former fortress that offers a break from the hustle and bustle of the city, where you can relax on one of the many benches under pine trees along the city walls.

Lisbon's main square, located right by the sea, is called the Trade Square (Praça do Comércio). It’s a huge market where various events take place. At the time of my visit, a huge projector was set up on the market and visitors enjoyed watching football and drinking beer.

Not far from the city center (an hour's walk by the sea) is the Belém area. This is the part of Lisbon from where the Portuguese set out for maritime exploration in the 16th century, for example Henrik the Sailor setting out on a ship to Morocco, Bartolomeo Dias to the Cape of Good Hope, and Fernando Magellan and Vasco da Gama to India. The Belém Tower as a symbol of Lisbon (Torre de Belém in Portuguese) has been defending access to Lisbon since the 16th century. The tower isn’t particularly big at all and you can see it quite quickly. On the top is a large viewing platform that offers another beautiful view of Lisbon and Tagus River.

Near the tower is a small confectionery called Pasteis de Belém, which prepares cakes with special cream according to the original recipe from 1837. The recipe has been carefully preserved. You can try other confectioneries that offer very similar pastries, but there’s only one that’s the right one, as the locals say, and that is at Rua de Belém 84/92.

Cape Roca, Europe's westernmost point

When you’ve enjoyed the beauty of Lisbon, you also need to move out of the city. The most famous western point of Europe is called Cape Roca (Cabo da Roca in Portuguese) and lies along the Atlantic Ocean. It’s located about 30 km west of the city of Lisbon. The cape is very windy, and that day was an especially windy day. The cape is full of extremely high cliffs and beautiful beaches. There’s also a lighthouse from 1722 and a tourist office, as the cape is a popular tourist spot.

Between Lisbon and Cape Roca is the town of Sintra, which is a popular one-day stop for tourists visiting Lisbon. The town is charming and worth a visit, as it’s been included in the UNESCO World Heritage list. One of the attractions on a hill above the city is a colorful mansion called Palácio Nacional da Pena. In fact, it’s a bit like an amusement park. I was inside the mansion for an hour. It offers beautiful views from its towers, but then we quickly went towards the beaches hoping it would be a little less windy there.

Lisbon is interesting for surfing enthusiasts and those who like to soak up the sun on the sandy beaches. As can be seen in one of my pictures of the famous beaches in the city of Cascais, about 30 minutes away from Lisbon, the beaches are nice.

However, Lisbon is certainly one of the cities with a pleasant Mediterranean climate and many sunny days, and it’s definitely worth a visit. But four days were certainly not enough for this European gem.