Walking Tour through Lisbon's Cultural Center

Learn from your guide about the Baixa district that boasts of the grandeur that Portugal once commanded, with wide avenues and magnificent squares. You will wander through an area that was completely rebuilt after the 1755 earthquake and was one of the first cities to follow a grid plan street layout. Join your tour from the Praça Dom Pedro IV square, which is regarded by many Portuguese as the centre of their city. The Praça Dom Pedro IV is a prime example of the Marquis of Pombal vision for the entire area of Baixa with wide open spaces with grand monuments and buildings.

View the Praça Dom Pedro IV (Rossio), famous for its nauseating wave pattern stone paving which stretches the length of the square. Along Rua das Portas de Santo Antao is  liveliest during the night as the restaurant swell catering for hungry tourists and the Portuguese attend the shows theatres.

Within the district of Baixa there is a unique blend of specialist shops with few large brand stores. The council controlled rents, allowing the preservation of many small family businesses, some of which have been owned by the same families for generations. These stores line the five streets that lead south in Baixa selling traditional produce of Portugal.

Next, you will head south along the pedestrian street of Rua Augusta. This street has  open air cafes and street artists selling their wares. Leading off to the right is the Elevator de Santa Justa designed by Raul Mesnier de Ponsard an apprentice of Eiffel, who build the Eiffel Tower in Paris. The Arco da Rua Augusta enters on to the the most import square of Lisbon, the Praça do Comercio,  this was the old commercial hub of Lisbon; where sailors traded their exploits from the new world and arrange finances for further voyages.

The western part of this grid of streets is known as the Chiado. It’s the city’s most sophisticated shopping district. Bairro Alto by day appears shabby blighted by graffiti and the neighborhood may be best known for its nightlife nowadays, but making our way through the winding streets you will uncover many of its historic buildings and the key to understanding Lisbon’s past.