From art deco to industrial chic, the Portuguese cities of Lisbon, Faro and Porto offer a harmonious blend of past and present
Lisbon – city of light
Even in winter, Lisbon’s squares bask in intense sunlight reflecting off the monumental buildings painted in cheerful tones of buttercup yellow, pistachio green and powder blue.
Europe’s most southerly capital is a harmonious blend of the past and present – an architectural symphony of post-modern buildings with angular white lines contrasted with small, tumble-down houses overlooking white-cobbled streets.
Take a stroll down the city’s fashionable thoroughfare Avenida da Liberdade, with its mansions towering above smart designer shops such as Fashion Clinic, then follow it down to the main squares; Rossio, Praça do Comércio and Praça Figueira, bustling with cafés and kiosks.
The former Expo 98 site, now Parque das Nações (Avenida D. João II), is packed with shops, cafés and more than 40 restaurants. The site also boasts the Atlantic Pavilion, a 20,000-seat concert hall that has hosted big pop names. Down by the waterfront, you’ll find the Vasco da Gama shopping mall, a modern shopping complex with 160 shops, including Zara, Massimo Dutti and Springfield.
It’s worth spending an afternoon down at the riverside and marina – the Docas and Belém districts are packed with museums, monuments, trendy bars and restaurants. Here you’ll find the Bica do Sapato restaurant (Avenida Infante Don Henrique, tel. 21 8810 320), which serves traditional Portuguese dishes with a contemporary twist.
Alternatively, in the traditional Barrio Alto quarter there’s no shortage of trendy night-time bars and restaurants, including the excellent Portuguese restaurant Lisboa à Noite (Rua das Gáveas 69). And when it comes to bedtime, try Lisbon’s first completely non-smoking hotel, Hotel Ibis (Rua Barata Salgueiro 53, tel. 21 125 0043).
Faro – a charming fishing resort on the Algarve
The capital of the Algarve, Faro, owes more to its Moorish architectural origins than the modern, cosmopolitan cities of Lisbon and Porto.
Situated on the edge of the Ria Formosa Natural Park, the city started life as a modest fishing village and port. Over the centuries, it has been settled by waves of invaders, from Phoenicians and Carthaginians to Romans, Celts, Visigoths and Moors.
Faro has come a long way since then. Today it’s a busy tourist and shopping town, teeming with bars, esplanades and fine restaurants serving seafood specialities.
A morning stroll around the city centre leads the visitor past smart mansions, impressive monuments and museums dating from its first period of expansion in the 18th and 19th centuries, such as the Palácio Bivarin in the Largo do Carmo Square.
Go for a spot of retail therapy in the myriad of boutiques around the waterfront, then take time out at Pastelaria Gardy (Rua de Santo António), a café on Faro’s most popular pedestrianised shopping street. Here, the Portuguese jet set grab a coffee and a delicious cake, and settle down to watch the world go by before getting back down to some serious designer shopping.
If your stomach, rather than your wallet, is the only thing that’s bulging, head instead to Faro’s Archaeological Museum (Praça Afonso III), with its fascinating Moorish collections, the Jewish cemetery, the medieval Arco do Repouso Gateway, and the fabulous Rococo palace and gardens at Estói.
When evening comes, you’ll be ready to check out the regional cuisine at Adega Nova (Francisco Barreto 24, tel. 21 431 0885) or perhaps a taste of Italy at Ristorante O Gargalo (Largo Pé da Cruz 30, tel. 28 982 4264), a top-class restaurant that serves the best pizza in town in a sumptuously romantic setting. If you feel like splashing out, the Monte do Casal hotel and restaurant in Estói (Cerro do Lobo 8000-661, tel. 28 999 1503) is recommended. Expect to pay top whack for an eclectic gourmet menu either in the refined setting of the Old Coach House restaurant, or, when the weather warms up, on the flower-strewn terrace overlooking the fountain and pool.
As night falls, move on to The Havana Club (Avenida Nascente) on the seafront road, which offers live music all year round. The Columbus bar (Praça D. Francisco Gomes) is popular, while Nordik (Rua do Capitão-mor 7) combines the latest chart music with jazz nights.
Porto – majestic city on the Douro
Porto, on the River Douro, north of Lisbon has been an important commercial centre since the 18th century, and is spanned by the famous King Dom Luís I and Maria II bridges.
There is still a surprising amount of surviving architectural heritage predating the 18th and 19th centuries, such as the 15th-century late-Gothic Paço Episcopal (Rua Conselheiro Abílio Beça 27) and square – the Bishop’s
FR » Villes de contraste
The old Roman-walled part of Faro is particularly attractive, with its large, open square – once the Roman Forum – dominated by the 13th-century São Pedro cathedral (or Sé) and 18th-century Episcopal Palace. A stone’s throw away is the 16th-century convent with its macabre Chapel of Bones, said to be all that’s left of its 1,200 monks.
Capitale la plus au sud de l’Europe, Lisbonne est un mélange de passé et de présent, où les bâtiments post-modernes côtoient de vétustes bâtisses surplombant des dédales de ruelles blanches. Avenida da Liberdade est un bon point de départ, avec ses élégantes demeures s’élevant audessus de sublimes magasins de designers. Descendez l’avenue jusqu’aux places principales pleines d’animation avec leurs cafés et leurs kiosques. Prenez aussi le temps d’une après-midi à la marina. Les quartiers des Docas et de Belém regorgent de musées, de monuments, de bars et de restaurants.
Capitale de l’Algarve, Faro doit plus à ses origines maures que Lisbonne et Porto. Ville de tourisme dédiée au shopping, les bars et les restaurants qui servent des spécialités de fruits de mer y abondent. Le centre ville abrite de magnifiques immeubles, d’impressionnants monuments et des musées des 18e et 19e siècles. A ne pas rater, la partie romane de la ville, avec ses murailles et sa vaste place où domine la cathédrale São Pedro du 13e siècle. La Rua de Santo António est une rue piétonnière populaire pour le shopping – un bon endroit pour un café et un gâteau, et pour voir défiler le monde.
Porto, sur le fleuve Douro, au nord de Lisbonne, centre du commerce depuis le 18e siècle préserve un puissant héritage architectural, parmi celui-ci on citera le Palais des Evêques du 15e siècle, d’où les visiteurs peuvent apprécier la vue sur les anciennes parties de la ville. Par contraste, Porto est également une ville vive et moderne, où s’impose le design contemporain comme par exemple, le métro rapide ou encore le théâtre au style dépouillé Cubic Casa da Musica et la salle de concert construite en commémoration de la désignation de Porto comme Capitale européenne de la Culture en 2001.
Palace where visitors can enjoy a view over the older parts of the city.
Not that Porto is an architectural museum piece trapped in time. It is a vibrant, modern city that boasts stunning contemporary designs such as the new, fast metro; and the clean, white Cubic Casa da Musica theatre and concert complex (Avenida da Boavista 604-610) built to commemorate Porto’s designation as Capital of European Culture in 2001. There’s also excellent shopping with designer outlets such as the new Centro Comercial Peninsular (Praça do Bom Sucesso).
Architecture-lovers will delight in the art deco Serralves Museum of Contemporary Art (Rua D. João de Castro 210). And art-lovers can take in an exhibition at O Labirinto Cocktail Bar and Gallery (Rua Nossa Senhora de Fátima 334).
Mixing old with new Porto is of course famous for its port wine industry and terraced vineyards along the Douro
valley 100km east of Porto. In fact the Douro area became the world’s first demarcated wine region in 1756, and taking an afternoon cruise down the river is a must to see the billboards of famous British port wine-producers and importers such as Sandemans and Taylor’s dotting the green landscape. A visit to the Port Wine Museum (45 Rua de São Pedro de Alcântara) is also not to be missed.
When night falls, the city also has its share of up-to-the minute nightspots such as the minimalist, factory-looking Indústria (Avenida Brasil 843).
When it comes to up-to-the-minute places to stay, the luxury Le Meridian Park Atlantic Hotel in Avenida da Boavista (Rua Castilho 149) and the contemporary, glass-filled Sheraton Porto Hotel and Spa (Rua Tenente Valadim, tel. (22 040 4000) top the list.
Palace where visitors can enjoy a view over the older parts of the city.
Not that Porto is an architectural museum piece trapped in time. It is a vibrant, modern city that boasts stunning contemporary designs such as the new, fast metro; and the clean, white Cubic Casa da Musica theatre and concert complex (Avenida da Boavista 604-610) built to commemorate Porto’s designation as Capital of European Culture in 2001. There’s also excellent shopping with designer outlets such as the new Centro Comercial Peninsular (Praça do Bom Sucesso).
Architecture-lovers will delight in the art deco Serralves Museum of Contemporary Art (Rua D. João de Castro 210). And art-lovers can take in an exhibition at O Labirinto Cocktail Bar and Gallery (Rua Nossa Senhora de Fátima 334).
Mixing old with new Porto is of course famous for its port wine industry and terraced vineyards along the Douro
valley 100km east of Porto. In fact the Douro area became the world’s first demarcated wine region in 1756, and taking an afternoon cruise down the river is a must to see the billboards of famous British port wine-producers and importers such as Sandemans and Taylor’s dotting the green landscape. A visit to the Port Wine Museum (45 Rua de São Pedro de Alcântara) is also not to be missed.
When night falls, the city also has its share of up-to-the minute nightspots such as the minimalist, factory-looking Indústria (Avenida Brasil 843).
When it comes to up-to-the-minute places to stay, the luxury Le Meridian Park Atlantic Hotel in Avenida da Boavista (Rua Castilho 149) and the contemporary, glass-filled Sheraton Porto Hotel and Spa (Rua Tenente Valadim, tel. (22 040 4000) top the list.
NL » Steden van verschil
Lissabon, Europa’s zuidelijkste hoofdstad, is een bonte mix van heden en verleden, met postmoderne gebouwen en bouwvallige huizen zij aan zij langs witte kasseistraten. Een goed vertrekpunt is de Avenida da Liberdade, waar elegante herenhuizen uittronen boven trendy designerwinkels. Volg de straat tot aan de pleintjes met de vele cafés en kraampjes. Ook zeer de moeite: de Docas- en Belémwijken in de havenbuurt, met hun musea, monumenten en restaurants.
Faro, de hoofdstad van de Algarve, vertoont meer Moorse invloeden dan Lissabon en Porto. Het is een drukke, toeristische winkelstad. Faro wemelt van de bars en restaurants met lokale visspecialiteiten, en het centrum pronkt met mooie herenhuizen en indrukwekkende monumenten en musea uit de 18e een 19e eeuw. Bezoek ook het stadsgedeelte binnen de Romeinse omwalling, met het grote plein aan de 13eeeuwse São Pedro-kathedraal. De Rua de Santo António is dan weer een populaire winkelwandelstraat, dé plek om vanop een terrasje het stadsleven te observeren.
Porto, langs de rivier de Douro ten noorden van Lissabon, is al sinds de 18e eeuw een druk handelscentrum met een rijk architecturaal erfgoed. Zo is er het 15e-eeuwse Bisschoppelijke Paleis, met een mooi uitzicht over de oudere delen van de stad. Maar tegelijk is Porto ook een bruisende moderne stad met hedendaagse elementen zoals de nieuwe metro en het strak kubistische witte Casa da Musica, een theater- en concertcomplex ter herinnering aan Porto – Culturele Hoofdstad van Europa 2001.
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