Tag Archives: Elevador de Santa Justa

LOVING LIVING LIKE A LOCAL IN LISBON #5: BUSTLING BAIXA

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While researching Lisbon prior to our arrival, I read one blog where the author emphatically insisted the Baixa neighborhood be “avoided,” because it’s a tourist trap, and it attracts pickpockets. He had a point; it’s a tourist trap, but it is well worth a visit anyway. I wore my backpack in front of me, Bruce zipped up his wallet in his front security pocket, and off we went. (By the way, other than pickpockets, which can be easily avoided by taking precautions, Lisbon is a safe city, even for solo women travelers.)

The Chiado neighborhood, where our apartment was located, sits atop a hill adjacent to Baixa, and there are several sets of stairways that lead down to it. One we used was located at the Santa Justa elevator, on the pedestrian shopping street I wrote about in my last post.

(For all photos, click on the image for a full screen view.)

At the base of the stairs, look straight up to the top of the elevator; it’s quite a sight! Unfortunately, the elevator is closed now, so all you can do is photograph it and admire the unusual structure.

You can purchase shoes made of cork at the store located at the elevator.

Baixa encompasses much of the walking tour I detailed previously, including Rossio Square, Restauradores Square (where the obelisk was located), and Avenida da Liberdade; however, that was already a long enough round trip walk!

The section of Baixa I will include here is Rua Augusta, with Praca da Figueira on one end and Praca do Comercio with the Arco Triunfal arch on the other end of the famous pedestrian avenue. You will be happy to know this area of Baixa is flat!

This entire area had been destroyed by the 1755 earthquake and rebuilt by Marquis of Pombal. He had strict criteria, including a grid pattern of the streets and earthquake-resistant building construction. My favorite feature of the buildings are the colorful tile facades. I photographed these on and around Rua Augusta:

As you come down the stairs by the elevator, Rua Augusta will be straight ahead. Once there, turn left to walk up to Praca da Figueira. You will know you have arrived when you see the statue of King John I atop his beautiful horse. A seagull seemed to enjoy it as much as Bruce and I did!

The street in front of the elevator will take you to Rua Augusta.

Stroll Rua Augusta in the opposite direction, and you will see the Arco Triunfal (Rua Augusta Arch). Enjoy the ambiance of Rua Augusta along the way, but be forewarned: You may want to go early in the morning to avoid all the restaurant hosts trying to lure you in. They are persistent! One after another, after another. How do all those restaurants stay in business? Still, Rua Augusta is lovely, so don’t miss it.

Rua Augusta at sunset

The Rua Augusta triumphal arch was built to commemorate Lisbon’s reconstruction following the 1755 earthquake. The plaza that it borders, Praca do Comercio, is a massive square that faces the Tagus river. Make sure to wear sunglasses if it’s a sunny day. I didn’t, and I was approached by several vendors hawking sunglasses. It was annoying, but still worth visiting this beautiful plaza.

This street near Rua Augusta was painted to mimic the cobblestone design. The painted area is also for pedestrians.
Our group (The Good Life Abroad) ate here for one of our included Tuesday Lunch Club lunches.
This is half of our group. Cheers!

On the other side of Rua Augusta is technically the historic Alfama neighborhood, a must-see area of Lisbon!

Next up: LOVING LIVING LIKE A LOCAL IN LISBON #6: ANCIENT ALFAMA

LOVING LIVING LIKE A LOCAL IN LISBON #4: AMBLING AVENIDA DA LIBERDADE

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Amblers, have I got a walk for you! This walk begins at our Lisbon apartment at Praca de Luis Camois, and continues past the life-size sculpture of the man in the chair and the world’s oldest bookstore shown in my second post. It then makes a left hand turn to take you down the pedestrian shopping street, which leads you to Rossio Square. Continue through the square, and past the beautiful train station to gorgeous tree-lined Avenida da Liberdade and up to Parque Eduardo VII, passing by beautiful Marques de Pombal. Click here for the map directions, but this is a snapshot of the walk for a quick view:

(For all photos, click on the image for a full screen view.)

If you walk straight through, it would be a two-mile walk (one way), and it would take the average walker 49 minutes. But what’s the fun in that? This is a wonderful walk through some of the nicest areas of Lisbon! Take your time, get off the path to see what’s up that side street, grab a bench under the shade trees and watch the world go by, or stop for a pastel de nata. Bruce and I enjoyed this walk so much, we returned to explore more in other days and at night.

Here, then, is what you will see along the way, after you pass the bookstore, and then turn left onto the pedestrian shopping street:

Pedestrian streets are marked with white paint in a design.
Fountain at the beginning of Rossio Square
Rossio Square: The surface is flat, but it’s an optical illusion. Follow the waves!
Look up from Rossio Square, and you will see Sao Jorge Castle
Across from Rossio Square at the far end is the beautiful train station. You have to have a ticket to enter the tracks where the tile murals are located, so stop back when I write about our train trip to Sintra to see those murals!
Past the train station on the same side of the street (on the left) is this unusual add-on to a historic facade.
On the right is Fabrica da Nata- Pasteis de Nata, where we stopped for a snack.
Pastel de Nata: Don’t worry; I will be writing (and showing) plenty of food in an upcoming post dedicated to Portuguese cuisine!
The beginning of the gorgeous tree-lined portion of Avenida da Liberdade

Views of the side streets off the avenue:

Continuing up Avendida da Liberdade to Marques de Pombal Square:

Make your way up the hill, and you will see Pavilhao Carlos Lopes on the right:

Continue up the hill through Parque Eduardo VII, and you will be rewarded with this panoramic view:

Congratulations, you made it! Now you have a choice to either take the metro back from Marque de Pombal (look for the red and white “M” sign), or walk back like we did.This is us back in Chiado:

A walk down to Rossio Square at night:

This is an overhead view of the pedestrian street and Rossio Square for perspective. This was shot from a viewing platform next to the convent in Bairo Alto, adjacent to the entrance to Elevador de Santa Justa, which is temporarily closed.
From this viewing platform, you can also see the castle lit up in the distance. This is the top of the elevator on the right.
To the left is the convent.
At the pedestrian street level of the Santa Justa lift are the Pelicans, by Bordalo II. (More Bordalo II in future posts.)

Coming up next: LOVING LIVING LIKE A LOCAL IN LISBON #5: BUSTLING BAIXA