A list of Lisbon facts might be exactly what you need to spice up your visit to this gorgeous capital city, inspiring you to seek out the strange, weird and wonderful, the bizarre, the unusual, and the most Instagrammable parts. We’ve been exploring, and we’ve found a whole load of facts to help you make the most of Lisbon in all her glory. So let’s dive right in.
Inspiration for your Lisbon adventures
This is the oldest city in Western Europe, founded by the Phoenician civilisation in around 1200 BC, people who were famed for their skills as seafarers. Some say the city’s name comes from the Phoenician ‘Allis Ubbo’ or ‘safe haven’. Focus your experiences on the most ancient parts of the city and you’ll discover marvels you never dreamed of, sometimes far off the beaten tourist trail.
Count the hills if you like, basing your adventures on the so-called 7 hills of Lisbon. Some say there are eight hills, it depends on what you’d call a ‘hill’. But there are amazing views from the top of all of them. And there’s art everywhere. Plenty of visitors spend time tracking down the city’s epic graffiti and street art, centring their Lisbon experience on the creative side of city life.
When you sample the city’s famous Pastel de Belém, bear in mind the recipe is a close secret held by just five people, who never travel at the same time just in case there’s an accident and they’re all killed… which certainly adds an extra dimension to the deliciousness. Take yourself on a culinary adventure into more local specialities and create a flavoursome focus for your time in Lisbon.
The ‘big earthquake’ famously took place early on 1st November 1755, destroying much of the original city and hitting a terrifying 9 on the Richter scale. Anything from ten to a hundred thousand people died, and it’s fascinating to work your way through the city to see what was flattened and what’s left.
Like every ancient city, Lisbon has its fair share of spooks. Take the tragic tobacco worker Custódio Gomes, who in the late 1800s lamented the delay in publishing a newspaper report about the dreadful working conditions he and his fellow employees had to endure. Today his ghost haunts the old newspaper building, now the A Voz do Operário’s ballroom.
Lisbon’s Faculty of Fine Arts has a ghost or several of its own, known for sending the elevators up and down after dark, closing doors and drawing on the floors. One of them apparently leaves drifts of white feathers wherever he goes. It’s no surprise it’s haunted, since the building has stood since the year 1217. Then there’s the so-called House of Witches, with its curious conical roof, right in the centre of Serra de Sintra, the place where Roman Polanski’s supernatural thriller movie The Ninth Gate was set. Legend insists there are seven underground floors there, home to a sinister secret society. Another story says a copy of a book written by the devil himself is hidden here.
The São João do Estoril Little Castle, on the road between Cascais and Lisbon, was where a little blind girl accidentally fell into the ocean. Her spirit still wanders the castle holding her beloved dolly. And at Cruz dos Quatro Caminhos, now renamed Rua dos Sapadores, it was so dark and scary after sunset that people convinced themselves witches gathered there.
Casa das Pedras just looks scary, the perfect setting for ghosties. Built in 1903 on Marginal Avenue, people keep seeing flashing lights indoors and the window shutters seem to open and close on their own. On the other hand the people living there insist it isn’t haunted at all.
The raven symbolises the city, thanks to the legend about two ravens who followed the route of the corpse of São Vicente, Lisbon’s patron saint of Lisbon. He was buried in the Algarve in the year 303 AD and stayed there until King Afonso I dug him up and relocated him to Lisbon. You’ll see the birds perching either side of a great sailing ship as part of Lisbon’s coat of arms.
Did you know Lisbon was the first city in the world to import Guinness from Dublin? That has to be worth celebrating with a pint of the grand peaty stuff!
Think Lisbon and you think blue and white tiles. But there are a load of streets and squares done in equally gorgeous black and white tiles. The white symbolises the clothes of the Crusaders and the black was the official colour of São Vicente. Explore them on foot to discover bits of the city you might otherwise never have discovered.
The magnificent Vasco da Gama bridge is the longest in Europe at over 11 miles, an experience to remember all on its own. Hire a car and give it a go, 22 miles in total there and back, every mile stacked with drama and extraordinary views. In 1998 they broke records at the bridge’s celebratory opening dinner, still in the Guinness Book Of Records thanks to being attended by a whopping fifteen thousand people. That’s what we call one hell of a meal to cook!
Talking about the river… there used to be dolphins in the Tagus, and if you’re in luck you might spot some doing their magical thing amongst the boats and ships. For a better chance of seeing dolphins, head to Setubal for an organised dolphin watching trip. They’re just one of countless amazing sea creatures you can discover, another exciting focus for your Lisbon holiday.
The lovely Panteão Nacional church is another record-breaker, this time for the sheer number of years it took to build: work kicked off in 1681 but the building wasn’t completed until 1966 thanks to a string of mysterious curses and the deaths of various architects.
Now to the beautiful game, which is just as popular in Portugal as it is in the UK. Take SL Benfica, which enjoys a record-breaking fan club of more than 14 million people. In fact Lisbon alone is home to 214 registered football clubs, making the game a cool focus for people wanting to explore the sporting heritage of this great city.
Lisbon is the birthplace of a host of famous people including the Catholic priest Anthony of Padua, a member of the Franciscan Order and the patron saint of lost things. Jorge Sampaio, ex-Mayor of Lisbon and Portugal’s 18th President. King John 3rd of Portugal, who reigned from 1521 to 1557. The actor Diogo Morgado, the brilliant Portuguese footballer Bernardo Silva, who plays for Manchester City and holds four Premier League titles. Plus António Guterres, who was prime minister from 1995 to 2002, a man who was widely loved and respected by the Portuguese. Then there’s Fernando Pessoa, the poet, writer, translator, and publisher who spoke and wrote in Portuguese, English and French and wrote under 75 or so other names as well as his own. You could even make your way to Cafe Martinho Da Arcada for tasty snacks. But you’ll need to avoid the two seats that are permanently reserved for Portugal’s famous writers Fernando Pessoa and José Saramago. Follow any of these people’s amazing life stories for an unusual take on the capital’s attractions.
Neutral during the Second World War, Portugal attracted a flurry of wealthy refugees, many of whom whiled away the war years at the casino in Estoril. As you can imagine the city was rife with spies, including James Bond author Ian Fleming. It remains Europe’s biggest casino.
If you’d like to ‘compose the knot of your tie’ or need a mirror for another reason, the world’s only public mirror is your destination. Look out for the ‘componha o nó da sua gravata’ and admire your lovely self in public thanks to its shining silver surface.
Tram journeys are magical in Lisbon. Even the trams themselves are historic. You could easily spend days on end journeying the city is comfort and style, both the well-known bits and the interesting outskirts where the real people live and everyday business is done. The famous yellow tram design is inspired by mid-19th century Californian versions, which first arrived here in 1873. Back then the trams were aptly
nicknamed ‘Americanos’.
Last but not least, let’s go underground. It isn’t open very often, just a few days each year, but the 2000 year old Roman city lurking underneath the streets of modern Lisbon, called Galerias Romanas, is quite extraordinary with its spooky corridors, rooms and bridges. They only found it after the 1755 earthquake, and it’s only accessible through a wee metal hatch in the middle of a street. Base your break around the ancient buildings scattered around this beautiful place to give the experience a unique flavour. Or do the exact opposite, seeking out the most exciting modern and contemporary architecture.
So are you inspired? Hopefully this’ll give you a load of ideas for alternative ways to structure your holiday in Lisbon.