Like so many other cities that grew by the river, Lisbon can also be experienced through the Tagus; it all seems to flow through there – cruise ships, leisure boats, foamy blankets of effervescent light and many, many moods, those indescribable being more than a few.
In Lisbon, though, you can also travel through time as you travel towards the Tagus mouth. Knowing this precious secret, we at Ina Koelln are proud to provide you with a free time travel guide for those who just want to take some strolls along the river. Everything happens around it and you can return to the present anytime you want, we promise; but stick to the path and you’ll enjoy just seeing the river, the city changing and developing around it and echoes of past eras reverberating through time.
PARQUE DAS NAÇÕES
Start in the present. Parque das Nações is the newest neighborhood in town, literally. Before it, there was Lisbon’s Expo 98 and, before that, nothing at all – only dilapidated warehouses, old slaughterhouses, marshes, landfills, wilderness. Now, boasting large, ample avenues, public buildings, malls, restaurants, concert halls, plazas and its famous Santiago de Calatrava station, it’s one of Lisbon’s crown jewels. The entire area was designed from the ground up, putting the Tagus as its centerpiece.
Recently, the square saw archeological works that have unearthed sunken palaces, ships, and even a small river beach, with stone columns rising from the Tagus. Keep walking: from there to Cais do Sodré, there’s this pitch-perfect stroll, where brand-new riverside gardens coexist with XVIII century Lisbon. After that, there’s a lot more prettiness to discover, but we’re finishing our Tagus tour by jumping some miles and going further back in time: the XVI century, specifically.
PRAÇA DO COMÉRCIO
If, after the Oceanarium, one continues down the river – past the ports, warehouses and silos of another, fading Lisbon, blocking the view to the Tagus – one will find itself in Praça do Comércio, known by locals as Terreiro do Paço – and back in time, some two and a half centuries ago. From Praça do Comércio, the ample square where goods and people still docked there, by boat, at the beginning of the previous century, one can access most of historic Lisbon – the neighborhoods of Baixa, Chiado and, going back in time still, Bairro Alto, Mouraria and the castle.
Recently, the square saw archeological works that have unearthed sunken palaces, ships, and even a small river beach, with stone columns rising from the Tagus. Keep walking: from there to Cais do Sodré, there’s this pitch-perfect stroll, where brand-new riverside gardens coexist with XVIII century Lisbon. After that, there’s a lot more prettiness to discover, but we’re finishing our Tagus tour by jumping some miles and going further back in time: the XVI century, specifically.
BELÉM
So here’s the thing: From Lisbon’s docks to Belém there’s this huge, impossibly beautiful, stretch of riverside that, until recently, was ignored by almost everybody except the occasional recreational fisherman. Several factors contributed for being neglected for so long – not only it’s far away from the center, but you can only access it by train or car; the train line, parallel to the road, effectively functions as a barrier. But now, that secret place was discovered, reclaimed, refurbished, with a brand-new modern art museum right in the middle of the stretch; international brands now use this stretch to shoot commercials, just another casualty of that almost maddening Tagus light. It makes for a great stroll.
Get to the docks, cross under the bridge and just keep going – there’s several miles to stroll before The Imperial Gardens of Belém, XVI century’s Gerónimo’s Monastery and the Belém Tower make their appearance. Surrounding it there’s museums, parks and gardens in one of Lisbon’s prettiest areas. Choose your favorite stone bench or grass patch and just soak up the view. There will be more of Lisbon to discover – but what’s the rush when you still have more than a few centuries to return to the present?
