Apt do Arco. lisbon, PORTUGAL
Apartment in Lisbon, PORTUGAL

The capital of Portugal sits at the point where the River Tagus feeds into the Atlantic, just about as far west as you can go without getting your feet wet. Being built on seven hills, it has plenty of vantage points from which to contemplate the distant horizons that called the Portuguese explorers in the country’s golden age during the 16th century, when it was the hub of commerce with the far east and gold poured into Lisbon’s coffers from the new west.

But there was something terrible that changed Lisbon forever - the 1755 earthquake. One often reads that monuments and churches were rebuilt or restored after 1755 earthquake. This was Lisbon's darkest moment in history. On the morning of the 1st of November 1755 the first tremor was felt and a few minutes later there was a second, far more violent shock, reducing over half the city to rubble. The quake triggered a tsunami, which arrived soon afterwards. As usual the first indication was that the water drew back from the land. Soon, however, the water came back with a wave estimated at 50 feet high crashing through the city. Ships, docks and buildings in the city were battered by the high seas. Thousands of people were swept away.As if that wasn't enough, lamps and cooking fires upset in the tumult ignited a fire storm that proved impossible to control. It burned unchecked for three days, completing the destruction. In all more than 60,000 people died in the disaster in Lisbon alone. Thousands more died in other areas. The quake was felt throughout Western Europe and Northwestern Africa.

But the reconstruction of Lisbon took place rapidly and no sooner had the tremors abated than Pombal Marquis was outlining ideas for rebuilding the city. He started by saying "Bury the dead and feed the living" and then he rolled up his sleeves and began work. Due to his determination and practicality, Lisbon was soon back on its feet and better than ever. The area located between downtown Lisbon and Pombal Marquis Square, specially from Rossio Square to Commerce Square, shows the innovative grid system devised by Sebastião José de Carvalho e Melo - the Marquis himself!

A devastating earthquake and the loss of empire left the city a little threadbare, but 21st-century commerce took a hand, sprucing the place up for Euro 2004. Portugal may have been the runners-up, but Lisbon emerged a winner.

The grid-like Baixa, or downtown, was laid out after the devastating 1755 earthquake, and is a candidate for being a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is flanked by two squares: the riverside Praça do Comércio, framed by arcades and dominated by a triumphal arch and, at the northern end, Praça Dom Pedro IV (Rossio). The Elevador de Santa Justa, an outdoor cast-iron lift that first opened in 1901, offers a panoramic view of the streets in between.

The Alfama district east of Baixa, where black-clad widows potter in tiny squares, retains the layout and atmosphere of Moorish times. The Romanesque cathedral, or Sé (218 866 752, cloisters & treasury closed Mon), was founded on the site of a mosque, after the 1147 Christian Reconquest.
Further uphill there are fine views from the Castelo de São Jorge. The castle was built by the Moors on the site of a Roman fort, but what you see today is almost all 20th-century mock-up. West of Baixa, the shops and cafés of Chiado district give way to the more raffish Bairro Alto, a nightlife haven were you can also find the Fado houses and restaurants.

The Príncipe Real district has the fashion clubs, the Antiques, the Art Galleries and the most beautiful gardens and squares of the city.

The city’s main axis is Avenida da Liberdade. Lined with cafés and fashion chains, it leads from Rossio to the formal Parque Eduardo VII. Beyond that is the Museu Calouste Gulbenkian (Avenida de Berna 45, 217 823 000, closed Mon), with fine Western and Oriental art.

Tourists also flock to Belém, a half-hour tram ride west. The 15th-century explorers sailed from here into what was then still very much the unknown, as the Monument to the Discoveries reminds you.
The Tower of Belém and Jerónimos monastery (213 620 034, closed Mon) showcase the exuberant Manueline (late Gothic) style of the time. Nearby, the delicious custard tarts at Antiga Confeitaria (Rua de Belém 90, 213 637 423) are almost as big a draw for visitors.

Lisbon’s eastern waterfront was of little touristic interest until 1998. Staged on reclaimed industrial wasteland, Expo 98 gave Lisbon its biggest facelift in two centuries and a slew of new attractions. Now renamed Parque das Nações (218 919 898, www.parquedasnacoes.pt), the site has an Oceanarium (218 917 002); the Pavilhão do Conhecimento (218 917 112, closed Mon), with science exhibits; and – the district’s architectural highlight – Álvaro de Siza Vieira’s Portugal pavilion, with its remarkable concrete canopy.

• Tourist information: Welcome Centre, Praça do Comercio (210 312 700, www.visitlisboa.com); Praça dos Restauradores (213 466 307, www.portugal.org); airport Arrivals hall (218 450 660).