Walking Tour and More of Lisbon

2019 Transatlantic Cruises on MSC

Day 5 MSC Divina - Lisbon, Portugal -- November 10, 2019

Please click here for video of our day in Lisbon.

We visited Lisbon on our Carnival Splendor cruise in 2008. On that trip, we joined a group of cruise critic members on a day trip to the town of Sintra and then to Cabo La Roca, the farthest west of the European continent. It was a memorable trip that we enjoyed very much of. On this trip, we planned on just spending more time in town instead. With the ten of us plus two additional guests on the ship who wanted to join us for the day, we wanted to make sure that we hit some important sights in the city without having to spend too much while doing so. I think we did OK for the day despite having some not-so-perfect weather.

Our ship sailed under the Bridge of April 25 on the Tagus River as we were having breakfast in the buffet restaurant.

National Sanctuary of Christ the King

We were not sure which pier we will be docked at as we went past the terminal where we docked last time.

We finally stopped at the Passenger Terminal of Santa Apolonia, a newer cruise terminal right near the train station and aligned with the National Pantheon. We should have been able to get our one-day passes at the metro station here but for some we missed that and had to take a longer walk down to town.

Getting off the ship to the cruise terminal.

There was not a travel information booth inside the terminal even though this is a nice, pretty space. All we saw was plenty of HOHO bus vendors all over the place. We knew we wanted to buy the one-day pass but just needed to find a metro station where we can purchase the tickets. As we followed all the passengers and crew members walking into town, we bumped into a couple of policemen and they told us to keep walking to the big plaza. There should be the closest metro station there.

At the plaza, we finally saw the sign of the metro station to the right of this picture. Went down, took a long walk, and found the ticket counter. While there was a woman sitting at the counter, she just pointed us to the direction of the vending machines. After fumbling over the machines, we successfully got tickets for all twelve of us. I wonder why she was even there? She just sat there the whole time doing nothing! Oh well! The funny thing was we didn't even take any ride on the metro but we were able to use the tickets for buses, trams, and elevator.

As we were studying our route for the day with big brother using Rick Steve's information as guide, a gentleman handed us this map that he drew, showing where things are nearby. What a sweetheart!

This was where we started, Praca do Comercio. 

The statue and the Arch (Arco da Rua Augusta) at the plaza.

Looking back at the arch as we walked up the street. Notice those beautifully decorated pavements.

Looks like Macau in certain ways.

We made a turn onto Rua da Prata and saw this ordinary looking church. We were told that it's very pretty inside but we didn't get to go in. We weren't sure if that person was there to guard the place or what, we just figured not to be bothered with it.

Continued walking up with old fashion street cars running on tracks here.

At the end of Rua da Prata, there's a statue of King John I at the Praca da Figueira. 

We also checked out the vendors at the market here but didn't find anything of interest.

There were some public toilet stalls here also.

Not far from the Plaza to the east, there's the Praca Dom Pedro IV ( King Pedro IV Square) with the statue of King Pedro (the first King of Brazil, I think), and a beautiful fountain.

Fountain

Just a short distance away is the St. Dominic's Square with the simple, stone-carved Church of St. Dominic...

...and a memorial of the Jewish massacred in 1506.

I felt a little uneasy here at this place. Seemed like there's quite a few of homeless people here. I would definitely stay close with travel partners when visiting this area.

Lisbon Train Station, very pretty!

In the middle of the main road stood the Monument of Restauradores, an obelisk commemorates the end of Spanish domination.

Across from the plaza is the Elevator Gloria (funicular) station.

Our one-day pass included a ride here also. Many people didn't know about the pass and were trying to buy tickets here. If I remember correctly, the one-way ride was not cheap.

Here comes the tram.

Many people decided to just take the hike after learning about the price of the ride.

Passengers paying for their tickets when they boarded the tram.

Still waiting in line.

All aboard!

The end of the short ride.

Up here on the terrace (Miradouro de Sao Pedro de Alcantara) one can enjoy an excellent view of the city.

Ugly graffiti!

Instead of taking the tram back down, we decided to take a walk around the neighborhood.

Houses with pretty tiles.

Came upon this small quaint square with the Lottery Seller Sculpture. A fun stop for a little break.

Obelisk next to the sculpture.

I thought this building was quite interesting with the add-on on the rooftop.

The long walk up and down hilly streets brought us to the Chafariz do Carmo fountain near the Archaeological Museum.

And the ruins of Carmo Convent.

From there we went up and crossed over to the Santa Justa Lift where we can take the ride down.

Before the elevator ride, we walked around the tower and enjoyed the views of Lisbon from high above.

Looking back at the ruin.

Waiting for the elevator at the top.

We had to wait in line for quite a while before the lift came back to pick us up. There should be two elevators but it seemed to only have one in operation that day. The exterior of the elevator is more appealing than the ride. But, at least we were not in the LONG line at the bottom of the lift.

Now, we have made a huge circle and back near the Commercial Plaza area.

The Pillory of Lisbon and the Municipal Plaza.

Lisbon City Hall

Fun sculptures near the city hall.

Passing by the statue of Duke Terceira on the main street on our way to the Time Out Market.

Arriving at the Time Out Market where son wanted to check out some food.

This market is different from the markets in Barcelona or Valencia. It's more like a huge food court with many food stalls around selling everything from all the different continents. A very busy place bustling with visitors from all over the world. Food seemed to be very colorful with a lot of varieties. A little on the expensive side but not too bad. 

Son had his eyes on a steak sandwich that he had read about and he was totally happy with what he got. For us who are frugal (in another word, cheap), we decided to wait til we get back on the ship.

From the Time Out Market we crossed the street to take Bus 728 to the Jeronimos Monastery.

Where we got in line for the famous Portuguese Egg Tarts at the Pasteis de Belem nearby.

It was certainly a long line, but it didn't take long just to buy some to go.

Those of us not getting in line went inside to take pictures.

We figured with 12 of us, it would be impossible to get tables anyway.

They came six in a pack and we bought a total of 18 for the 12 of us.

Fresh, hot, and yummy!

Monastery, a UNESCO site.

A Thai pagoda in the Belem Park as we walked toward the Navigators Statue (Padrao dos Descobrimentos).

Some of us were very tired after walking around all day and decided not to cross the street to the statue. We just sat at the bench admiring the monument from afar while waiting for the rest of the group to come back. Then, the weather took a quick turn and started to drizzle. Wind was picking up and we were starting to get a bit chilly. Fortunately, they all returned and we headed back to the bus stop across from the pastry shop and took the bus back to port. Apparently, the 728 bus took us right back to the front of the cruise terminal. So, I assume there is a 728 bus stop somewhere nearby that would take people to the monastery area.

So nice to have our starboard side actually as the port side here.

The cruise terminal.

The menu tonight had me ordered most of my dishes from the Always available items.

Always available shrimp cocktail.

Always available French Onion Soup.

Always available Caesar Salad

Son's Gnocchi au Gratin

Always available New York Strip Steak

A tiresome day but we will have another sea day to rest up before Ponta Delgada!

"He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never  be shaken."   -- Psalms 62:2