Portugal

Private Downtown Walking Tour

Baixa, or downtown Lisbon, is the heart of the city. It's the main shopping and banking district that stretches from the riverfront to the main avenue (Avenida da Liberdade), with streets named according to the shopkeepers and craftsmen who traded in the area. It was completely rebuilt after the Great Earthquake of 1755, with streets flanked by uniform, neoclassical buildings. This was Europe's first great example of neoclassical design and urban planning, and one of the finest European architectural achievements of the age (it's currently being considered to be listed as a World Heritage Site). It remains an imposing district, with elegant squares, pedestrianized streets, cafes, and shops. Old trams, street performers, tiled Art Deco shopfronts, and elaborately-decorated pastry shops all lend a special charm to the area.

Tour Program

It´s the downside of Lisbon. It was Europe’s worst-recorded earthquake but it also led to the continent’s first neoclassical urban planning with the world’s first large-scale earthquake-proof construction. Some of the streets are pedestrianized and connect a number of monumental neoclassical squares, from Rossio and its cafés to the waterfront Praça do Comércio overlooked by a triumphal arch, to the attractive Praça do Município. More Tourist perspective.