4H Tuk Tuk Tour All Lisbon

Camões is the main poet in the Portuguese language, and it is in the square named after him that we will begin our tour. Praça de Camões is the ideal spot to understand the geography of Chiado and develop navigation skills in the Chiado neighborhood. If we turn downwards, towards the Tagus river, we see the riverside area, where the Timeout market, Pink street, the Cais do Sodré train station for those who want to take the train to Cascais, or the ferry boat to the other side of the river. Rotating counter clockwise we see Largo do Chiado itself and the upper part of Garrett Street, where we will later spend part of our walk. Continuing to rotate, we have Bairro Alto, bohemian Lisbon, the Church of Saint Rock (the most decorated in Lisbon) and the viewpoint São Pedro de Alcântara.

From Saint Catherine's viewpoint you can see one of the best views of the city. Unlike other viewpoints that are empty places 10 minutes later, Saint Cathenine's has a life of its own, which goes far beyond the sunset, with live music, restaurants, bars and rooftops. If we consider Portugal as a rectangle, we can think of the Tagus River as cutting the country into 2 parts. On the left side is Spain 200 km away, on the right side is the place where the river meets the Atlantic Ocean, in the neighborhood called Belem, where the UNESCO monuments are located and right in front, after the bridge that resembles the Golden Gate, is the south of Portugal, with provinces starting with "Al", such as Alentejo and Algarve. In Saint Catherine's, there is also the personification of Adamastor, the mythical monster described by Camões in the epic poem "Lusiads" that prevented ships from reaching India in the 15th century.

Carmo Square is one of the most elegant squares in Lisbon, dominated by the ruins of the Convent (1388). The Carmo Church was destroyed in the great earthquake of November 1, 1755 and was never rebuilt, having remained to this day as a memorial to the earthquake and a tribute to its victims. The main events of the revolution of April 25, 1974, took place in Carmo Square, which overthrew the dictatorship and established democracy. Crossing the passage that is right next to the ruins of the Church, we arrive at the Santa Justa elevator (1900), built using the same technology as the Eiffel Tower in Paris and which, when it was inaugurated, served to connect the neighborhoods of Baixa and Chiado. The elevator's observation deck is one of the privileged points of Lisbon. At our feet we can see Baixa and Rossio square, right in front, the castle and the Mouraria neighborhood.

Rossio (Pedro IV square) is considered the center of the city. It was rebuilt during the works that followed the 1755 earthquake. Historically, Rossio was the venue for chariot races during the Roman Empire. The metro works made it possible to expose the "spina", the set of stones that constituted the main axis of the racing venue, but nothing remains of the stands. Before the earthquake, the Palace of the Inquisition was located in Rossio and also the Hospital of All Saints. The Inquisition Palace was completely destroyed and it's now the National Theatre.

The Square of Commerce was called the Palace Courtyard until the 18th century and was Lisbon's party hall. The great parties that took place when a prince or princess was born or when a new queen entered the city, gave rise to parties that lasted days. In the 16th century, King Manuel stopped living in the Castle and started living in the royal palace on the western side of the Square. After the 1755 earthquake, the whole Square was built anew, along with Baixa and Rossio. The medieval Palace Courtyard gave rise to the modern Square of Commerce. The name change did not come about by chance, but is due to the economic, social and political changes undertaken by Pombal, the person responsible for the rehabilitation of Lisbon. In 1908, King Carlos was shot dead on the western side of the Square, along with his eldest son. The monarchy only survived the attack for 2 years, with the republic being proclaimed on the balcony of the City Hall, just a few steps away.