Legend has it that Lisbon was founded by Odysseus. It was more likely built first by the Phoenicians. Subsequently it was the scene of battles between Phoenicians, Greeks, and Carthaginians. The Romans took the city during the Second Punic War in 205 BC. Later, Julius Caesar designated the city as the capital of the Roman Province of Further Spain.

After the fall of Rome, the city was taken by the Visigoths, then in the eighth century by the Moors. Four hundred years later, the city fell to the Christians and a hundred years after that, it became the capital of the Kingdom of Portugal.

Lisbon was the place where the Great Age of Exploration began when, in the early 15th Century, Prince Henry the Navigator determined to find an alternate route to the East Indies around the horn of Africa. Prince Henry set up a school with the best sailors, map makers, ship builders and astronomers he could find. Prince Henry’s dream finally became reality when Vasco da Gama rounded the horn of Africa and found the sea route to India. Portugal built a commercial empire that spanned from the Indies, to West Africa, to Brazil, in South America. Unfortunately, King Philip 2nd of Spain conquered Portugal and claimed it and its colonial empire for his own. Even though the Portuguese threw off Spanish rule sixty years later, Portugal never fully recovered.

The twentieth century saw the fall of the monarchy and the imposition of an authoritarian government under António de Oliveira Salazar. An army led rebellion led to the fall of the dictatorship and the eventual rise of a democracy. After years of recovery, financed by European Union subsidies, Portugal is now enjoying a period of prosperity and promise unseen since the 16th Century. Lisbon has become a city that it a graceful fusion of the old and the new.

Castelo de Sao Jorge

The Castle of St. George is perched high upon one of Lisbon’s seven hills. The site was occupied by the Romans, the Visigoths, and the Moors before the Christian reconquest. The Castle was a royal residence until the late 15th century and now consists of a complex of walls, gardens, and towers, with an excellent view of the city and the Tagus River beyond. It is a magical place where geese and ducks wander the gardens. Also, visit Ogival House, with its 17th Century door which connected to the jail that was once here.

Torre de Belem

This is a white, stone tower by the Tagus that was built to defend that approach to the city in the early 16th Century. It consists of a quadrangular tower reminiscent of the keeps of mediaeval castles and a polygonal bastion, itself a fine example of the period's advanced defensive technology, being designed to support heavy artillery, with embrasures shaped rather like hatchways reaching almost to sea level. On the wall of the small cloister built into the terrace of the bastion is an 18th century statue of the Virgin and Child, Our Lady of Safe Homecoming, crowned by a canopy. It was often the last sight that Portugal’s sailors saw as they set forth in their ocean going caravels to explore the world and bring back its abundance. A gangway leads to a small museum within the tower. The view of the city, the river, and the surrounding countryside from the top of the tower is splendid.

Mosteiro de Jeronimos

This 16th-century monastery is one of the few surviving examples of medieval Manueline architecture (named after Manuel I and featuring naval motifs). Those motifs, carved in stone, include ropes, fishes, and conches. The south-facing façade, whose main feature of interest is the portal, is surmounted by a tympanum of carved stone, including low reliefs showing scenes from the life of St. Jerome and the royal coat of arms. In the center is a statue of Prince Henry the Navigator wielding a sword and, at the upper level, a statue of Our Lady of Belém, covered by a finely carved canopy. The whole of the portal has the figure of the Archangel Gabriel, Portugal's guardian angel, at the very top. On the west portal are the statues of Manuel 1st, St. Jerome, Queen Maria, and St. John the Baptist. On the keystone of the arch, two angels support the shield of Portugal. In the lower section are magnificent representations of the four Evangelists, St. Vincent, and the Holy Prince, Fernando, the brother of Prince Henry the Navigator. The church itself contains the final resting places of Vasco da Gama, the poet Luís de Camões, and many of the Kings of Portugal descended from Manuel 1st.

Museu Calouste Gulbenkian

The museum contains a treasure trove of art. Half of the collection consists of pieces from Egypt, Greece, Roman, the Orient, and the Islamic world. The other half consists of European art from the Middle Ages to the modern era.

Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga

This is Portugal’s national gallery. The collection consists of paintings and sculptures by Portuguese and other artists dating back to the 12th Century.

Se (Cathedral)

This cathedral was built in the 12th century by King Alfonso Henriques, Portugal’s first king, Lisbon’s cathedral is primarily Romanesque in style, although later styles were incorporated when earthquake damage was repaired. The cloister dates from the 13th century, while the Baroque sacristy houses the remains of St Anthony, Lisbon’s patron saint, and other treasures. The cathedral also houses a small museum.

Fragatta D Fernando Il e Gloria

This is a three masted sailing frigate tied up at the quay east of the city center, representing Portugal’s maritime past. It functions as a living history museum, shedding light on what life was like on ships during the great Age of Exploration.

Museu Nacional do Azulejo

This is a specialized museum, totally devoted to the art of tiles. It has examples of azuelos (arts made of glazed tiles) from the 15th Century to the present.

Sintra

Sintra is about seventeen and a half miles northwest of Lisbon and is well worth a day trip from the city.

Palacio Nacional de Sintra

This former royal residence is a stunning mixture of Moorish and Portuguese architecture and is set like a jewel in the midst of the old town. A series of remarkable chimneys connect to a kitchen complex that, if one didn’t know any better, would still seem to be in use. The palace contains numerous furnished rooms open to the public. The Torre da Meca has some houses for doves in the cornice, which is decorated with nautical motifs. The Sala dos Brazões has a round ceiling of this room which is decorated with veals that show the symbol of 74 Portuguese families. The walls are covered by panels made with tiles dating from the 18th century. The Sala das Pegas has ceiling panels decorated with magpies, commissioned by King Joao 1st as a reprimand to some of the ladies of the court who were overly fond of gossip. There is also a sumptuous garden, surrounded by a wall.

Palacio da Pena

The Palacio da Pena was built in Gothic style high on a hill and looking much like a fairytale castle. The palace is surrounded by a beautiful park filled with a variety of trees and flowers brought from every corner of the Portuguese empire by King Fernando in the 1840's.

Castelo das Mouros

The Moorish Castle was built in the 9th Century as a defensive fortress. It was conquered by King Afonso Henriques in 1147 and later restored by the consort King Fernando of Saxe Coburg-Gotha in 1860. The view from the walls, which is a bit of a climb but worth it, is nothing short of spectacular. Inside the castle there are ruins of a chapel and a Moorish cistern.

Palácio Nacional de Mafra

North of Sintra, this palace-cum-monastery-cum-basilica was created by King João V in the 18th century. The cost of building it was so immense that it virtually destroyed the Portuguese economy. Amid the corridors look out for the 18th-century pinball machines in the games room, and the library, a magnificent barrel-vaulted baroque room, with 40,000 books dating from the 15th century.

Visiting Lisbon

Lisbon is accessible by plane, automobile, and rail. Lisbon's old fashioned trams are more than just a way to get from Point A to Point B - they're an essential Lisbon experience. Similarly, the city's three funiculars are an indispensable part of its charm. There are also trains, a rapidly expanding underground system and buses, which run into the night. Stick to public transport - the manic traffic makes cars or bicycles a stressful option.