Discovering Baixa in Lisbon : History and cool places

Today we are going for a walk in the very centre of Lisbon, I name the districts of Baixa and Cais do Sodré.
On the program: the beautiful and big squares, the very touristy atmosphere of the centre, La Ribeira Market and some cool places to have a drink.
Baixa means The Lower City in Portuguese, a modern checked district built in the 18h century by the Marquis de Pombal. The historical heart of Lisbon had to be entirely rebuilt after a terrible tragedy which touched the city and its residents in 1755.
London was mostly destroyed by fire in 1666. San Francisco had a devastating earthquake in 1906. Closer to us, Kobe in Japan had a deadly tsunami in 2011.
On All Saints’ Day 1755, Lisbon experimented 3 combined catastrophes: an awful earthquake with a magnitude of 9 out of 9 on the Richter scale, a ferocious fire and a devastating tsunami. Nearly a quarter of the residents of Lisbon died on that day.
The destroyed Lower City was rebuilt using modern urban planning principles (even if inherited from the Greeks and the Romans): straight roads crossing each other at a right angle.
The checkerboard offers beautiful perspectives but isn’t as charming as the lanes of the Castle District, Alfama or la Mouraria.
Several big squares come one after another:
Praça dos Restauradores
Rossio ou Praça Dom Pedro IV
The square ground is checked the Portuguese way, forming psychedelic waves. A bicolor mosaic with some basalt for the black cobblestones and limestone for the white cobblestones.
From the square, you can see the Carmelites church that was destroyed in 1755 and left gutted ever since, on the hills of Ciado. Like a testimony to the fury of God or the elements.
Going down towards Tage, you will come across the Santa Justa lift, which apparently would be a creation of Eiffel because it is made out of metal and is in a neo gothic style. But no! It is however the work of a Portuguese man from French descent: Raouk Mesnier du Ponsard. At f the lift, a belvedere allows you to discover the district from above. The experience isn’t worth the queue, which can be long at times.
Augusta Rua is the pedestrian street ending in the monumental triumphal Arch. This may be one of the most unpleasant places in Lisbon.
La Praça do Comércio or The Trading Square played an essential role in Lisbon until the devastating earthquake. The Royal Palace and Library, a part of the port, administrative buildings to regulate trade with colonies were there.
The square was rebuilt in the shape of a U open on the Tage. The equestrian statue of King Joseph or Jose the First stepping on snakes, symbol of the many difficulties met during his reign was put there.
Walking the Tage on the right, you will get to the former sailor district: Cais do Sobre. It was for a long time the Red-light district of Lisbon with bars, brothels and whores’ hotels. Pensao Amor is one of the most beautiful of the local bars and is located in a whorehouse.
The district is one of the liveliest and pleasant to go out at the weekend. And it is here that you will be offered, like in Barrio Alto, some powder to buy every 50 yards.
In Pink Street, other bars with retro signs remind where the passing sailors came from: Copenhagen, Liverpool, Oslo, Hamburg… Not necessarily good bars but the neon are original for sure.
The last step is the covered market in Ribeira that became a massive place for street food. Several dozens of restaurants to choose from: local and world food, burgers, sushi, cold meats, fish restaurants, vegetarian and wine bars… The place is rather impressive, especially the metallic framework and the light, and you can get some tasty food there. Maybe a bit expensive so tending to tourists but a friendly and pleasant experience nonetheless.
You are now across the train station to join the district of Belem west then further away the seaside resorts of Caiscais and Estoril by the ocean. Behind the train station, ferries will take you to the right bank of Lisbon in Almada where the statue of the Christ King is.
You can find more info about Lisbon in description. Let us know if you liked the stroll by leaving us a comment. To follow and support us and to discover other cities in an original way, why not subscribe to our TH-cam channel.
Be curious and enjoy your trip!
More about Lisbon in french :
// Lisbon travelguide : bit.ly/Visiter-...
// Map of Lisbon : bit.ly/Carte-Li...
// Itineraries for a weekend : bit.ly/Itinera...
// Places to stay : bit.ly/Hebergem...
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[@jayhuxley2559]

Very well done, congratulations!

[@joyfullypacinglife8847]

Very nice! Thank you for taking the time to share this with us.

[@lucretiaweil75]

Mostly accurate interesting data, but why brazilian music in a video about Portugal? That's the reason I didn't give you a like (and I'm sure many other people).

[@Vanupied]

The reason is simple, there was no traditional Portuguese music available on the soundbank used. I didn't think that putting Brazilian music instead would make anyone uncomfortable.