The Welcoming Heritage of Portugal

Portugal’s monuments, museums, cobblestones and tiles are echoes of the 16th Century, with a warren of tangled cobblestone streets signaling the Alfama, the city’s oldest and most picturesque quarter.

Life percolates through the narrow staircase streets and oblique alleys built just wide enough for two donkeys to pass and just tortuous enough to deter surprise invasions. Multicolored trams negotiate the maze with mere centimeters to spare, but I recommend exploring on foot.

Stop for a wine or beer at some of the cavelike tavernas and, at lunchtime, watch the streets fill with the smoke and aroma of barbecued sardines. Once the enclave of Lisbon’s fishermen, the Alfama today is shared by poets and painters inspired by its abundant vestiges of the past.

Zigzag your way unerringly up and you’ll eventually reach the ruins of the Castle of San Jorge, whose foundations date from the 6th Century but whose current aspect is the result of sporadic expansion and renovation that began in the 12th Century. It culminated in a restoration in the medieval style 50 years ago. From the 13th Century to the early 16th Century, San Jorge was the residence of Portugal’s kings.

On the ramparts you can see Lisbon unfurled to the west. The Baixa (lower town) is the compact grid of narrow streets and short blocks between Black Horse Square at the river’s edge and Lisbon’s central Rossio Square to the north. This is an area of stores and businesses.

Echoes of Paris

Near the intersection of Rua de Santa Justa and Rua Aurea, Eiffel’s Elevador de Santa Justa (a prelude to his Paris tower) links the Baixa with the Bairro Alto (upper town), most noted for its nightlife.

From the upper platform of the Elevador you can enjoy a full-circle view of the city and cross via footbridge to the Bairro Alto’s Largo do Carmo a few blocks north, which blossoms with sidewalk cafes and pastry shops of the Avenida da Liberdade, Lisbon’s Champs Elysees.

Returning to Black Horse Square, hop a tram west to Belem’s Jeronimos Monastery, a 16th-Century expression of thanks for Vasco da Gama’s successful East Indian expedition.

The early 16th Century was the height of Portugal’s sea power, a time when trade in gold, ivory, gems and spices along the Tagus River banks seemingly knew no limits.

Themes From the Sea

The Jeronimos Monastery is a tour de force of the Manueline decorative style that derived its ornamental themes from Portugal’s nautical prowess and imperial riches. It also houses the tomb of Vasco da Gama.

Looking toward the river, you’ll see a Manueline parapet. Along with its lost twin, this 16th-Century Tower of Belem once stood in the Tagus, marking the spot from which Da Gama set sail for India. The course of the river has shifted; and before becoming a tourist sight, this tower served as a fortress and lighthouse.

Nearby, jutting into the river like the prow of a ship, is the Monument to the Discoveries.

Standing at its figurative helm is Prince Henry the Navigator (who allegedly sailed only once and got terribly seasick) leading a throng of sailors, captains, priests, poets and weeping widows into the jaws of hard-won glory.

Once you’ve seen the sights of Lisbon, the beaches of the Estoril Coast and the mountains of Sintra await 15 miles away.

About every half-hour, trains to Estoril and Cascais, a few miles farther down the coast, leave Lisbon’s Cais do Sodre Station for “the Coast of Kings.” For several centuries this stretch of shore was the favored summer retreat of the aristocracy, and it continues to draw some of Europe’s nobility.

During World War II, many exiled bluebloods came here to ride out the storm. Some, like King Umberto of Italy and the Count of Barcelona, pretender to the Spanish throne, stayed in Cascais.

Unfortunately, Estoril, like so many other resort areas around the world, is threatened by the modern scourge of pollution, so a new resort area is being developed along the Costa de Caparica across the Tagus.

Luxurious Lure

But the Casino Estoril at the northern end of Parque do Estoril remains a luxurious lure. In addition to gaming tables, bars and a glittering floor show, it boasts miles of marble, extravagant carpeting and dazzling chandeliers.

The Sintra train departs from Lisbon’s Rossio Station for the lush green mountains, landscaped parks and fanciful castles.

Although today’s horse-drawn carriages tote squadrons of tourists, Sintra has not surrendered an ounce of its charm to tourism.

Like a Renaissance Dutch painting whose realistic foreground fades into background fantasy, Sintra sets the tiled and balconied structures of its central square against castle-crowned mountains.

A small town of 15,000, Sintra swells with excursionists on weekends and during the tourist season (March to October).

Botanist’s Delight

About 90 species of plants from all over the former empire make it a botanist’s delight and a romantic’s dream.

The Paco Real de Sintra in the center of town and the Palacio da Pena on the mountaintop are as picturesque as post cards.

A 13th-Century fort with a 14th-Century residential extension, the Paco Real served as royal palace of the Avis dynasty.

Its dual conical chimneys are a Sintra trademark, and its interior decor is a blend of Moorish and Gothic with a profusion of azulejos (tiles).

Like some exotic, pretentious bird, Pena Palace sits atop a 1,300-foot crag. Cascading bouquets of daisies, London pride and assorted greenery drape its walls.

Designed and built in the mid-1800s by the German architect Baron von Eschwege (cousin of the architect that gave expression to King Ludwig of Bavaria’s castle eccentricity), it is a masterful blend of baroque portals, Renaissance cupolas, Manueline windows, Gothic vaulting and Moorish minarets. Surveying this creation from a nearby hill is a statue of the baron.

In an early morning mist, I explored the rambling, crenelated walls of the Castelo dos Mouros that crowns yet another hill.

The Moorish fortress, dating from about AD 800, is isolated and benignly eerie, obdurate but yielding bit by bit to the whistling wind and encroaching brush. When the amber light of sunset strikes them, the crumbling walls become a glowing hilltop halo.

Lisbon’s climate is comparable to Northern California--warm summers and mild winters.

Moderate Hotels

Accommodations range from the five-star luxury of the Ritz Intercontinental (88 Rua Rodrigo da Fonseca) or Lisbon Sheraton (1 Rua Latino Coelho) to pensions with a communal bathroom.

Some moderate four-star hotels are the Diplomatico (74 Rua Castilho), the Tivoli Jardim (7 Rua Julio C. Machado) and the Fenix (8 Praca Marques de Pombal). Five-star hotels are from $50 to $185 for a double in low season and $75 to $200 in high season.

In Estoril the Hotel Palacio (Parque do Estoril) is a five-star favorite near the Casino Estoril.

In Cascais the five-star Hotel Albatroz (100 Rua Frederico Arouca) is perched dramatically on a rock at the sea’s edge.

In Sintra a mile or so from the main square is the elegant, 18th-Century Hotel Palacio de Seteais (8 Ave. Barbosa do Bocage) where Lord Byron stayed when it was the home of the Dutch Consul General, Daniel Gildermeester.

Most of the original antique furnishings and decor have been refurbished, replaced or copied. It has only 18 rooms, so book well in advance for this five-star jewel.

An in-town alternative is the four-star Hotel Tivoli Sintra (Praca da Republica).

Dinner With Wine

Seafood is Lisbon’s culinary forte and is often at its best and cheapest at small tascas such as Primarvera (101/A Rua Morais Soares) and Bota Alta (37 Travessa do Queimada), where dinner with wine and tip runs about $12.

For fancier fare, try Clara (49 Camp dos Martires da Patria).

In Cascais, Baluarte (4 Rua Tenente Valadim) serves the full spectrum of local specialties.

In Sintra the Hotel Palacio de Seteais features a gourmet restaurant. Lunch or dinner at the latter three restaurants costs $18 to $50 per person. The Portuguese take lunch between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. and dinner about 9 p.m.

For shoppers, ceramics and tiles are a good buy.

Fabrica Sant’Anna (95 Rua Do Alecrim) and Solar (70 Rua Dom Pedro V) are just two of the many shops with a wide selection of items ranging from several dollars to several hundred dollars.

Shopping hours are typically 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. weekdays and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturdays.

Tuesdays and Saturdays the flea market in the Largo de Santa Clara behind Alfama’s Church of Sao Vincente features crafts such as embroidery, lace, needlepoint and silver.

Singing the Blues

Discos, bars and nightclubs abound in Lisbon’s major hotels and the Bairro Alto area. But why not do as the Portuguese do? Plan an evening of fado, the Portuguese equivalent of the blues. These soulful laments generally get going about midnight.

Most of the fado clubs are clustered around the Bairro Alto’s Largo do Chafariz or the Alfama’s Largo do S. Roque.

Some perennial favorites are Lisboa a Noite (69 Rua das Gaveas), A Severa (49-57 Rua das Gaveas) Fado Menhor (Rua des Pracas) and Senhor Vinho (18 Rua de Meio a Lapa). Cover charges are between $10 and $15.

For more information, contact the Portuguese National Tourist Office, 548 Fifth Ave., New York 10036, phone (212) 354-4403.