Christmas in Porto, Coimbra and Lisbon
Portuguese Christmas down the country: Porto's light show on the Avenida, Coimbra's university city, and Lisbon's tree on the Praça do Comércio.
- Stop: Porto
- Stop: Coimbra
- Stop: Lisbon
- Alfama: This neighbourhood still bears signs of the Moorish presence in the city, with the buildings very close to each other, and very irregular streets. It's very atmospheric and a great spot in which to wander around. Thanks to the firmer rock it was built upon, it was relatively spared during the Great Earthquake and therefore retains the charm of the winding alleys and azulejo-covered crumbling walls.
- Baixa: This part of the city was completely rebuilt after the 1755 earthquake by the Marquês de Pombal. The planned layout, greatly different from what you will see in the more ancient neighbourhoods, is a testimony to the ideas of the Enlightenment.
- Bairro Alto: Head uphill to Bairro Alto and give your legs a good workout, or take one of the elevadores (funiculars) for stunning views of the city and some wild partying in Lisbon's most popular nightclub district. This district includes the main shopping and leisure boulevard of Avenida da Liberdade, Chiado, an elegant shopping district, and Principe Real, the trendy district with all the fancy shops.
- Belém: Belém, along with Ajuda and Alcântara, forms the city's Zona Occidental (western zone). Here you will find many grand monuments to the country's maritime history and various cultural sights, including a .
- Parque das Nações: The ultra-modern Parque de Nações district was built at the eastern end of Lisbon for Expo '98 (1998 Lisbon World Exposition), making the most of its riverfront location. Many of the sites still exist, most notably the huge Oceanarium. The Parque is in the city's Zona Oriental (eastern zone), mostly residential neighbourhoods and industrial docklands.
- Source: Wikivoyage, https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Lisbon?oldid=5311799 (CC BY-SA 4.0)