Exploring Lisbon and the tourist attractions in the city

Lisbon really impressed me as a capital because almost all the attractions are amazing, and you can do all the activities you've ever dreamed of. You must first know that it's rather spread out and you can't visit the city on foot. Well, you can get to some attractions on foot but generally speaking, buying a weekly pass for 20 euros to use the metro will save you a lot of money in the end, and you can get to all the important places in the city. The city is known for its river, its different bridges as well as its beautiful monuments.

Santa Justa Lift

The first monument I was able to visit and I could see it from my hotel room was the giant lift called Elevador de Santa Justa. It's remarkable and classic on the inside. This giant lift is situated at the end of the main street called rua Áurea. That's where you'll find many hotels all around the squares Praça do Comércio and Praça Dom Henrique, as it's the coolest and most attractive part of the city. I therefore decided to go up in this famous lift, the ticket only costs 5 euros and then you can wait in the queue for your turn. The lift is impressive on the inside. The classic iron doors close and then you go all the way up to the last floor to see a magnificent landscape and a superb panoramic view of the whole city, the horizon and the beautiful monuments. From up there, you can see so many magnificent things which you can admire from afar and take photos of.

The lift is a really great way to feel as if you're flying because when you're at the top, there are some stairs which take you even higher, in other words, above the lift to get a superb panoramic view, and you can see the wonderful river flowing on the other side of Lisbon. These two parts of the capital are connected by two different bridges. You can also notice writing on the walls and graffiti which is very characteristic of the city, as well as being beautiful. It represents part of the capital and its history. You can also make out some streets which are decorated with mosaic stones which you normally can't see because of the amount of people there.

Praça do Comércio

Not far from the lift, you'll find the popular and symbolic square in the city called Praça do Comércio. It has a magnificent view of the river and a beautiful landscape full of different walls in a semi-circle shape around the whole square. In the middle there's a wonderful monument representing one of the old leaders of the city just like the Arc de Triumph which forms a gate structure to get to the river. It's a lovely image to admire. You can see different restaurants where you can have breakfast with a view of this wonderful square. Then you can continue walking to get to the Oriente station to get to other parts and areas of the city, or even walk towards the area called Cais do Sodré and take the metro to Cascais which is also a dream destination. If you have something else in mind, you can explore the bridge called 25th April and look at the statue of Jesus which is next to the bridge. It's exactly like the one in Brazil. You can take a picture of the statue and even of the whole view if you cross the bridge to the other side.

Going around the city on a Tuk-Tuk tour

I used the tuk-tuk service to go on a tour of the city with my friend and it was great. The tuk-tuk is like a small convertible car. We had so much fun because it was so cool to be able to see all the monuments in the Portuguese capital in such an original means of transport. The driver took us round for 15 euros, which seems a little expensive, but you can haggle with them to lower the price. We got to see the beautiful blue fountain square with lovely buildings and an original architecture. Then we went to the centre to see the Estádio da Luz, the official stadium of the Benfica football club.

After that, we went towards Lisbon Zoo, which is home to so many wild animals and beautiful birds. We went for a walk around the park and made the most of the good weather whilst looking at all the animals. The park also puts on a dolphin show for those who want to watch them swim in the pool. The entrance fee is 20 euros and the park has plenty of fun games for adults and children. There were many fascinating animals to see there, especially the bears, the lions and the cheetahs, the tigers and the foxes. You can see all types of wild animals, even penguins.

Telecabine and Oceanarium

Then we went to explore the other part of the city and we went to different tourist attractions, which are mainly in the area called Parque dos Nações. There's a telecabine which has an amazing view of the Vasco da Gama bridge on one side and of the river Tage on the other side. It was brilliant and we had a great time on this trip. It lasts around fifteen minutes, but you feel full of excitement and adrenaline. It costs 6 euros for a single, and a return ticket costs 11 euros, so it's a small discount. You can see the neighbourhood and the newly built buildings, as well as all the boats on the river going towards the port. In the same area, just next to the telecabine, there's an oceanarium called Oceanário de Lisboa, which is a huge aquarium we decided to go and see as well. The aquarium is amazing, also newly built and there are so many sea animals to see.

Firstly, the entrance fee is 17 euros which is quite expensive, but I'd say it's worth visiting. In the entrance, we were able to see lots of species of goldfish, penguins and some species of frogs and jellyfish. Then when we went inside the giant aquarium, you get to see the sharks whilst looking at other sea life as if you're in the middle of the ocean. There were also lots of other rare species, and next to each one an information stand on species which are found in the Pacific Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean. Some species are really rare and looking at them was a really enriching cultural experience.

Journey on the Tram 28

One of the most wonderful attractions in the city is also the Tram 28 which takes you to all the corners of the city. As a matter of fact, it's the most important line because it takes you across the whole city and to all the hidden places until the end of the line. However, you must know that once you get to the end, you have to get off the tram and buy another ticket to go back, and then take the same tram back again. You can catch it from the square Praça Martim Moniz, or from all other stops on the tram line and buy your ticket on board. So, you can visit all the places in Lisbon from Alfama to Bairro Alto. You can see all the Portuguese houses, the beautiful colours of the walls and different monuments which show the historic heritage such as Marquês de Pombal. The tram could be a good way to see most of the things in the city in only two journeys. You can also get it to go to another symbolic square called Miradouro. It's at the top of the hill so you can see the whole city and take stunning photos, whilst making the most of the panoramic view.

Amazing beaches

You must know that in Lisbon, there isn't really a beach in that sense, but you'll find the term Praia all over which means beach in Portuguese such as Praia de Paço de Arcos, Praia de Santo Amaro de Oeiras, which are the original beaches on the river. It's basically on the river Tage but you can still have fun there, especially in summer, and play lots of games. One of the best beaches is the Praia da Torre which is near a huge fort. Another magnificent fort is the Forte da Cruz and it's very symbolic with ancient preserved walls, detailed architecture and it's picturesque. A huge castle characterised by its pyramid-shaped roof, with its path decorated with tall palm trees and a staircase is just in front of the beach.

You can do sport there in the mornings and take in the fresh air. You can find different activities to do, such as riding an electric bike. When walking along the beach, you'll surely find lots of electric scooter stations which you can use for only 1 euro. This price is much better than in other countries. In fact, Portugal is a country rich in culture, variety, and you feel safe here with a lower than average crime rate. It's a peaceful country, but some people also have fun exploring the night life and the different parties the city has to offer. On one hand, life there is very peaceful, people are happy, they welcome strangers and you can see this by the many mixed-race couples you'll see walking around the streets.

Lastly, Portugal is one of the most beautiful countries in the world and it's visited by many people because of its extraordinary nature, its beautiful parks and its aquariums and sea life culture. Also, for its very popular local gastronomy, which is recommendable if you're into your healthy nutrition. Portugal has breath-taking landscapes as well as modern architecture mixed with historic buildings preserved all over the city.

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