8 days in Portugal-5-11 to 5/18/2022
From our last trip we stayed at
the Parquedas Nações area and it was not convenient to get to the
historic center of Lisbon, I knew this time that we wanted to
stay in an area that is walkable to the old town, so our apartment was
perfectly located. All the restaurants,
cafes and famous squares in the Baixa district where outlets and shops in
the Áurea, Augusta, Prata and other famous streets, the magnificent Praça do
Comércio and its Arch, the luxury shops along the Avenida da Liberdade are a
just a walk away from our apartment.
Streets leading to the Praca de Figueira.
Day 1: Praça da Figueira
The Praça
da Figueira (Square
of the Fig Tree)
is a large square in the center of Lisbon.
It is part of the Lisbon Baixa neighborhood in the historic
center of Lisbon.
The
area of the city re-urbanized after the 1755 Lisbon
earthquake.
In the middle of the square is a 1971 bronze equestrian statue representing
King John (1357-1433).
In the background are four stories buildings dating from
1755 (after the earthquake) . The buildings are occupied by hotels, cafés,
and several shops. It is also an important traffic hub, with bus and metro stops.
Confeitaria National
Confeitaria National is not only one of the oldest pasteria in Lisbon,
it is actually one of the oldest in Europe! This bakery has been in business
since 1829 and was once the official bakery of the Portuguese king at that
time.
We were here during our last trip but this is such a famous place so we
decided to get in a 2nd time for a coffee and pastries.
Inside you’ll find, besides tourists, many Lisboetas who come here for a
coffee and something sweet or even a meal.
Once inside, you can choose to sit downstairs or you can got upstairs.
We opted to go up by taking the wooden stairs.
Once up there is another area for you to order and then they will take your
order to your table.
There
are several rooms where you can choose to sit. It is around 4:00pm and
we had the whole place to ourselves.
It is beautiful inside with dark wooden floor, light colored wall and beautiful
chandeliers hanging on the ceiling.
I ordered am Americano and the famous Pasteis de nata, Hoa ordered a cafe
latte and a brioche.
This place is famous but I think their pastries is just okay. My
Pateis de nata was a bit too sweet for my taste.
However, we love the vibes of the place. Really nice to sit back and
enjoy a quiet time with coffee and sweet treats.
All done, we are now leaving and taking the wooden stairs to the exit door.
Streets leading to Praça do Comercio
Walking from the Praça
de Figueira to Praça
do Comercio by taking many famous streets filled with shops, coffee shops
and restaurants.
We passed by the Santa Justa lift (we will visit it later in more details).
It is also called Carmo lift and located ate the end of Rua de Santa Justa.
You can see the entrance of the Praça
of Comercio at the end with the grandiose arch.
A store selling only Pateis de nata.
Rua Augusta is the main street leading to Praça
do Comercio.
Interesting store selling Bacalhau croquettes.
Looks really appetizing, maybe we will stop by for a 4:00pm snacks when we
have a chance.
Lots of outdoor dinning in the middle of the street.
We are now reaching the Praça
of Comercio.
NEXT....Praça
do Comércio
