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45 Best Things to Do in Costa-Da-Caparica
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Jeronimos Monastery Jose ManuelOne of the first and definitely grandest example of Manueline architecture to be found anywhere in Portugal; the Jerónimos Monastery in Belem is the embodiment of Portugal's exuberance during the Age of Discoveries. This is recognised in by the UNESCO World Heritage monument the monastery received in 1983.
Constructing such an opulent and grand building as the Jerónimos Monastery would have been extraordinarily expensive. However, it is no coincidence that the monastery was built to give thanks for the success of Vasco da Gama's...
Torre de Belem E PawłowskaThe Tower in outstanding example of 16th c. Manueline architecture. Standing on the waterside at Belem it was built as both a celebration of the age of the Discoveries and to defend the mouth of the river.
Costa da Caparica beach railway Mogadir | BY-SAThe huge crescent of sand that stretches southwards from the town of Costa da Caparica is home to a number of fantastic beaches. And whilst those in front of the numerous apartment blocks in the town itself are nothing to complain about, the further down the coast you head, the wider and less built up they becomes. In fact within a few km there are only sand dunes as a backdrop - keep going and it becomes a protected landscape of sculpted cliffs and forest.
For many visitors to Costa da Caparica the appeal is you can hop on a bus, train or ferry in Lisbon and be here in half an hour...
Convento dos Capuchos Juntas | BY-SAThe stretch of coast along Costa da Caparica is home to a slightly strange geological feature where the cliffs rise not from the sea, but several hundred metres inland. This is most pronounced in the resort town itself where behind the apartment blocks is a small plain with fields. Suddenly, a steep escarpment rises up, and it is here that you will find the 16th century Convento dos Capuchos.
As you can imagine the convent commands a spectacular sweeping panorama over the coast below. In fact there is a viewpoint (miradouro) here from which you can see Lisbon and the hills of Sintra...
25 de Abril Bridge Günter WieschendahlStretching across the estuary at the Tagus River in Lisbon is the Ponte 25 de April (25th April Bridge); the largest suspension bridge in Europe and the 20th longest in the world. Often considered as a twin sister of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco because of its similar design the bridge in Lisbon is actually 300 feet (100m) longer.
Officially opened in 1966 the Ponte 25 de April was considered the primary connection between north and south Portugal until the Vasco da Gama Bridge was built in 1998. Around this time works were carried out to suspend two railroad tracks under...
6. Cristo Rei
Cristo Rei The statue of Cristo Rei (Christ the King) with his arms outstretched dominates the skyline of the far bank of the river from Lisbon. From the city it is hard to grasp quite how big this statue is, but it is huge. Set atop a 82m (270ft) plinth the figure of Christ measures nearly 30 metres (100ft) in height. This makes it marginally smaller than the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro and there is no denying the obvious influences.
The pedestal upon which the figure stands is fairly impressive in its own right. It consists of four arches with the Chapel of Nossa Senhora da...
Elevador de Santa Justa) The Elevador de Santa Justa (Santa Justa lift) is a 47 metres (145ft) Lisbon's only remaining vertical elevator and connects Rua do Ouro in the Baixa to Largo do Carmo near Bairro Alto. It was built, along with several other cable powered urban lifts and funiculars, in a time before cars and the Metro. Whilst this may sound quite utilitarian and uninteresting nothing could be further from the truth.
Inaugurated in 1902, the elevator is a cast iron tower decorated with Neo-Gothic style filigrana details. Some say it is reminiscent of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, and this is not...
Lisbon Cathedral CanStockPhoto/MapicssReputed to be the oldest building in Lisbon, the cathedral (Sé de Lisboa) certainly has the appearance of being built to last. Compared to the frivolous Manueline architecture of the Jeronimos Monastery the Romanesque lines of the cathedral appear quite austere. Along with castellated walls and arrow slits in the towers Lisbon Cathedral, like other Portuguese cathedrals of the period, had the appearance of a fortress as much as a church.
Work began on the cathedral in 1147, the same...
Monumento Combatentes Ultramar RichardLeyFrom the early 1960’s to the mid-1970s Portugal fought a controversial campaign in Africa, attempting in vain to keep hold of its colonies there. Known as the Combatentes Ultramar (Overseas War) this conflict took the lives of over 9,000 soldiers, many of whom came from the Lisbon area. The bloody war was a factor which led to the toppling of the regime of Dr Antonio de Oliveira Salazar whose right-wing regime had held power since 1932.
Today Lisbon's Belem district is home to a striking was memorial dedicated to the memory of the...
Monument to the Discoveries Celebrating the achievements of explorers during the building of Portugal's empire is the Padrão dos Descobrimentos (Discoveries Monument). It represents a ship's prow featuring more than 30 statues of historical figures who played a big part in Portugal's Age of Discoveries. These include King Alfonso V, Vasco da Gama, Pedro Alvares Cabral and Ferdinand Magellan, with Henry the Navigator being the most prominent. On the pavement, just in front of the monument you...
Centro Cultural de Belem Antonio SacchettiReferred to simply as the CCB, this beautifully designed Centro Cultural de Belem was originally built to serve as headquarter for the Portuguese Presidency of the EU in 1992. It now provides over 100,000 square metres of space for a year-round calendar of cultural events, conferences, exhibitions and meetings as well as providing one of the best permanent exhibitions of modern art in Europe, a number of eateries and shops and much more. If you want to escape from the heat and crowds of tourists that flock to Belem, the centre has something for everyone and never...
Berardo Collection Museum World acclaimed private modern art collection with works by Andy Warhol, Jackson Pollock, Jeff Koons, and more.
Embassy Coach of Pope Clement XI - Museu Nacional dos Coches The Museu Nacional dos Coches, (National Coach Museum) is set in a surprisingly modern building overlooking the Afonso de Albuquerque gardens in Belem, next to the railway station. According to its architect Paulo Mendes da Rocha, the minimalist, modern structure is more than a museum; it provides a public utility space for the city.
This present day museum building was completed in May 2015, but the museum had already existed for more than 100 years; the 'Royal Coach Museum', which had changed its name to the National...
Electricity Museum - Lisbon Carlos da CruzThe Electricity Museum (Museu da Electricidade) is housed in the old power station on the banks of the river Tejo in Belém. In an area crammed full of historic monuments the Electricity Museum could be overlooked, however, it has worked hard to broaden its appeal and is far more worthy of a visit than its name might suggest!
The primary subject of the museum is the Tejo Power Station and how electricity was made there. But the building itself and the huge spaces within are probably the main attraction. Built between 1908 and 1951 this is one of the finest examples of industrial...
Belem National Palace The former royal Palace of Belém is now the official residence of the Portuguese president. The faded pink palace is guarded by sentries in traditional uniform and is generally not open to the public, although there is a small museum (Museu da Presidência da Republica) dedicated to the history of the Portuguese republic and its presidents attached.
The palace is situated on a small hill near the centre of the Belem district and is made up of an L-shaped structure with 5 main buildings and formal gardens.
The original structure was built in the 16th century and in 1723 King...
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Costa da Caparica travel guide »
A stone’s throw away from the capital on the southern side of the Tejo River, the Costa da Caparica is basically a long stretch of sandy, clean beaches to suit all types of beachgoer. Stretching right down to the Cabo...