one side open to the Tagus River. Lisboans still call it by its old name,
Terreiro do Paço, or Palace Courtyard. It was the symbolic location of
the Portuguese empire, where kings lived, and where precious spices
and colonial goods were traded for gold. It is also a great starting point
for exploring Lisbon via the hop-on-hop-off double-decker buses.
Parque das Nações is a revived area on the Tagus River lined with green
spaces, outdoor art, and spectacular modern buildings. Nearby are
popular waterfront restaurants and the glass-roofed Centro Vasco da
Gama, with shops and cinemas. Kid-friendly exhibits lure families into
the Knowledge Pavilion, while the Telecabine Lisboa cable car offers
majestic vistas.
eat
Portuguese cuisine is straightforward and flavorful with an array of
the freshest seafood, juiciest steaks, and richest wines available. Life
is short, eat dessert first by stopping into a Lisbon pastelaria where
you can buy the classic pastéis de nata (Portuguese custard tarts). A
favorite: Pastéis de Belém. They have been making the tarts since 1837
and are rumored to make around 14,000 per day.
Another foodie favorite, Bistro 100, is a two-floor restaurant in an art
deco mansion in the busy Bairro Alto district. Perfect for high-end
dining with dishes featuring squid and octopus, rack of lamb, and the
accompanying fine wines. The owner, Maneiras Ljubomir Stanisic, was
born in Sarajevo, fled the war to Portugal as a boy and is now a celebrity
chef. Other Lisbon hot spots include non-Portuguese cuisine which you
can try at Pistola y Corazon Taqueria, a hip Mexican restaurant known
for their tasty tacos, tequila, and mezcal selections.
Another international favorite in Lisbon is Boa-Bao, a new Asian street
food restaurant inspired by the 1920s Saigon markets. Offering a wide
range of cuisine and a drink menu that resembles a stamped passport,
Boa-Bao serves a refined, authentic version of Asian market favorites.
get away
Thirty minutes west of the city, the seaside resort of Estoril, with its
Grand Casino, was founded in 1935 for the amusement of Lisbon’s
upper class. At the beginning of the second world war, Lisbon was an
important escape route from Europe, and nearby Estoril unexpectedly
became an international destination for refugees. Hotel Palácio
sheltered the likes of Salvador Dalí, Antoine du Saint-Exupéry, Ian
Fleming, the Duke of Windsor, and Wallis Simpson.
Street musician in Lisbon
Credit: iStock/znm
Funicular in Lisbon
Credit: iStock/RossHelen
For diehard fans of the one and only “Material Girl”, steal glimpses of
Madonna’s 16,146-square-foot Portuguese palace where she and her
family reside. The home — an 18th-century Moorish Revival mansion
just outside of Lisbon — boasts four bedrooms, seven bathrooms,
a guesthouse, and a caretaker’s cottage. The home is located in the
historic Quinta do Relogio estate on the breathtaking hilltop village of
Sintra, about 30 minutes from Lisbon by car.
GETTING THERE
United Airlines offers daily nonstop
service from Dulles International Airport
(IAD) to Lisbon Portela Airport (LIS).
AUTUMN 2018 33 FLYWASHINGTON.COM