The maritime Voyages of Discovery turned Lisbon into one of the world’s great ports and the centre of an empire that stretched from Brazil in the West to India in the East. On the banks of the river, great monuments testify to that history.

After the earthquake of 1755, the Baixa Pombalina downtown was rebuilt in the classical style while many of its adjoining medieval neighbourhoods survived and are now home to an amazing array of stores, restaurants and cafés.

Lisbon’s exceptional and highly individualistic light has charmed writers, photographers and filmmakers with the polychrome façade tiles serving to create a particular atmosphere.

On foot, by tram, boat or walking the banks of the Tagus, and even on the metro - an open underground museum of contemporary Portuguese art, any means serves to reveal the cultural diversity of the Portuguese capital of Lisbon.