Archive for the ‘travel’ Category

Praça do Comércio filled with classical arcades and buildings, this majestic square is among car hire lisbon loveliest sites, the site of the royal palace for 400 years prior to the earthquake of 1755.

Rua Augusta is an engaging thoroughfare brimming with outdoor dining, mosaic sidewalks and quaint boutiques.

Cascais a fishing community since the 12th century, the area blossomed during the 19th century into a lively forum of great food, water sports including windsurfing, pedal boats, water skiing, and sunny relaxation.

Avenida da Liberdade established following the devastating earthquake of 1755, the promenade has charming fountains and café tables set amidst a monument honoring WWI casualties and has been the site of numerous events over the years.

Cristo Rei is a 90-foot tall statue of Jesus that stands atop a 270-foot high base erected during the late 1940s to publicly thank God for sparing Portugal during WWII.

Elevador de Santa Justa built in 1902 by Raoul Mesnier takes you from Baixa to the Barrio Alto in a jiffy, where you can get an amazing view of the city.

Padrão dos Descobrimentos is a stunning 179-foot tall monument with the sculpture of a ship featuring statues of Prince Henry and 32 other leading figures of the period commemorating the Age of Discoveries.

Ponte 25 de Abril a stately suspension bridge connects the two banks of the River Tagus and was completed in 1959.

Praça dos Restauradores square contains the majestic obelisk that commemorates Portugal’s liberation from Spain and was built in 1886. Avendia Palace Hotel and the Foz Palace are both housed in the plaza.

Budget, Auto Jardim, Avis, Europcar, Hertz, National/Alamo and Sixt/Auro Rent are the car hire companies in Lisbon.

Choose the best in your budget.

Oceanarium:

A visit to the Europe’s largest Oceanarium, is a wonderful and a unique experience. Located in the city of Lisbon, the Oceanarium consists of about 16,000 animals and over 450 various species of plants and it is the second best aquarium in the world. The highlight of this aquarium is the central tank which consists of many species such as sharks, barracudas, rays, large shoals of fish and many others. This aquarium is the first ever to include the ocean habitats within a single environment. With extraordinary recreations of several ecosystems of ocean, the Antarctic tank consists of penguins and the Pacific tank consisting of otters, playing in rock pools.

Tower of Belem:

Located in the city of Lisbon, the Tower of Belem was built in the early 16^th century and is regarded as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. With several architectural styles incorporated, this structure stands as a perfect example for the Portuguese Manueline style. Because of the superb decoration on its exterior, with the striking openwork balconies, the outer walls with a stone carved rope and the Moorish watchtowers, makes this site as the most famous landmark of the Lisbon city.

Botanical Gardens:

Another outstanding attraction of the city is the Botanical Gardens. Estufa Fria or Cold Greenhouse consists of remarkable collection of tropical plants that are positioned amidst the mock waterfalls and grottoes. This Cold Greenhouse id further categorized in to 3 zones: first contains winter plants, second consists of tropical species and the third one houses the renowned fleshy plant.

cheap car hire lisbon companies in Lisbon include Easy Car, Auto Europe, and Argus, Hertz, Avis and Opodo car hire.

Lisbon situated next to the Tagus Estuary is the capital and the largest city of Portugal and a blend of the old and the new.

Sunny Lisbon with its great boulevards, monuments and beaches, great nightlife and casinos attracts millions of tourists each year.

Lisbon is rich in architecture from Roman to modern due to its historical heritage.

•             Places of interest.

Lisbon’s aquarium and oceanarium provide visitors an experience of underwater and deep sea life and their creatures including sharks and manta rays.

The Elvador da Bica the street car system used for transporting passengers up and down the steep hills of Lisbon runs close to the Tagus River is and very convenient ways to see sights.

Costa da Caparica offers Surf lovers surfing competitions, just surf or lie back in the sun and watch the action.

The Feira Popular is an amusement park with a roller coaster, a giant Ferris wheel and many other fair attractions is for the thrill seeker. Covering over 125 acres, this fair is very popular with visitors, with dozens of restaurants and kiosks selling knick knacks.

The Monumental Fountain or Fonte Monumental as it is locally known with its size and waterfalls brings a new life into its surroundings when lit at night making it a popular object of photography.

Very popular among the children is The Zoological Park.

The Marina de Cascais along the west coast of Lisbon offers some of the best sea food. With its numerous restaurants, eateries and shops it is a place to relax and see the boats come in and go out of the marina.

The Lisbon Maritime Museum and the Lisbon Planetarium take the visitors through the maritime history and the universe in which we live.

Campo Pequeno Bullring which holds bull fights in summer is among the many monuments and landmarks worth seeing in Lisbon. Among these are, Jeronimos Monastery with its beautiful frescos, vaulted ceiling and ornamented stone columns, the Castle of Sao Jorge known for its medieval architecture, Casa dos Bicos or House of nozzles called so for the many points and peaks it has, the National Library and Arco da Rua Augusta a stone arch way with its many statues.

•             Lisbon Portela Airport.

The airport is situated 7Kms north of The Castle of Sao Jorge in Lisbon, and has two terminals.

The airport has bank, post office, ATMs, currency exchange counters and internet access in the airport.

The departures area offers a wide range of fast food outlets, cafes, snack bars and restaurants, while shops include duty free too. Baby care areas, first aid and showers are available too.

Besides this the airport has facilities for business and conferencing, and special facilities for the disabled.

Budget, Auto Jardim, Avis, Europcar, Hertz, National/Alamo and Sixt/Auro Rent are the car rental companies with desks at the airport.