A Romantic Walk Along the Tagus River in Lisbon

If you happen to be in Lisbon on February 14th you should go for a romantic (Lomo) walk along the north bank of the Tagus River.

According to CNN, Lisbon might be Europe’s coolest city and will make for a great Valentine’s Day destination. An afternoon’s walk from Lisbon’s downtown ending at sunset on the mouth of the Tagus River is not only romantic but also filled with photo opportunities.

For this walk you should take the subway to Baixa/Chiado. As you leave the station you might say nonchalantly, “Oh what a coincidence, the Lomography Embassy Store is just a couple of hundred meters from here, we should go check it out!” On the way to the store you will walk through one of the busiest quarters of Lisbon and after hinting to your loved one that expired film might be a great Valentine’s Day gift you might even leave the store with something new in your bag! Leaving the Lomo Embassy and going down the Augusta street will take you to Praça do Comercio were you will see the river for the first time.

From there to your final destination is a long 6 km walk so you should shorten it by taking one of the old yellow trams to the Ponte 25 de Abril (25th of April bridge).

Built in the 1960’s this bridge is one of the best known landmarks of Lisbon and at the time was one of the largest in the world.

The walk west along the river bank is a pleasant one, filled with great views, cool street art and some really nice bars and restaurants.

You will later arrive at a couple of monuments (Padrão dos Descobrimentos and Torre de Belém) that celebrate the portuguese explorers of the 15th and 16th centuries. Portuguese ships sailed from this spot to places all over the world (India, Macau, Brasil…) making Portugal one of the great world powers at that time. Today it’s a great place to see the sun go down in the company of your loved one.

A short walk from this place you will find one of Lisbon’s main turist spots and a great portuguese delicacy — Pasteis de Belém. These are custard tarts that everyone loves and should get you closer to your love’s heart by way of his/her stomach.

written by robertofiuza on 2014-02-13 #places #love #lisboa #tejo #romance #location #valentine #lomo-walk #local-flavor #urban-adventures