BY THE RIVER WITH EYES SET ON SHORE, THIS BOROUGHS HAVE KEPT INTACT MUCH OF THE LISBON THAT OVER THE CENTURIES GAINED GROUND TO THE COUNTRYSIDE. AND IF TODAY THEY OPEN UP TO THE TEMPTATIONS OF THE NIGHT, THEY STILL HAVE IN BEAUTIFUL MADRAGOA AN OLD ANCHOR.
If you have to start somewhere try Largo do Rato, that connects with Rua de S. Bento. A street that, just before reaching the Parliament, is filled with antique shops and has as asset Casa Amália Rodrigues, the home of our Fado diva that became a museum after her death. On the right from D. Carlos I avenue all streets lead to secular Madragoa, where only shop windows change regularly. Still, it is experiencing such modernity that makes this area a special case. A true island, if Lisboa was an archipelago.
The National Museum of Antique Art dictates the path to reach Santos, a place of gastronomic experimentation and lively bars that insist in early rises and going home just to change clothes. Santos used to be a discharging port and fish market until they realized the potencial of the river margin as entertainment area. Today it has bikeways and walkways, people run for pleasure and maintenance and on each door there are spots to eat and drink all the way down to Alcântara. Or you can just drop in at the Alcântara square and enjoy the renowned seafood restaurants and their industrial architecture.
Because of Docks, a bars and restaurants complex under the protective shade of 25 de Abril bridge, Alcântara now shines both on water and on land, with points of interest such as the creative poles at Village Underground and LX Factory, and the exotic Orient Museum. Make sure to also visit the amazing panels painted by Almada Negreiros at Rocha Conde de Óbidos and at Gare Marítima de Alcântara.
On top, the royal woods of the Institute of Agronomy indicate the beginning of the Monsanto Forest Park, that saves the city from contemporary fumes and is always opens for an energetic trek.
