Lisbon, Portugal — Activities
Lisbon Culture
Culture in Lisbon consists of a vibrant collage of old and new, as the ghosts of Lisbon's grand past echo evocatively around the city's contemporary venues. Lisbon offers a formidable number of venues and companies can often be found performing in a wide variety of sites, such as outdoor parks and national palaces.
The fortnightly Follow me Lisboa publishes cultural listings. Event tickets are available for purchase from the Agência de Billetes para Espectáculos Públicos (ABEP); there is a kiosk in the southeast corner of Praça dos Restauradores. Ticket Line (tel: 707 234 234; www.ticketline.pt) also offers tickets to many popular shows.
Music
Centro Cultural de Belém
The Orquestra Sinfónica Portuguesa (Portuguese Symphony Orchestra) plays regularly at the Centro Cultural de Belém. Theater and opera productions are also hosted in the Pequeno and Grande Auditório (Small and Large Auditoria) of this venue.
Praça do Império
Tel: (021) 361 2400.
Website: www.ccb.pt
Teatro Nacional de São Carlos
This is home to opera productions between September and June.
Rua Serpa Pinto 9
Tel: (021) 325 3045.
Website: www.saocarlos.pt
Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian
The Gulbenkian Orchestra and Gulbenkian Choir perform at one of the concert halls and the open-air amphitheater of the Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian, adjacent to the museum. Dance shows are also held here.
Avenida de Berna 45A
Tel: (021) 782 3700.
Website: www.musica.gulbenkian.pt
Coliseu dos Recreios
Another major venue for music is the Coliseu dos Recreios.
Rua das Portas Santo Antão 92
Tel: (021) 324 0585.
Website: www.coliseulisboa.com
Theater
Teatro Nacional de Dona Maria II
Among Lisbon's many beautiful theaters, the Teatro Nacional de Dona Maria II is the most striking.
Praça de Dom Pedro IV, Rossio
Tel: (021) 325 0835.
Website: www.teatro-dmaria.pt
Artistas Unidos
Most theater performance in Lisbon is, naturally, in Portuguese, although there are also some English-language productions. The classics are still well liked, despite the fact that contemporary Portuguese and political work is becoming increasingly popular. The Artistas Unidos is an alternative company that specializes in political theater.
Rua Campo de Ourique 120
Website: www.artistasunidos.pt
Dance
Teatro Camões
The Portuguese National Ballet, Companhia Nacional de Bailado is based at the Teatro Camões.
Parque das Nações
Tel: (021) 892 3470.
Lisbon Tours
Walking tours
Lisbon is a city that invites a stroll around its unique neighborhoods - notably Chiado, Bairro Alto, Mouraria and Alfama. Turismo de Lisboa publishes self-guided walking tours. Lisbon Walker offers a range of six walking tours, all kicking off from Praça do Comércio.
Tel: (021) 886 1840.
Website: www.lisbonwalker.com
Bus tours
Standard bus tours are offered by Cityrama, including Sintra, Cascais and Estoril. Tours depart from Praça Marqués de Pombal, although pick-up can be organized from a number of hotels. Cityline runs an open-top hop-on-hop-off bus service. The tour departs from Praça Marqués de Pombal though you can join at other points.
Cityrama
Tel: (021) 319 1090.
Website: www.cityrama.pt
Cityline
Tel: (021) 352 2594.
Website: www.cityline-sightline.pt
Tram tours
Carristur operates a city tour in a restored tramcar. The tram takes one-and-a-half hours to travel through the historical sights of Lisbon, departing from the Praça do Comércio. However a much cheaper and often more enjoyable option is a trip on one of the city's rumbling old public trams.
Tel: (021) 361 3000.
Website: www.carris.pt/pt/carristur
Boat tours
Transtejo offers a variety of boat tours, including two-hour 30-minute tours of the River Tagus, from the docks east of Praça do Comércio and traveling as far west as the Belém Tower. Tours depart from the Terreiro do Paço river station, April to October. Cityrama operates a three-hour cruise on the Tagus. Tours leave from Praça Marqués de Pombal.
Transtejo
Tel: 808 203 050.
Website: www.transtejo.pt
Cityrama
Tel: (021) 319 1085.
Website: www.cityrama.pt
Electric Buggy and Segway tours
Cityrama/Gray Line rent self-drive electric buggies, seating two or four people. You can either hire a chauffeur, drive them yourself or follow one of three GPS-guided routes. The rental period is either 1.5 hours or half a day. The meeting point is Rua dos Fanqueiros, nº18, near Praça do Comércio. The same company also offer 1.5 hour Segway tours of the Alfama district. Segways are two-wheeled electric, self-balancing transporters. Riders are taught the basics before the tour and most people pick it up very quickly. The meeting point is also Rua dos Fanqueiros, nº18.
Tel: (021) 319 1090.
Website: www.cityrama.pt
