Lisbon neighborhoods- Lisbon, Portugal

As a country of sailors, discoverers, and fisherman, of course Lisbon has a big school of sailing, paddling, canoeing, and all sorts of aquatic sports - the Naval Club of Lisbon. That’s the reason why most Saturdays and Sundays morning you can see the river crowded of all sorts of floating devices, especially between the 25 Abril bridge and the Bugio fortress.
From time to time we also have all sorts of regatta -from the small typical boats of Tejo (faluas and fragatas) with its triangular shaped sail, to the Classic Tall Ships Parade (like the Cutty Sark regatta), or the F1 powerboat race. We can take a tour on the typical boats of Tejo from the marina of Parque das Nações (running during summer time on weekends).

But on a daily basis, thousands of Lisbonners and commuters from “the other side” also cross the river using the passenger boats and ferries. Nowadays, there are quick boats ensuring the “fast lane” life we have to deal with, but you still can take the slow charming orange/white Cacilheiros, after the name of the closest point on the other shore -Cacilhas. Cacilheiros are part of the river, part of the history of the town, and gave origin to all sorts of stories, and fado songs, etc. I personally recommend a trip to the other side (from Cais do Sodré to Cacilhas) just to enjoy seeing Lisbon from afar in a sunny afternoon. And why not to extend a bit more and take some fresh fish in the restaurants in Cacilhas?... and there are dozens of good ones.

Speaking about fish, we still maintain some small communities of fishermen in some spots south of Lisbon -Paço de Arcos (Oeiras county), Trafaria and Porto Brandão (Almada county)- and north of the town - Alverca and Vila Franca de Xira (Vila Franca de Xira county). These fishermen only work in the river, nevertheless, the last kms of water in this estuary are quite salty and we have a big percentage of sea fish there. Actually, because the estuary is so wide, the tide effect is felt up the river for more than 50km, making the soil on the banks of Tejo northern of Lisbon very rich -the Lezírias.

Of course being such an important vehicle for people and cargo traffic, the river become full of big and small boats and cargo ships transporting all sorts of containers and goods coming and going to anywhere in the globe. That is the reason why so much of the water front of Lisbon (Alcântara area but mostly east of Alfama) is full with containers, big cranes, and related stuff.
Besides that and also because Lisbon is becoming more tourist appealing these last years, the movement of big cruise boats become a big business and we do have now approx. 400 cruises stopping in Lisbon every year. That’s why along with the original Rocha de Conde d’Óbidos quays (close to Docas area) we now have 2 more places for cruises close to Santa Apolónia area.
Moreover there are several places with marina facilities for small / medium size boats. So you are most welcome to bring your own boat. The only drawback... you are not allowed anymore to be a “VIP” and dock at the Cais das Colunas in Praça do Comércio as in the old days.

Lisbon neighborhoods, Lisbon

Lisbon Hotels

Lisbon neighborhoods, Lisbon

Visiting Lisbon?

Visiting Lisbon?

Lisbon Hotels