Lisbon Port

Lisbon in detail

Lisbon enjoys a superb natural setting, spread across seven hills commanding impressive vistas. The city hugs the banks of the wide River Tagus estuary which is crossed by the magnificent Ponte 25 de Abril suspension bridge. Cruise ships dock very close to the bridge, at the Doca de Alcantara, just east of the Bélem waterside quarter from where famous Portuguese explorers such as Magellan set out to investigate the world's oceans.

Until relatively recently, a poor relation among Europe's wealthier capitals, Lisbon is now a vibrant cosmopolitan city with a fashionable shopping, nightlife, eating and drinking scene, as typified by the conversion of the Doca de Alcantara itself, from run-down dock to trendy nightlife area.