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47 Best Things to Do in Graca
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Museu Militar de Lisboa The Museu Militar (Military Museum) in Lisbon is located below the Alfama on the site of a 16th century foundry where amongst other things cannons were cast. Many of the weapons on display now significantly predate these; medieval weapons such as maces, crossbows and lashes; 14th century mortar cannons. The museum's star exhibit is the two-handed sword of Vasco da Gama which stands as tall as a man.
There is a considerable collection representing the 'age of chivalry' with many suits of amour which would have been custom made for the crusading knights and their horses.
One of...
Igreja de São Domingos, Lisbon Jacek Plewa | BY-SALisbon’s Igreja de São Domingos church, in the Baixa district, has played a key role in many of the city’s tumultuous historical events. It has seen earthquakes, fires, pogroms as well as royal weddings and other historic ceremonies. Today there is a palpable sense of history, and as well as having a vibrant congregation. This place draws in tourists who come here to escape the hustle and bustle of city life, and soak in the sombre atmosphere of this unique, if slightly eerie place of worship.
The original church was consecrated...
Igreja de Santo António Miss Quarrel | BY-SASaint Anthony is Lisbon’s main patron saint and this church, dedicated to his memory is thought to have been built on the exact spot where he was born in 1195.
The church, which is found between the Baixa and Alfama district, was built in the Baroque-Rococo style and the exterior bears a closer resemblance to a theatre or grand civic building than to a Catholic church. There is thought to have been some kind of chapel here since the time of the saint’s death in the 13th century. However, the structure we see today was...
19. Lisbon Zoo
Lisbon Zoo Founded in 1884 the zoo now contains around 2,000 animals with more than 300 species are represented. Includes the conservation and breeding of endangered species, as well as scientific research, and educational and recreational activities
Monumento dos Restauradores the3catsMost tours of Lisbon will pass through the Praca dos Restauradores in the Baixa district. Here, towering over the centre of the plaza is a 30-metre high, white obelisk, built to commemorate those who fought in the 17th century War of Restoration, helping to free the country from six decades of Spanish rule under the Habsburg dynasty and facilitating the transition of power to the House of Braganza which held power in Portugal until the 20th century.
It looks like the kind of obelisk that might have been...
Manueline portal - Igreja da Nossa Senhora da Conceição SchiDD | BY-SABuilt around 1500 on the site of an ancient synagogue, and also known as Our Lady of the Conception, this was once the second largest place of worship in Manueline Lisbon. Nowadays this historic church, with an ornate façade reminiscent in style and grandeur of the Jerónimos Monastery in Belém, seems to be sandwiched between two more pedestrian buildings down a largely overlooked street. But therein lies the story of this building.
Mostly destroyed in the...
Praça Dos Restauradores Praça dos Restauradores is a square in the central Baixa region of Lisbon. Around the square are a number of the city's most iconic buildings, including the Italianate pink façade of the Palácio Foz and the Teatro Eden and Condes Cinema buildings, both fine examples of Art Deco architectural style. At the centre of the plaza towers a 30-metre-high white obelisk, built to commemorate Portugal’s fight to regain independence in the 17th century after 60 years of Habsburg rule.
...Positioned on Praça do Comércio and acting as a grand opening onto the Baixa's central Rua Augusta, this ornate and imposing archway is also known as the Rua Augusta Arch.
As the name hints, the Arco Triunfal was originally built to commemorate Lisbon’s reconstruction following the devastating earthquake in 1755, although the version that exists today dates from 1875.
The Rua Augusta Arch is adorned with various statues of historical figures and following restoration in 2013 it now gives...
Interior of Igreja de Nossa Senhora dos Mártires The Basilica of Our Lady of the Martyrs (Basílica de Nossa Senhora dos Mártires) is one of a trio of Rococo / Baroque churches built within a stone's throw of each other on Chiado's Rua da Garrett. This and the other two strikingly similar churches were built in the late 18th century after much of the area was flattened by the great earthquake of 1755.
There was previously an earlier Baroque church on the site but the original church here dated back to 1147 when the forces of D. Afonso Henriques reconquered Lisbon from the Moors. On the main door there is a relief by Francisco Leal...
Avenida da Liberdade Alexander-Svensson | BY-SALisbon’s answer to the Champ-Elysee is an elegant boulevard, linking the Praca dos Restauradores in the Baixa district to the Marques de Pombal roundabout and the Parque Eduardo VII. With its central location and grandiose styling locals refer to it as simply 'Avenida'.
26. Cristo Rei
Cristo Rei The statue of Cristo Rei (Christ the King) with his arms outstretched dominates the skyline of the far bank of the river from Lisbon. From the city it is hard to grasp quite how big this statue is, but it is huge. Set atop a 82m (270ft) plinth the figure of Christ measures nearly 30 metres (100ft) in height. This makes it marginally smaller than the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro and there is no denying the obvious influences.
The pedestal upon which the figure stands is fairly impressive in its own right. It consists of four arches with the Chapel of Nossa Senhora da...
Praça Marquês de Pombal Marco Verch | BY-SAPraça Marquês de Pombal is a major traffic roundabout marking the top end of Lisbon's central thoroughfare, Avenida Liberdade. As such it is often referred to locally as simply 'Rotunda'.
The centre of the plaza is dominated by a statue of Sebastião José de Carvalho e Melo, better known as the Marquês of Pombal, the Portuguese statesman who led the drive to rebuild the city after it was devastated by a catastrophic earthquake and tsunami on All Saint’s Day in 1755. As well as being...
Lisbon Oceanarium Antonio SacchettiThe Lisbon Oceanarium is one of the world’s largest aquariums and the largest indoor aquarium in Europe. It is located on a pier at the Parque das Nações, which was the exhibition grounds for the Expo 98. The Lisbon Oceanarium makes a fantastic family day out with thousands of fish, seabirds and mammals to see in one enormous central tank that is the equivalent of four Olympic sized swimming pools.
As well as fish there are a whole host of marine organisms and animals including penguins and seagulls, otters and sharks,...
Casa Museu Dr. Anastácio Gonçalves Juntas | BY-SAThis museum located in central Lisbon district of Saldanha is named after its one time owner, the eminent ophthalmologist and art collector Doctor Anastácio Gonçalves (1888-1965). The house is known as the Casa Malhao as it was the home and studio of the well known painter José Malhoa. Dr Gonçalves bought the house from Malhao a year before his death in 1932.
The quirky house was designed by the architect Norte Junior and was awarded the Valmor prize for architecture in 1905. Dr Gonçalves used the house to display the impressive art collection he accumulated during his lifetime. The...
30. Tower of Belem
Torre de Belem E PawłowskaThe Tower in outstanding example of 16th c. Manueline architecture. Standing on the waterside at Belem it was built as both a celebration of the age of the Discoveries and to defend the mouth of the river.
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Graca travel guide »
The Graça District is one of Lisbon's oldest suburbs, located on top of her highest hill, a few blocks north-east of the Castelo de Sao Jorge and just up...