Things to do in Lisbon: take a jeep tour of the city streets
21.07.2023 - 07:45
/ roughguides.com
Searching for things to do in Lisbon? Matthew Hancock tries a city tour with a difference. The information below is based on The Rough Guide to Portugal, your travel guide for Portugal.
I don't like standard city tours. But an urban safari I can do. Particularly in a vintage Portuguese military Jeep.
Driving isn't one of the things to do in Lisbon. The city's built on hills. And its streets slope down to the Tagus.
Look at a map. The centre seems small and navigable. But there's no hint of its gradients. And nothing about the traffic chaos.
So it's good to climb into a solid 4WD. Even if it's open back, with no seat belts. And it's a misty Lisbon morning.
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A jeep tour's one of the intrepid things to do in Lisbon Image by Matthew Hancock
Aptly we start on Praça Luís de Camões. Named for the poet who wrote about Portugal's Age of Discoveries.
The entire tour group numbers four. And we're filled with anticipation.
Then the Jeep revs up and we’re off. It easily handles Bairro Alto's cobbled streets. The 'high district' is Lisbon's night hub. So it's quiet this morning.
We veer past ruined Igreja do Carmo. Then on to the warehouses behind Cais do Sodré station.
Speeding along Rua do Arsenal we try not to breathe. Traditional shops here sell pungent dried cod. It's loved by locals. But it stinks.
Then it's up through Baixa. This is downtown Lisbon. Our driver points out his favourite restaurants. And notes expensive stores he likes on Avenida da Liberdade.
The Jeep easily negotiates nightmare Marquês de Pombal roundabout. And suddenly we're in leafy Estrela. Here we're left to explore pretty parks while our jeep's refuelled.
Try a jeep tour with beach in the mix. Go for Sintra and surf lessons by jeep from Lisbon.
Iconic street art by Lisbon's Banksy AKA Vhils Image by Matthew Hancock
We head east next. To end up in a bleak area of demolished warehouse. I’m about to ask why. But the driver stops under some street art. And all is clear. It's a giant figure on the side of a building. And it's by Vhils AKA Farto. He's Portugal’s answer to Banksy. And his work's equally striking.
The Jeep comes into its own in Alfama. The streets are unimaginably narrow. And we're not surprised that our driver grow up here. He takes the bends and climbs like it's second nature.
Alfama's really a village within a city. Kids play football in cobbled alleys. Old women shell peas in doorways. And only drivers who