Frommer's Portugal. Paul Ames

de Belém MONUMENT This graceful white tower set on the bank of the Tagus is Portugal’s most recognizable landmark. Now a World Heritage site, it was constructed in 1520 and is a prime example of the Discoveries-era Manueline architecture (p. 28), standing close to where the explorers’ boats set to sea.

      Although it looks more decorative than warlike, it was built to defend the entrance to Lisbon and saw action in the 1830s when its cannons fired on French ships intervening in Portugal’s Civil War. The park surrounding it is a shaded place where you can contemplate the castellated tower and carvings of ropes, regal domes, shields, and intricate statues. However, the mostly empty interior can be a little underwhelming, especially if you’ve had to endure the long lines to get in. Spend a moment to contemplate the next-door memorial to soldiers killed in Portugal’s 1961–1974 colonial wars.

      Avenida de Brasília. www.torrebelem.gov.pt. 21/362-0034. 6€; 3€ over 65s and students; free under 12. Oct–Apr Tues–Sun 10am–5pm; May–Sept Tues–Sun 10am–6pm. Train: Belém. Tram: 15. Bus: 714, 727, 728, 729, 751.

      Parque das Nações & Xabregas

      On the city’s northeastern edge, Parque das Nações is a complete contrast with old Lisbon, a planned neighborhood which since the 1990s has replaced old docks and industrial space with ultra-modern architecture, including cultural and entertainment centers, shopping malls, hotels, and restaurants. The main draw is undoubtedly the amazing aquarium, but there’s much more to do and see. On the way there, the old dockside districts of Xabregas, Beato, and Marvila are fast up-and-coming.

      Museu Nacional do Azulejo MUSEUM Wherever you travel around Portugal you’ll see azulejos. The painted ceramic tiles are used to decorate buildings inside and out, from medieval churches and baroque palaces to modern metro stations. The best place to understand this thoroughly Portuguese artform is this museum, situated in a gem of a 16th-century convent in an out-of-the-way riverside neighborhood. The collection traces the history of Portuguese tiles over 600 years. Highlights include a giant panel showing Lisbon before the great earthquake of 1755, and above all the fabulous convent church decorated with blue-and-white tiles and carvings covered in gold leaf. Don’t let the outdated and malfunctioning website put you off; the museum really is worth a visit.

      Rua da Madre de Deus 4. www.museudoazulejo.gov.pt. 21/810-03-40. Adults 5€, 2.50€ students with ID and over 65s, free for under-13s. Tues–Sun 10am–5:30pm. Bus: 718, 742, 794.

      Oceanário de Lisboa AQUARIUM Arguably the most spectacular aquarium on the planet, this opened as the focal point of the 1998 World’s Fair and remains the city’s most popular indoor attraction. At the core of the ultra-modern riverside building is a 1.3-million-gallon tank, 23 feet deep and holding over 100 species of sea life including sharks, rays, barracuda, and a slow-moving ocean sunfish weighing in at over 1 ton.

      Floor-to-ceiling panels enable visitors to stay nose-to-nose with these creatures as they circle the main tank to visit the four corner towers, representing life in the Atlantic, Indian, Antarctic, and Pacific oceans.

      You start your visit on the surface, ogling penguins, puffins, brilliantly colored frogs, and playful sea otters. Then you spiral down through startlingly different ecosystems, discovering psychedelically colored cuttlefish, jewel-like wrasse and puffers, and shoals of luminous jellyfish.

      It’s a delight for all ages, beautifully laid out and well explained. For a night to remember, you can book your kids for an overnight sleepover party next to the shark-filled tank. The Oceanário isn’t cheap, but fees support its scientific, education, and conservation work.

      Esplanada d. Carlos I. www.oceanario.pt. 21/891-70-00. 16€, 11€ children 4–12 and over 65s, free for under 4s. Family tickets 42€. Apr–Oct daily 10am–7pm, Nov–Mar daily 10am–6pm. Metro: Oriente; Bus 728.

      Art on the streets

      Lisbon is scarred by senseless graffiti splattered on churches, historic monuments, trains, businesses, and private homes, but among the dross are dozens of outstanding murals that make the city a leading European street-art hub. There are organized tours that will take you to some of the best-known spots: try www.alternativelisbon.co or www.lisbonstreetarttours.com. Alternatively, just keep your eyes open as you wander the city. Among the most eye-catching works are the portrait of fado legend Amália Rodriques by Vhils at Calçada do Menino de Deus, 1-3 in Alfama; the house-size Racoon created by Bordallo II out of auto parts near Rua Bartolomeu Dias, 43, just behind Belém Cultural Center; the tribute to Portugal’s 1974 democratic revolution by U.S. artist Shepard Fairey at Rua Natália Correia 11; and the murals by an international group of artists covering a whole block of abandoned buildings halfway down Avenida Fontes Pereira de Melo. Far from the beaten track but well worth a visit is Quinta do Mocho, a tough neighborhood on the far side of Lisbon airport where tenement blocks are decorated with almost 70 murals in what’s believed to be Europe’s biggest urban art space. Tours can be arranged at www.greentrekker.pt.

      Estrela, Campo do Ourique & Avenidas Novas

      Less visited than the city’s ancient core, central Lisbon’s northern districts offer verdant avenues, cool gardens, excellent shopping, restaurants, and some fascinating museums and monuments.

      Aqueduto das Águas Livres MONUMENT The Águas Livres aqueduct is an engineering marvel whose giant arches stride over 11 miles into the city. Built in the 18th century, it survived the 1755 earthquake and carried water to Lisbon until the 1960s. It’s still run by Lisbon’s water company and is part of its network of museums and monuments, including pumping stations and vast underground cisterns.

      A walk across the soaring arches is a unique experience. It’s about 1km (about 1,000 yards) each way from the main entrance in Campolide to the end in the Monsanto park. The walkway over the aqueduct used to be a regular access for rural people heading into the city, where in the 1830s, dozens fell victim to serial killer Diogo Alves, who would throw them into the valley 60 meters (almost 200 f.t) below. After his execution, Alves’ head was preserved for scientific research and remains on show at the university medical facility.

      Among the reservoirs that form part of the water museum, the Mãe d’Água (Mother of Water) is a vast cistern that feels like a flooded cathedral with columns supporting the high, arched roof emerging from the waters.

      Aquaduct: Calçada da Quintinha 6. www.epal.pt. 21/810-02-15. 3€; 1.50€ students and over 65s, free under 12s. Tues–Sun 10am–5:30pm. Bus: 742, 751, 758. Mãe d’Água: Praça das Amoreiras 10. 3€; 2.50€ students and over 65s; free under 12s. Tues–Sun 10am–12:30pm and 1:30–5pm. Metro: Rato. Bus: 706, 709, 713, 758, 720, 727, 738, 774.

Basílica