Capital of the Empire

Many have heard that Portugal was once one of the most powerful and wealthy maritime powers in Europe. The remnants or more precisely the “traces” of this “former luxury” in the city of Lisbon, we will see during this tour.

Let’s start with a beautiful view of the old city, talk about its origin and name, pass the historical center (Avenida Liberdad, Restorers Square, Rossio, Commerce, the famous Baisha Pombalinovskaya). Let's go to Alfama.

But the main part of the tour will be devoted to a special area of the city - Bethlehem Quarter or Belem. It was there that the main events of the Age of Discovery took place, of which the Portuguese are so proud. The first thing to see is the royal palace of Ajuda, on the decoration of the interiors of which one of the queens spent fabulous money, drowning out their own feelings. Antique furniture, tapestries, sculptures and fireplace clocks ... and in parallel - a story of love and betrayal, which affected the fate of the country.

This palace is still one of the official residences of the President of Portugal - in the dining room for 170 people give solemn breakfasts, lunches and dinners in honor of distinguished guests. Then we will visit Europe’s finest museum, the Caret Museum, created by one of Portugal’s queens, following the success of the World’s Fair in Paris.

How did the Portuguese monarchs and their cronies like to travel? These wagons are also witnesses to the brilliant past of a small country. And of course, the famous monuments of the XVI century, which survived here: Jeronimos and the Tower of Belem. Manueline’s unique architectural style comes as a surprise even to those who have studied the history of architecture. It preserves the memory of many events that made the Portuguese kingdom so invincible and rich in the XVI-XVIII centuries.