36 Best Sights in Lisbon, Portugal

The formal name for this grand public square is Praça Dom Pedro IV, but locals still call it Rossio. A gathering place since at least Roman times (it was the site of a hippodrome), it was formally laid out in the 13th century as Lisbon's main public space. Crowds socialize beside baroque fountains beneath a statue of Dom Pedro atop a towering column and amid dramatic wave-pattern cobblestones, famously reconstructed on the beach promenades of Rio de Janeiro.

On nearby Largo de São Domingos, there's a memorial to Jewish victims of a massacre in 1506, when Dominican friars egged on the mob; just three decades later centuries of more organized persecution began with the creation of the Portuguese Inquisition, which had its headquarters where the Teatro Nacional Doña Maria II now stands, on the north side of Rossio. The atmosphere today is more peaceable: locals come here to relax with a newspaper, have their boots polished by the shoe shiners, or sip a drink at one of the ginjinha bars—the one on the southern side of the square is probably Lisbon's oldest.

Lisbon's answer to Rio de Janeiro's Christ the Redeemer was inaugurated in 1959 as a mark of thanks for Portugal's safety during the violence of World War II. Today, it's an important religious site, but most casual visitors come here for the spectacular views from the free lookout or the 262-foot-high viewing platform, reached by elevator.

Lisbon's austere Romanesque cathedral was founded in 1150 to commemorate the defeat of the Moors three years earlier. To rub salt in the wound, the conquerors built the sanctuary on the spot where Moorish Lisbon's main mosque once stood. Note the fine rose window, and be sure to visit the rooftop terrace and the treasure-filled sacristy, which contains the relics of the martyr Saint Vincent, among other things. According to legend, the relics were carried from the Algarve to Lisbon in a ship piloted by ravens; the saint became Lisbon's official patron. The cathedral was originally built in the Romanesque style of the time but has undergone several rebuilds and refurbishments over the years; today its rather eclectic architecture includes Gothic, baroque, and neoclassical adornments. Visitors are expected to dress respectfully.

A local landmark since 1892, the Mercado da Ribeira is worth a visit to see where locals go to buy some of the city’s freshest fruit, vegetables, fish, and seafood. The adjoining hall has become a bustling food court, Time Out Market. Some of Lisbon’s top chefs and most popular restaurants were invited to set up counter-service stalls with food to be enjoyed at communal seating areas. Although the clientele is predominantly tourists, it still offers a solid overview of local gastronomy.

The openwork balconies and domed turrets of the fanciful Belém Tower make it perhaps the country's purest Manueline structure. The UNESCO World Heritage site was built between 1514 and 1520 on what was an island in the middle of the Tagus River to defend the port entrance, and it's dedicated to Saint Vincent, the patron saint of Lisbon. Today the chalk-white tower stands near the north bank—evidence of the river's changing course. Cross the wooden gangway to check out the cannons, then climb the steep, narrow, winding staircase to the top of the tower for a bird's-eye view across the Tagus. Then, descend to the former dungeons.

One of Lisbon's most important contemporary art galleries, Underdogs, founded in 2010, works with some of the most renowned urban-inspired contemporary artists from around the world. Not only are there several solo and group shows in the warehouse-type space, but the founders formed a partnership with the city to give local, international, well-known, and up-and-coming artists spaces to create street art. They had a hand in some of the city's most iconic murals, including pieces by local hero Vhils and American artist Shepard Fairey; a map of pieces they commissioned is on their website.