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Program: Cycling Lisbon along the river
Reception of the participants and Briefing 8.30 AM.
Meeting place:
Circular: start and finish in Algés.
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DISTANCE:
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The tour starts in Algés Beach. This is the closest beach to Lisbon and it's located between 2 piers. It is a good place to start your photograph collection.
Next, you will be passing by a building that is impossible to miss - this is the Champalimaud Foundation - a foudantion focused on advanced biomedical research in the areas of neuroscience and cancer. The building is beautiful inside and outside, and it includes gardens and green spaces for the patients to walk around and feel like they are outside.
The monument you will see after is the Belém Tower. Built to perpetuate the memory of Lisbon’s Patron Saint, St. Vincent, the Tower belonged to 3 parts defence system as it stood between the bulwark of Cascais and the fortress of S. Sebastião da Caparica, on the opposite bank of the river. The Tower shows a typical Manueline decoration with twisted ropes encircling the building and ending in elegant knots, armillary spheres, crosses of the Order of Christ and naturalistic elements.
Still in the Belém area you will see Padrão dos Descobrimentos, first erected in 1940. Isolated and highlighted on the wall on the banks of the river, the Padrão dos Descobrimentos evokes the Portuguese overseas expansion, synthesizes a glorious past and symbolizes the greatness of the work of Infante D. Henrique, the driver of the discoveries. The north face is formed by two masonry giants, where you can see inscriptions in metallic letters.
Along this path you will pass by different docks, restaurants and museums, including MAAT - Museum of Art, Architecture and Techonoly, that you can climb up and enjoy the view.
After the museum, carefully look up. Notice the big red bridge? That is the 25 de Abril Bridge, builti in 1966 to connect both sides of the river. Until 1974, the 25 de Abril Bridge was called Salazar Bridge. The name 25 de Abril refers to the revolution of 25th of April 1974, the day the dictatorship finished and that led to the start of the democracy. The similarities you find with the Golden Bridge in California are due to the fact that is was designed by the same architecture.
Along the way enjoy the little greenery of some of the gardens by the river, until you reach what we call The Alcântara Docks, a small marina with a few restaurants, bars, and a very active night life in the summer time!
Keep following the river until you get to Cais do Sodré, the main Lisbon train and metro station. Spot in the little plaza after to enjoy the view and grab a coffee or even a drink!
A little after we will see this beautiful yellow plaza - Praça do Comércio or Terreiro do Paço! Built in the place where the Royal Palace was located before being destroyed by the Great Earthquake of 1755, Praça do Comércio is the most important square in Lisbon. For decades it was the port of entry for maritimme commerce, and so is a historical and political symbol of Portugal! Although it is still used now a days, the name Terreiro do Paço was the name given to the plaza back in the day, being now oficially called Praça do Comércio. As of today, the buildings are used for governmental purposes.
After the main plaza, and before the end point of the tour, you will pass by Campo das Cebolas, a little plaza with restaurants. In here you can see Casa dos Bicos (The Beaks House), that you will be able to identify right away. This house was built between 1521 and 1523, by order of Brás Albuquerque, son of the second Viceroy of India. In 2008, the municipality gave the upper floors for the installation of the José Saramago* Foundation, reserving the ground floor for the creation of an archaeological nucleus.
*Extremely famous portuguese writer that won the Nobel Prize of Literature in 1998. Saramago was one of the people responsible for showing Portugal to rest of the world.
Your last stop will be Alfama, the oldest Lisbon neighbourhood that, for still remaining basically how it was before, it represents the country better than any other neighbourhood! Adventure yourself in its tiny little streets, check the local coffee shops and handcrafts stores. Alfama is also one of the neighbourhoods that better shows our Fado tradition! Fado is our typical way of singing, and is Cultural World Heritage! The Fado Museum can be found here in the neighbourhood's main plaza.
In this tour you have the option to undertake a yoga class in one of the green areas by the river. Breath in and out, relax, and enjoy some stretching before you jump on your bike to go back to the starting point and finish the tour. Open your eyes and pay attention to the details you missed the first time. Lisbon has so much to offer that is easy to let some things go unnoticed!
Prices
Cycling Tour: ? per person
* guided option avaible from ? per person
Tour with yoga class: 45€* per person
* guided option avaible from 55€ per person
e-bike more 10€ per person
Not available on weekends
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