Praca do Comercio Review

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Praça do Comércio

Fodor's Review:

When the Marquês de Pombal completed his plan for Lisbon, he offset the gridded streets you now see in the Baixa district with the enormous riverfront Praça do Comércio. Known also as the Terreiro do Paço, after the royal palace (the Paço) that once stood here, it's lined with yellow, arcaded, 18th-century buildings. Steps—once used by occupants of the royal barges that docked here—lead up from the water onto the square. The equestrian statue is of Dom José I, king at the time of the earthquake and subsequent rebuilding. In 1908, amid unrest that led to the declaration of a republic, King Carlos and his eldest son, Luís Filipe, were assassinated as they rode through the square in a carriage. Later, during the 1974 revolution, the Praça do Comércio and its surrounding government buildings were among the first places to be occupied by rebel troops. The square itself is a hub for public transportation (trams to Belém leave from here, and ferries cross the Tagus at this point), and it's also worth coming here on Sunday morning, when a market of old coins and banknotes takes place under the arches of the arcade. To the west of the square (your right if you're facing the waterfront) and along Rua do Arsenal is the smart Lisbon Welcome Centre (21/031-2700) with its information desk, modern art gallery, auditorium, tobacco shop, café, deli, and restaurant. It's open daily from 9 to 8.

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