6 Best Sights in Lisbon, Portugal

The large domed edifice is the former church of Santa Engrácia. It took 285 years to build, hence the Portuguese phrase "a job like Santa Engrácia." Today, the building doubles as Portugal's National Pantheon, housing the tombs of the country's former presidents as well as cenotaphs dedicated to its most famous explorers and writers. A more recent arrival is fado diva Amália Rodrigues, whose tomb is invariably piled high with flowers from admirers.

A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the openwork balconies and domed turrets of the fanciful Belém Tower make it perhaps the country's purest Manueline structure. It was built between 1514 and 1520 on what was an island in the middle of the river Tagus, to defend the port entrance, and dedicated to St. 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, walk inside to admire the cannons, and descend to the former dungeons, before climbing the steep, narrow, winding staircase to the top of the tower for a bird's-eye view across the Tagus River.

Stretching for more than 18 km (11 miles) from the water source on the outskirts of the city, the Aqueduct of Free Waters began providing Lisbon with clean drinking water in 1748. The most imposing section is the 35 arches---the largest of these is said to be the highest ogival (pointed) arch in the world---that stride across the Alcântara River Valley north of the Amoreiras Shopping Complex in the neighborhod of Campolide. Nearer the city center, another 14 arches run 200 feet along the Praça das Amoreiras, ending in the Mãe d'Agua, an internal reservoir capable of holding more than a million gallons of water. This extraordinary structure is open for visits, providing a chance to see the holding tank, lavish internal waterfall, and associated machinery.

Capping the post-earthquake restoration of Lisbon's downtown, Lisbon's answer to the Parisian Arc de Triomphe offers a splendid viewpoint from which to admire the handsome buildings around the Praça do Comércio. Access to the arch is via an elevator and then up two narrow, winding flights of stairs. Once at the top, children delight in ringing a giant bell, while the grown-ups can admire views of the Tagus River in one direction and the shopping, drinking, and dining strip of Rua Augusta in the other. The red-roofed houses and grand religious buildings that climb up the surrounding hillsides complete the dramatic scene.

Capping the postearthquake restoration of Lisbon's downtown, Lisbon's answer to the Parisian Arc de Triomphe offers a splendid viewpoint from which to admire the handsome buildings around the Praça do Comércio. Access to the arch is via an elevator and then up two narrow, winding flights of stairs. Once at the top, young visitors delight in ringing a giant bell, while the grown-ups can admire views of the Tagus River in one direction and the shopping strip of Rua Augusta in the other. The red-roofed houses and grand religious buildings that climb up the surrounding hillsides complete the scene.

In a prime riverside location, this giant medical research and clinical facility designed by Pritzker Prize winner Charles Correa has become a pilgrimage site for architecture buffs. Darwin's Café restaurant is open to the public and has stunning river views, not least from its charming esplanade.