Elevador Santa Justa, Carmen Convent, Bairro Alto

-Praca Dom Pedro IV, Rossio Station, Igreja de Sao Domingos, Largo de Carmo, Teatro Nacional, Castello de Sao Jorge, views, Baixa Pombalina

Rossio Station (Estação de Caminhos de Ferro do Rossio) is the main station of Lisbon, it opened in 1891. The beautiful main exterior (during our visit unfortunately large parts were covered by scaffoldings) is facing a small square at the edge of Rossio Square. The station building with its Neo-Manueline (Portugese Late Gothic) was designed by José Luís Monteiro. This is where you take the train to Sintra, like we did, a town where you find many imposing palaces in the same style as this station. The upper part of the station building borders to Barrio Alto, while the lower part Pombaline Baixa.

Near Restauradores and Rossio, at the end of Rua Augusta, you find one of Lisbon's most central squares; Praca Dom Pedro IV, also called Rossio Square. It is a beautiful square with curvy mosaic patterns, and here is a fountain, a pedestal statue of King Pedro IV and several white building, like the National Theater (Teatro Nacional de Maria III), Next to Dom Pedro IV is another large square, Praca da Figueira, where many yellow historical trams and modern buses depart. Next to Figueira is one of Lisbon's most beautiful churches, Igreja de São Domingos. It is a white baroque building, built 1241-1748. It was devastated and rebuilt after the 1755 earthquake, and a fire in 1959! It didn't reoppened until 1994, and you can clearly see that the interior is still very damaged, creating a decaying beauty. Lots of open-air restaurants can be found in the area. As on other squares, drug dealers approach people that visit the squares, and the police and government doesn't seem to care about it. Near these squares, at Rua de Santa Justa, a parallel street to Rua Augusta, you find another interesting landmark;

Elevador de Santa Justa (Santa Justa Lift), a historical neo-gothic steel elevator tower that was designed by one of Gustav Eiffel’s pupils. It is 45m high and opened in 1899, the only remaining vertical elevator. On the top there is an observation deck and a walkway that pass over the street. Even if the lift is large (there is one that goes down and one up), it doesn't take many people. Thus the waiting line is often long, we waited more then one hour in low season. From the top the views are great. The elevator leads from the lower town, Baixa Pombal, to the upper town - the small square Largo de Camo in the Chiado district. In the middle of the square is a vell. Here you find a museum about armour and the military police's headquarters, Guarda Nacional Republicana.

You also find the Carmo Convent (Convento da Carmo), a beautiful large white ruin church that can be visited. Inside is an archeological museum and the building overlooks Praca Dom Pedro IV. The gothic convent convent, built in 1389, was ruined during the great 1755 earthquake, leaving the church with bare roof, a very beautiful sight.

Bairro Alto is the upper town of the old town, and one of Lisbon's most popular tourist districts, with hilly narrow streets and lanes, and small squares and restaurants. We didn't see much of this part, but visited similar disitricts next to it, it can be quite hard to figure out where Bairro Alto begins and another, similar looking district begins.

 

BAIRRO ALTO (UPTOWN):

Bairro Alto 01 Bairro Alto 02 Bairro Alto 03 Bairro Alto 04 Bairro Alto 05 Bairro Alto 06 Bairro Alto 07 Bairro Alto 08 Rua Aurea Rua do Carmo

ELEVADOR DE SANTA JUSTA and it's views (Baixa district):

Elevador de Santa Justa 01 Elevador de Santa Justa 02 Elevador de Santa Justa 03 Elevador de Santa Justa 04 Elevador de Santa Justa 05 Elevador de Santa Justa 06 Elevador de Santa Justa 07 Elevador de Santa Justa 08 Elevador de Santa Justa 09 Elevador de Santa Justa 10 Elevador de Santa Justa 11 Elevador de Santa Justa 12 Elevador de Santa Justa 13 Elevador de Santa Justa 14 Elevador de Santa Justa 15 Elevador de Santa Justa 16 Elevador de Santa Justa 17 Views from the Santa Justa elevator 01 Views from the Santa Justa elevator 02 Views from the Santa Justa elevator 03 Views from the Santa Justa elevator 04 Views from the Santa Justa elevator 05 Views from the Santa Justa elevator 06 Views from the Santa Justa elevator 07 Views from the Santa Justa elevator 08 Views from the Santa Justa elevator 09 Views from the Santa Justa elevator 10 Views from the Santa Justa elevator 18 Views from the Santa Justa elevator 19 Views from the Santa Justa elevator 20 Views from the Santa Justa elevator 21 Views from the Santa Justa elevator 22 Views from the Santa Justa elevator 23 Views towards Sao Jorge Castle Views from the Santa Justa elevator 11 Views from the Santa Justa elevator 12 Views towards the Cathedral Views from the Santa Justa elevator 14 Views from the Santa Justa elevator 15 Views from the Santa Justa elevator 16 Views  of Praca Dom Pedro IV Views from the Santa Justa elevator 25 Views from the Santa Justa elevator 26 Views from the Santa Justa elevator 27 Views from the Santa Justa elevator 28 Views towards Tagus River. Views from the Santa Justa elevator 30 Views towards Sheraton Hotel

CARMEN CONVENT:

Carmo Convent 28Carmo Convent 02Carmo Convent 01Carmo Convent 03 Carmo Convent 04 Carmo Convent 06 Carmo Convent 07 Carmo Convent 08 Carmo Convent 09 Carmo Convent 10 Carmo Convent 11 Carmo Convent 12 Carmo Convent 13 Carmo Convent 14 Carmo Convent 15Carmo Convent 16 Carmo Convent 17 Carmo Convent 18 Carmo Convent 19 Carmo Convent 20 Carmo Convent 21 Carmo Convent 22 Carmo Convent 23 Carmo Convent 24 Carmo Convent 25 Carmo Convent 26 Carmo Convent 27Largo de Carmo Largo de Carmo Largo de Carmo

ROSSIO STATION:

Rossio Station 01 Rossio Station 02 Rossio Station 03 Rossio Station 04 Rossio Station 06 Rossio Station 07 Rossio Station 08 Rossio Station 09 Rossio Station 10 Rossio Station 11 Rossio Station 12 Rossio Station 13 Rossio Station 14 Castello de Sao Jorge from Rossio Station

PRACA ROSSIO (Dom Pedro IV) and PRACA DA FIGUEIRA:

Praça Dom Pedro IV 04 Praça Dom Pedro IV 05 Teatro Nacional Dona Maria II Teatro Nacional, Praça Dom Pedro IV Praça Dom Pedro IV 07 Praça Dom Pedro IV 01Praça da Figueira 01 Praça da Figueira 02 Praça da Figueira 03 Praça da Figueira 04Carmen Convent from Praça Dom Pedro IV

IGREJA DE SAO DOMINGOS:

Igreja de São Domingos 01 Igreja de São Domingos 02 Igreja de São Domingos 03 Igreja de São Domingos 04 Igreja de São Domingos 05 Igreja de São Domingos 06 Igreja de São Domingos 07 Igreja de São Domingos 08 Igreja de São Domingos 09 Igreja de São Domingos 10