Neighborhood Profile: Lisbon

A shop selling nothing but colourful tins of fish; streets where revellers rest their drinks on car roofs; a bar whose wine list is a pair of binoculars... Lisbon is eccentric, unpredictable and, most of all, fun.

- David Whitley

Few cities straddle a line between cuteness and bombast the way Lisbon does. On one hand, a city of mazy mosaic-tiled pavements, centuries-old bookshops, thigh-sapping hills and orange-tiled rooftops. On the other, the former trading hub of the world, prone to celebratory monuments and chunky relics of a golden age. There are also grandstanding modern additions that have leant cultural heft. Crucially, though, somewhere in the middle of this it manages to be an awful lot of fun. Low-cost, freewheeling, sun-splashed and youthfully inclined fun that adds more than a touch of hedonism in a country with a relatively sober reputation.

Baixa

The Praça do Comércio rather captures the feel of the Baixa district. The giant square connecting the Tagus River and the city oozes grandeur, with a combo of triumphal arch, symmetrical arcades, equestrian statue focal point and harmonious multi-balconied architecture. But there’s also a feeling of desolation, with the vast majority of the square empty where there could be cafe terrace chairs or market stalls.

The square — along with the rest of Baixa — was built after the 1755 earthquake that devastated the city. Under the guiding hand of the Marquês do Pombal, the reconstruction saw Baixa become Europe’s first modern city centre. A grid pattern was imposed, and architectural continuity replaced the uncoordinated jumble that had existed for centuries. Churches were incorporated in the grid rather than given pride of place on their own squares — a strong power grab by the state at the expense of religion.

But many of the handsome, red-roofed buildings lie empty, particularly above the ground floor — testament to the suburban flight of the mid-20th century that gutted Baixa, as it did so many other city centres.