Once one of the Maritime centres of the world, Lisbon today is an intriguing mix of cobbled streets, modern trams, ancient hilly suburbs of windy lanes, and breezy piazzas as it sits beside the wide river Tejo. While not quite as grand as its hey-dey in the middle of the last millennium, nor one of Europe's picturesque capitals, Lisbon received a recent facelift for the world Expo in 1998.

Its oldest districts are the delightful Baixa and Alfama, where you'll find some of the city's oldest and most rewarding sights: anarchic cobbled streets, squares and alleys; markets and craftspeople; and colourful buildings and brooding castles. Passing through these suburbs you gradually ascend to the hills behind the city with fine views from old castle ramparts.

One of the few great buildings to survive the great earthquake of 1755 is the impressive Mosteiro dos Jerónimos, today the principal remnant of Manueline architecture found in the city. Nearby is the Torre de Belém, a Manueline-style tower which stands in the Rio Tejo, and is probably the most photographed monument in Portugal. It commemorates the departure of great Portuguese explorers such as Vasco da Gama and Bartholomew Diaz, credited with finding a route around Southern Africa and opening access to the Spice Islands.

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