Trying to pick the best view in Lisbon is a tricky one depending on what you like. My little legs have been working overtime to try and fit all of this in. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did.

I’ve placed these views in the order in which I visited them so feel free to not waste your time guessing my motives as to their placement.

On top of a Building

This one was a spectacular view to find and entirely unexpected. The building in question is the Museum of Art, Architecture & Technology (MAAT) which, in itself, is a piece of art and, in keeping with the Portuguese style, is covered in tiles:

But of course, you want to see the actual view right? Here you go:

In the distance you can see the statue, Santuário de Cristo Rei.

The bridge shown is similar to the famous Golden Gate Bridge but is called Ponte 25 de Abril. The cars passing over the structure sounded like a hive of happy bees eating their honey. This sound, combined with the view and the smooth air, was incredibly soothing despite how it was created.

I went back again later that day.

Underneath an Octopus

This one was actually inside the MAAT museum. The artist, Joana Vasconcelos, had created this creature from found materials.

Apologies, I haven’t figured out how to add a video to the slideshow so you’ll have to deal with extra space being taken up!:

Music was played alongside which helped to aid the feeling of wonder that developed at beholding such a thing. The longer you looked the more in awe you became. I was amongst several people who sat and lay down below the octopus because of the extreme level of comfort that was felt in its presence. I’ve recently discovered that the museum is holding yoga and meditation classes with this art piece and am slightly gutted that I won’t be in the area when any of them are held.

Next to a Tree

This was no ordinary tree, it was the Tree of Life, and it exuded purity. This sculpture literally took my breath away. I then heard a young child exclaim loudly and watched as he stood frozen, staring at it. Also created by Joana Vasconcelos, nothing could harm you in this tree’s presence, it felt truly alive and aware of all of its surroundings. Perhaps this feeling was encouraged by the juxtaposition of such an alive looking thing being in an urban factory building. The lights embedded in the tree’s leaves pulsed like an extremely slow heart beat.

The amount of time and effort that must have gone into these pieces is astounding and truly admirable.

If you hadn’t guessed it already, this was another one with a second visit. If it was near me then I would visit it every day.

From a Cage

It wasn’t a true cage, although it felt similar to one considering the wired fencing. This was the Santa Justa Lift. I didn’t actually take the lift, I took the sneaky back entrance that you don’t have to pay for. As you can see from the pictures below, the lift doesn’t go much higher than the viewing deck anyway (if it does even go higher 🤔).

When I first found this view I thought it was amazing, despite the annoying fencing. However, it isn’t exactly tourist season right now and I still felt a bit pressured to ‘move along’ as it were. The best perspective was also, probably, looking down at the buildings and walkways below. It’s a nice place if you’re on a budget but there are better.

By the River-Sea

I’ve said the River-Sea because, at some point off the shore of Lisbon, the river Tagus joins with the sea.

This was a very peaceful spot, despite almost every spare section of sea wall being sat upon by other humans. Everyone was happy enjoying the water, sunshine, and atmosphere though.

I suppose, if I’m placing this here, it would be remiss of me not to mention the beautiful archway and square that are nearby:

The arch is called Arco da Rua Augusta. Personally, I think that bubbles should be introduced in every square; they just seem to make life that little bit happier and more magical, you know?

Through the Battlements

I have mixed feelings about this one. On the one hand, the panoramic views from Castelo de São Jorge were stunning and unlike anything I had expected. On the other hand they were unlike anything I had expected. If you want to feel small, or reminded of how little any of your actions mean (good and bad and neutral) then I would go here. It was almost overwhelming in a way that I haven’t been able to capture in the pictures. The buildings stretched for miles, over every possible section of land, as far as the eye could see. Lisbon really is a beautiful place for the most part and this can’t be truly captured from this height.

Here, I also learnt that ‘adobe’ is a process for blocks of clay and straw drying in the sun. These blocks were traditionally used to create buildings. Therefore, every time I created an Adobe form at work or helped someone with adobe, it could be argued that I was helping to build a house. That doesn’t sound too shabby now, does it?

Above a Statue

The below picture is taken above the Parque de Eduardo VII. I think that the photo makes it look better than it actually was. I will give it the benefit of the doubt in that the change in temperature caused a haze to form further away so you couldn’t see so far BUT, considering how far away it is from some other things, I’m not sure it would have been worth it if I wasn’t currently absorbing all things cultural (AKA there was an art exhibit nearby).

And, just incase you wanted to see the statue in question, here’s Marquês de Pombal for you.

In a Painting

Lastly is Immersivus Gallery Lisboa. They were showing a Claude Monet and Gustav Klimt combo piece as well as a Salvador Dalí section. There’s no Dalí below because part of it freaked me out and we are only going for happy vibes here!

This was a lot more emotional than I expected it to be, I can’t truly describe it with words. My thoughts were: if my art could ever make someone feel the way that this has made me feel then it would be worth it.

So, which was my favourite?

Ohhhh, what a tough question. I thought it would be easier after going over everything but it’s actually harder.

Best real view… It’s a toss-up between the top of the MAAT and the Castelo de São Jorge. The latter is purely for what can actually be seen. If you have a ticket to there then you don’t need to really walk anywhere else to try and look at Lisbon from above. The MAAT was a pure happy place though and unlike anything else you get to see.

Best ‘other view’ has the be the Tree of Life. I guess I just really like the MAAT museum.

Let me know what you think below, I would be interested to hear your opinions from what I’ve shared. Also, if anyone would like some more information on any of the places then feel free to ask, I have the knowledge! I haven’t included any places to do with tiles here because I’m planning on doing a completely separate post. Stay tuned!