A Window into Ocean Life

For ocean-life enthusiasts there is definitely a thing worth checking out when near the capital of Portugal. Lisbon Oceanarium (Oceanário de Lisboa) is actually one of the most popular Lisbon's tourist attractions.

I have visited a few Aquariums around the world before, but the Lisbon Oceanarium has left the biggest impression so far. After all it is supposed to be the largest indoor aquarium in Europe.
I visited the Berlin Aquarium a year ago, featuring the AquaDom - the World’s Largest Cylindrical Aquarium. You can read a little something about that trip and the aquarium in one of these posts.

The Oceanarium is located in the NE part of the city, near the Parque das Nações (you can check out the map here). You can easily get there by city metro (you will have to walk the last few hundred meters) or using other means of transport.

Besides a large permanent setup there is usually also an additional temporary exhibit - during my visit it was dedicated to turtles. In all parts of the large building an environmental note was always present. This is especially great for educational purposes since there are many young visitors.

There are four water-tanks placed around the large central tank, each housing a different habitat. The idea is to have a separate water tank representing wildlife from world's four different oceans (North Atlantic, Antarctic sea, Pacific and Tropical Indian ocean).

One of the most interesting species there is definitely sunfish, rarely seen in aquarium environment. Also very popular with visitors of all age is a pair of playful sea otters (Eusébio and Amália). In total there are 450 species represented by about 16,000 individual animals.

Apart from various marine species there are also some other animals housed there, for instance quite a few species of jungle frogs.

The entrance fee is quite high but in my opinion still worth it (if I remember correctly it was 16 euros). Family tickets with discounts are also available. You should reserve enough time for this - if you take it easy it might take you most of the afternoon to see it all. The Oceanarium is open 10:00 - 19:00.

Read more...

Wordless Wednesday: Sunset on river Tagus, Lisbon

Read more...

Castle of São Jorge and Viewpoints of Lisbon

One of the most obvious attractions in the capital of Portugal is the Castle of St George (Castelo de São Jorge). It is a medieval Moorish castle overlooking the city of Lisbon from the highest of 7 hills within the city.

Apart from a fantastic view of the city from the castle's ramparts and a small museum, there is not all that much to see inside the castle walls. If you do not want to pay the entrance fee just to admire the view, you can still try finding a lookout spot outside the castle walls.

There are also two such viewpoints just by the track of Tram 28 near the main entrance to the castle - get off the tram at Portas do Sol. There are two viewpoints nearby (Miradouro das Portas do Sol is one of them), offering a great view towards the river Tagus with the Alfama rooftops descending in its direction.

There are also other places where you can get a great panoramic view of the city. One of the best is from Miradouro de Sao Pedro de Alcantara. It is a garden-terrace in Bairro Alto overlooking the city.
Another great viewpoint is at the top of Elevador de Santa Justa. You can find a few useful tips for visiting it in my previous post.

Apart from these there are many other viewpoints (miradouros) at the highest points of each hill. Here is a short list of the most popular miradouros in Lisbon:

• Castle of St George,
• Elevador de Santa Justa,
• Miradouro de Sao Pedro de Alcantara,
• Miradouro da Nossa Senhora do Monte,
• Miradouro de Santa Luzia,
• Miradouro da Graca,
• Monument to Christ,
• Sao Vicente de Fora Monastery,
• Miradouro de Santa Catarina,
• Vasco da Gama Tower,
• Edward VII park.

Which one do you like the most?

Read more...