Parque Eduardo VII

To the north of the Baixa is the city’s principal park – the Parque Eduardo VII. On the west side, at the northern end, are the Estufas (hothouses), one quente (hot) planthouse and one fria (cool), filled with tropical plants, pools and endless varieties of palms and cacti. You can walk uphill to a viewpoint, which affords fine views over the city, and over the grassy hillock beyond (with its olive trees, lake and café) to the Gulbenkian museum. The easiest approach to the park is by metro (to Marquês de Pombal or Parque) or bus (to Marquês de Pombal), though you could also walk up the main Avenida da Liberdade in about twenty minutes, which would give you the chance to make a couple of stops along the way. The bottom end of Avenida da Liberdade, just above metro Restauradores, has some of the city’s nicest outdoor cafés, with esplanade tables in the green swathes that split the avenue. Running parallel, to the east, the pedestrianized Rua das Portas de Santo Antão is well known for the seafood restaurants that line it, waiters hovering by every doorway attempting to entice you in. Avenida da Liberdade ends in a swirl of traffic at the landmark roundabout of Praça do Marquês de Pombal (otherwise known as Rotunda).