The Praça do Comércio

What better place to begin our exploration of Lisbon, than the square which has long served as its entrance gate? The Praça do Comércio, usually called the Terreiro do Paço (Palace Yard), is situated at the base of the Tagus River, where ships laden with riches from around the world once came to shore.

When we turned the corner at Rua da Alfândega and emerged onto the wide, open expanse of the Praça do Comércio, we were disoriented. We had been in Lisbon for twelve hours, but had already com...