Baixa (Low District)

Baixa or the lower town is the commercial hub of Lisbon with banks, offices and stores. Although the Baixa does not have museums and very few historical sites, lively atmosphere and grandiose praças attracts attention. The streets are crowded by day but deserted at night.

Rossio is the city's main square, also known as the Praça Dom Pedro IV. It’s a popular meeting point with cafes, restaurants and theaters. The square was totally rebuilt after the earthquake of 1755 and is an excellent example of town planning. It was once a cattle market with a public execution stage, bullfighting arena, and carnival ground, the square is now the domain of large neo-classical buildings with wide streets and traffic whizzing around the statue of Dom Pedro IV in its center.

The network of streets around Rossio caters to ice-cream eating pedestrians and window shoppers. As part of the urban planning, each street was assigned for a specific trade like shoemakers, couriers, and cod merchants and each had their own avenue. Even today the streets of the Baixa retain these names as well as the bustling commercial nature. All streets of the Baixa lead to the Praça do Comércio where the towering statue of Dom João I stands. It was cast from 9400 pounds of bronze in 1755. The praça is now home of several Portuguese government ministries and the center is often used as fairgrounds.

Praça dos Restauradores is a boulevard which commemorates the 1640 restoration of Portugal's independence from Spain with an obelisk in memory of those who died in the world war I and a bronze sculpture of the Spirit of Independence. The wide tree lined avenue is a focus for pageants, festivities and demonstrations.