Throughout our visit to Lisbon we’ve enjoyed many panoramic views of the Rio Tejo, which inevitably include the Ponte 25 de Abril bridge that connects Lisbon to the opposite shore of the river and its towering statue of Christ, the Cristo Rei.
This opposite shore is in fact another city: Almada. And the closest part of Alamada to Lisbon is Cacilhas, a former fishing and shipbuilding district.
For tourists like us, Cacilhas is a quiet alternative to the busier attractions on the Lisbon side of the river.
Just a 10-minute ferry ride from Lisbon’s Cais do Sodré metro station, Cacilhas has an interesting riverside walk, a nice selection of family-run restaurants, and for those who wish, a bus up to to the Cristo Rei.
We took a walk along the scenically abandoned wharf, past crumbling warehouses now covered in graffiti art.
At the very end, tucked away out of view, are two small patios with prime riverside views of the bridge and the Lisbon skyline. The last restaurant is the aptly named Ponto Final — “End”.
After heading back to the ferry terminal, we wandered up Rua Cândido dos Reis, which was pedestrianized a few years ago and now features dozens of small restaurants, bars and cafés with patios that spill into the street.
It was mostly quiet on the breezy Wednesday night when we visited, but I can imagine how it could be quite packed on a summer weekend.
We enjoyed very good (and very unique) burgers at Estaminé 1955, and then tried some craft beer at Birraria, a place I made a point of visiting after I saw the brew tanks on their Facebook page. We were not disappointed and tried two of the three beers the owner had brewed on site.
On the wall behind us was a selection of beer paraphernalia from around the world, including one very distinctive psychedelic coaster from the Flying Monkeys brewery in Barrie, Ontario.
It was dark when we headed back across the river. The rush hour crowds on the ferry were long gone, and the Ponte 25 de Abril was lit up.
