Lisbon viewed from the Tagus River

The Tagus is the longest river on the Iberian Peninsula, flowing over 1000 km from mid-eastern Spain to the Atlantic Ocean in Lisbon.  It’s a pretty broad and substantial river near Lisbon, and offers one the opportunity for a river cruise — especially to see the beautiful city of Lisbon from a different perspective.

On a pleasant spring day my wife and I decided to spend some time doing just that — cruising the river and taking in the sights.  Our journey began at the cruise terminal, situated adjoining the Praca do Comercio square on the waterfront.  There are number of different cruising options available (eg. with dinner, sunset, etc), so shop around and pick the right one for you.   Please note that the terminal for larger cruise ships is further downriver.

The cruise heads west staying not far from the north shore of the river, which is where most of the scenic action is so this worked out quite well.  Here are some of the views we enjoyed during the early stages of our journey.

It was at about this point that the ship turned around and began heading to the south bank of the river on its journey back to port.  This side of the is relatively sparsely populated and partially a natural preserve.

Our return journey brings us back to the April 25th bridge which, if you didn’t know better, seems a twin for San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge.

In Alameda you can’t help but see the Cristo Rio — the massive Christ the Redeemer statue which dominates the landscape….

Compared to the north shore, this part of the journey is relative non-peopled and not very busy.  You’ll see a few buildings and cafes….

Overall it was a pleasant way to spend a few hours.  We were in Lisbon for an entire week, so had the time to do this.  If we’d been more pressed for time I’d have chosen exploring the city on foot — always a rewarding experience.