An Interesting Lisbon Ride

September 7, 2022

Watch Out for E Scooters!

What an interesting day. We seem to have adjusted completely to our new time zone and woke up at a reasonable hour. Then followed another good breakfast and some serious conversation about the plan for today. The surprise for me came when Keith told me he had a great idea and he enthusiastically told me I would love it. It was to go for an unloaded bike ride down to the waterfront and then head west along the EuroVelo 1. I did not love the idea, and he was genuinely surprised. I thought we were going to do more organized sightseeing today, and dare I say it, perhaps even a food tour. My guy was persuasive though, and made a good case for why a ride would be a very good idea, so I came around. I know my reluctance was around the fact that I don’t see Lisbon as terribly bike friendly and didn’t want to negotiate any more of it than I had to. The CN (Chief Navigator) though, had a plan.

The bike lanes in Lisbon that show up on Open Cycle Maps.

Off we went, downhill all the way to the waterfront. It wasn’t a straightforward ride. Some of the bike lanes were great. Some were on the slippery cobbles. There was one brief stretch that just about rattled my fillings out. Then there were the tourists and pedestrians who were absolutely clueless, so one had to be very, very careful. Lisbon is so beautiful that we completely get it, and frankly, there aren’t that many bikes, so it is understandable that they don’t see a problem stepping into a bike lane. In fact, most simply didn’t seem to realize it was a bike lane. Most nervy for me were the electric e scooters that travel at great speed, usually with young people aboard, weaving through everyone.

Then we arrived at the waterfront and things went from nervy to spectacular. There were still lots of people to dodge, but I started to enjoy that. The bike route just kept getting better and better. The sights were spectacular and the further we went from Lisbon the better the riding became, at least until we ran into the bus tours at the next well known monument.

Optimists! This is what our boys, and children all over the world first learn to sail in. So many memories are wrapped up in these bathtubs with masts for us.

Then we rode through an industrial area, which had its own beauty. I think one of the things I love about bike touring is the opportunity to see more than just the tourist attractions. We saw fishers (all men), people hard at work, locals living their lives as well as the famous monuments.

Quite a contrast between the hull and the topside.

See the fabulous bike lane in the lower right?

Industrial beauty and the Portuguese Coast Guard.

We arrived at the Ponte 25 de Abril. You could hear this incredible hum coming from the bridge for quite sometime before you were underneath it. The bridge is very high and the noise was quite amazing. In a spot underneath planners with a sense of humour had added mmmmm mmmm mmmmm into the cobbles. Six lanes of road, two railway tracks 150 000 cars a day and 157 trains. No wonder it hums!

Planes going over. It isn’t a quiet spot.

A view of Santuário de Cristina Rei overlooking the city.

We arrived at the Patriot des Descobrimentos. Absolutely spectacular. It was so nice to approach on the bikes. Our views coming towards it on the bike lane were spectacular. There were so many bus tours there it was mind boggling. We were to discover the reason for that later in the ride…there were four cruise ships in Lisbon today. That is a lot of people!

It is a statue built in 1940 to mark 500 years since Henry the Navigator’s death.

Our photos don’t do it justice. It is spectacular.

Looking back at the monument and the crowds.

At this point we were having such a great ride we decided to carry on to Caxias. We had a fantastic bike lane and the only issue was the wind. We weren’t bothered by it because we knew we would be blown back to Lisbon when the time came.

Belem Tower which dates from the 16th century. It is where Portuguese explorers started out and returned.

Entertainment for the visitors to the tower.

We had a hydration stop in Caxias and stopped for a waterfront late lunch on the way back to Lisbon. Then we carried on along the waterfront to the east, past the four cruise ships and discovering where the homeless camp in Lisbon. No pictures of that as it would be disrespectful. Up the hill to our fabulous hotel and we were done.

Keith took this shot of me heading up the bike lane. I had an eagle eye on the scooter riding the wrong way down the bike lane towards me.

Here he is. Too lazy to cross to his side of the road I guess. It was a tight squeeze as I had a curb on my right waiting to bite my tire so I could only move over so far.

That is all for tonight. We have packing to do and it is getting late. We are on the road tomorrow morning heading south after much deliberation.

Today's ride: 45 km (28 miles)
Total: 45 km (28 miles)

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Rachael AndersonWhat a great way to see the city! We had a similar experience in Rome.
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2 years ago

Scott AndersonAnd we had a very dissimilar experience in Lisbon, 25 years ago. I think it was the most stressful city entrance we’ve ever experienced. It looks almost reasonable now and this makes me interested in going back some day.
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2 years ago

David MathersGreat, decision made. Looking forward to what comes next. Keep taking those great photos. Ride safe!
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2 years ago

Kathleen ClassenTo Rachael AndersonIt really was great. There was some walking the bikes involved in the congested area of the old town, no one seemed to mind if you rode through the crowds, but we quickly realized it was just as fast to walk!
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2 years ago

Kathleen ClassenTo Scott AndersonI can only imagine! They do seem to be making a real effort but there are still the slippery cobbles and add clueless tourists and e scooters to the mix. It was still a very pleasant cycle.
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2 years ago

Kathleen ClassenTo David MathersA short ride to Sebutal coming up. It should be great. We really feel like we are officially started. We could have stayed a week in Lisbon. So much to see.
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2 years ago