Avenida da Liberdade

》Avenida da Liberdade

A boulevard in central Lisbon, Portugal, is the most expensive street to rent or buy property on in Portugal. 

Like many other major European boulevards, Avenida da Liberdade was inspired by Paris’ Champs-Élysées. It's a tree-lined avenue connecting two squares (Praça dos Restauradores and Praça Marquês de Pombal), and is known for its luxury stores.

The avenue is beautifully paved with Portugal’s traditional cobbled designs, and the artistic pavers are honored with a monument in a corner of Praça dos Restauradores. Inspired by Roman mosaics, these pavements originated in Lisbon during the city’s post-1755 earthquake reconstruction, and on Avenida da Liberdade they feature abstract and floral designs. The designs on the roundabout at the center of Praça Marquês de Pombal create Lisbon’s arms -- two crows on a caravel.

This is also a theater district, and there are some elegant buildings down the avenue, although many were torn down for newer constructions in the mid-20th century. Some attractive and prize-winning architecture remains, like that found on numbers 206-218, which is adorned with art nouveau glass (it currently houses a Prada store). Many of the other constructions are now hotels, while the center of the avenue is filled with plants, fountains, and statues.

Going up the hill to the east (on Elevador do Lavra, Lisbon’s oldest funicular), you reach Pena, a more traditional neighborhood with a little-known viewpoint, the Miradouro do Torel.Read more