LISBON: Parque das Nações - newest district (5/5) Portugal

Parque das Nações (English: Park of the Nations) is the newest district in Lisbon/Lisboa, having emerged from an urban renewal programme leading to the World Exhibition of Lisbon 1998, also known as Expo'98.

The Gare do Oriente is one of the main transport hubs of Lisbon for trains, buses, taxis and the metro. Its glass and steel columns are inspired by Gothic architecture, lending the whole structure a visual fascination (especially in sunlight or when illuminated at night).

The area is pedestrian-friendly with new buildings, restaurants, gardens, the Casino Lisbon, the Vasco da Gama Shopping Center, the FIL building (International Exhibition and Fair), the Camões Theatre, cable car, as well as the Oceanário de Lisboa (Lisbon Oceanarium), the second largest in the world.

To tour the area, visitors can jump on a toy train that passes by the main attractions every twenty minutes, or ride the cable car that runs the full length of the site, parallel to the river, while giving commanding views along the way.

The Marina Parque das Nações features 600 berths and modern infrastructures, a river pier for cruises or historical vessels and an exclusive pontoon prepared to receive nautical and on land events.
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In the distance, the Vasco da Gama Bridge over the river Tagus (Tejo) can be seen. It is the longest bridge in Europe (including viaducts), with a total length of 12.3 kilometres (7.6 mi), including 0.8 kilometres (0.50 mi) for the main bridge and 11.5 kilometres (7.1 mi) in viaducts. It was built to alleviate the congestion on Lisbon's 25 de Abril Bridge, and eliminate the need for traffic between the country's northern and southern regions to pass through the capital city.
The bridge was opened to traffic on 29 March 1998, just in time for Expo 98, the World's Fair that celebrated the 500th anniversary of the discovery by Vasco da Gama of the sea route from Europe to India.

June 22, 2017