After a long, tiring sail down the Atlantic Coast of Spain and Portugal, we took a break and explored the vibrant city of Lisbon. Bypassing Marina de Cascais, popular with yachties, we chose to be closer to Lisbon city itself. After researching the city marinas options we settled on Marina Parques das Nacoes, as it was well protected, reasonably priced and able to accommodate our catamaran.
To get to the marina, we travelled about 7 miles up the Tagus (Tejo) River, an experience in itself. It gave us the opportunity to enjoy the colourful city from the river and pass under the spectacular Ponte 25 de Abril bridge, 70m above the water level.
Arriving at the marina entrance, we had to wait for the appropriate tide to enter the sluice system to berth. As the width of the lock was not much wider than Wild Heart, we held our breath and relied on the guidance of the marinaros to squeeze us into the lock. You can see our entry in the video below.
Owing to the sluice system and the tides, we stayed for a couple of days longer than planned which proved to be a delightful enforced rest.
Where we stayed: Marina Parque das Nacoes (Marina Park of Nations), built on the former Expo’98 exhibition site. A welcoming, sheltered marina. It’s 7 miles upstream from the Belém Tower and 1.5 miles downstream from the Vasco da Gama Bridge.
It operates on a sluice system, which makes it sheltered but subject to tides for operation. The marina staff help you in and out of the marina through the sluice gates.
Public transport, a supermarket and petrol station are all within close walking distance. Lisbon is a 20-minute bus ride away.
Boat jobs first
As usual boat jobs need to be done after check-in to the marina. So before sightseeing, we reprovisioned with food at the nearby (well-stocked) supermarket, washed down decks and topped our jerry cans (for spare fuel) with diesel at the service station.
Exploring Lisbon
We were excited to explore Lisbon as we hadn’t travelled to Portugal before. We chose to see what we could on foot but to go further afield we took the following tour: Hop on/Hop Off bus, including the Hills Tram . This bus is a perfect way to get oriented around the city. The old tram winds it’s way up the narrow, cobbled streets up to the top of the Sao Miguel district where we hopped off to enjoy the view over the city and the river while listening to some music from the local street band.
Lisbon has so much to offer. The Art Nouveau architecture and signage of the old town is a delight. The Portuguese are relaxed and helpful. Local specialities such as grilled sardines and Portuguese tarts are a treat. There are a number of open-air bars and restaurants to choose from. For a livelier atmosphere go out later in the evening, as the Portuguese (like the Spanish eat late).
For more sights of Lisbon look for our upcoming photo blog on this lively city.