Praça do Comércio

Praça do Comércio is Lisbon's grand front door on the river, and many visitors pass through it on their first day. For more than two centuries the Ribeira Palace, the royal residence built by Manuel I in the early sixteenth century, stood here on the bank of the Tagus. On 1 November 1755 an earthquake, a tsunami and fires destroyed the palace and most of the riverside city, and the square you see today is a product of the rebuilding that followed.

Under the Marquis of Pombal, the architect Eugénio dos Santos designed a large U-shaped square open to the water, framed on three sides by yellow buildings with arcaded ground floors and corner towers that recall the lost palace. Its new name, Square of Commerce, signalled the economic role the government wanted it to play. Many Lisboetas still call it Terreiro do Paço, Palace Square. The buildings now house government offices, cafés, restaurants and the main tourist information office.

At the centre stands the bronze equestrian statue of King José I by Joaquim Machado de Castro, inaugurated in 1775 and the first monumental statue of a king in the city. On the north side, the Rua Augusta Arch, completed in the 1870s, carries allegorical figures of Glory, Ingenuity and Valour and statues of figures such as Vasco da Gama and the Marquis of Pombal. A lift and stairs inside the arch lead to a small viewing terrace on top, which requires a ticket.

On the river side, marble steps run down to the water at the Cais das Colunas, flanked by two columns, a pleasant spot to watch the ferries and the light on the river, particularly towards sunset. The square is open at all times and free to enter, and it is often used for concerts, markets and public events, so it can look different from one visit to the next.

It is a natural starting point for exploring the Baixa on foot. Walk under the arch onto Rua Augusta, the pedestrian street that leads to Rossio, or follow the riverside west to Cais do Sodré. Terreiro do Paço metro station, on the blue line, and the ferry terminal to the south bank are on the east side of the square, and trams 15E and 25 stop nearby.