Posts

4.5.14 Museu do Ar (Museum of the Air)

Image
Granja do Marquês, Base Aérea 1, Sintra Location HERE . It’s near Sintra! Get there by train to Portela de Sintra - from Rossio, Oriente, Entrecampos or Sete Rios. Then take a Carris Metropolitana bus. So make sure your Zapping card has enough credit loaded. Signposted from the bus stop on the N9 at Cruz Museu do Ar, where a plinthed aircraft gives another clue, it’s a short walk to the airbase, the entrance to the museum being just past that to the base. Aviation, aviation, aviation. Portugal had its own pioneers in the field - one reason there are so many streets named after Gago Coutinho and/or Sacadura Cabral - and this collection takes you from those early days to the present. This is where you get off the bus The museum was founded by the Portuguese Air Force in 1968, and has expanded considerably since, to include civilian aircraft - lots of historical detail on national carrier TAP Air Portugal - and content on navigation, even the development of in-flight catering. It’s a day ...
Post a Comment
Read more

6.2.41 Oitava Colina (Cabo Ruivo)

Image
Avenida Infante Dom Henrique 334 Armazém 3 Location HERE . Open Thursday to Saturday, 1800 to 2300 hours. Beer Never Sleeps Not easy to find: the way in from the main road does not look like a public roadway. If approaching from the north (from Oriente, or from Cabo Ruivo Metro), arriving at Rua Centeira means you’ve gone past it. This warehouse contains the Oitava Colina brewing operation - they outgrew the space at their Graça taproom long ago - and is open just three evenings a week. The benefit of seeking out this place is that new brews are first given an outing here, rather than up at Graça. When I visited, they had just begun serving an eastern European style Pilsner called Almirante Reis, a 5.3% ABV brew using Saaz hops. It was worth the detour, and the fun of finding the place. Look out for it on your craft travels! So my visit concluded with seeing the ubiquitous Urraca Vendavel on tap, but not sampling it, because there were so many other brews to sample, some of which I’ve ...
Post a Comment
Read more

6.2.40 HopSin Brew Pub

Image
Avenida do Atlântico 1, Colares Location HERE . On the main road from Sintra to the beaches of Praia Grande and Praia das Maças is the brewery tap for one of the best-known microbreweries in the Greater Lisbon area. Inside the bar, a screen divides the seating area from the brewing operation. There is a whole slate of HopSin brews on offer, including an excellent session IPA, which is genuine session strength (4%). Food from snacks to main courses and sharing plates is also available. You can sit outside, or even upstairs, where there is a terrace. One pleasant surprise is the amount of passing trade, people who stop off on their way from or to beaches, hiking trails, or just craft beer aficionados. It’s a relaxed vibe, way away from the city and its urban sprawl. The bus stops outside the door, as does the Sintra-Atlântico tram, which in peak summer season is an open-sided “ toastrack ” car. Bus 1254 (timetable HERE ) runs between Portela de Sintra station and the beaches (CAUTION it ...
Post a Comment
Read more

6.2.39 Musa Aldeia da Praia

Image
Antiga Colonia de Ferias da CP, Avenida do Atlântico, Colares Location HERE . The site is usually referred to as Aldeia da Praia, and is on the land side of the main N375 road that leads from Sintra to Praia das Maças, Azenhas do Mar and beyond. To get here by local public transport, you’ll need a Navegante card charged with sufficient credit and used in Zapping mode. Or pay by contactless. It’s the part of Sintra that most day trippers miss, unless they’re beach and/or surf people. The Musa beer outlet is in a building that looks like it was once a windmill - or maybe it was a lighthouse, though the latter is doubtful, given the distance from the sea. Their own food counter - you order with your beer - is just across the seating area. There are lots of other food options available, including the inevitable pizza, empanadas, Thai and Japanese cuisine. Musa Cindi Lager and Psycho Pilsner sell well here, mainly because this is a place for summer months and sea breezes. If you’ve been to...
Post a Comment
Read more

7.2.27 When Will The Funiculars Return?

Image
When indeed. You want the good news first, or the bad news? OK, we’ll start with the good news. The intention is for all the funiculars of Lisbon - Lavra, Bica and Glória, as well as the Elevador de Santa Justa - to be returned to service as soon as it is practical, and safe, to do so. The political will is there. And the newer Elevador da Graça, of course, is already back in service. HOWEVER Here’s the bad news. The final report into the fatal accident on the Elevador da Glória may take some time to appear. So one assumption should be that: THERE WILL BE NO RE-OPENING THIS YEAR. ALSO That final report is highly likely to make recommendations, with the strongest of hints that they are implemented. These will almost certainly include the ability to stop one of the cars in the event of a cable break. This, in turn, will mean lots of testing in order to show that the system works. AND There may also be a recommendation to strengthen the cars’ bodywork. This would mean that the Bica and La...
Post a Comment
Read more

7.2.25 Belém Step Free Walk

Image
The attractions are “ over there ”; between the roads where buses and trams run, and along which are most of the cafés, along with several museums and the Jardim Afonso de Albuquerque, and the waterfront, are the Avenida da India, the Cascais rail line, and the Avenida da Brasilia. The overbridge Crossings in Belém consist of a subway that emerges near the Padrão dos Descobrimentos, with its dark interior and uneven surface, and a footbridge that brings you close to Torre de Belém. Both these include steps. A lot of steps. Enough steps to put off anyone not totally mobile. But all is not lost: there is a walking route that is step free. Accessing this involves alighting from the bus, or tram, going west towards Belém, at Altinho (MAAT). Just next to Restaurante O Coche (which only does lunches - see HERE ). Sharp right at the end of the bridge Backtrack along the Rua Junqueira, cross over at the traffic lights, and head south along the Largo Marquês Angeja, moving left on to the path l...
Post a Comment
Read more

7.2.26 July 2026

Image
Still no sign of the final report into the accident on the Elevador da Glória, and so we start, once more, with the alternatives to using funiculars. Don’t slog up those hills just because the funiculars have been suspended. Minibus 51E gives an alternative to the Santa Justa lift, and an alternative to the Glória funicular; Bairrobus 19B gives an alternative to the Lavra funicular; Bairrobus 22B gives an alternative to the Bica funicular. MUSEUM NEWS The Tile Museum remains closed. And from a quick look from a passing 759, it may be closed for some time. The scaffolding is still in place, and no estimates have yet been given for its reopening. TRAM NEWS The 25 tram is now firmly re-established on its former weekday only route, which means it turns off at Corpo Santo, runs via Rua de São Paulo, Rua Boavista, and Largo Santos. So it DOES NOT run via Cais do Sodré. Those wanting to board at Cais do Sodré should walk over to Corpo Santo and board at the stop opposite the church. ALSO, ...
Post a Comment
Read more