Lisbon expanding, preparing for new cruise terminal

Europe’s westernmost capital typically welcomes over 300 calls and more than half a million cruise visitors each year.

More than 40 cruise lines are scheduled to call at the Port of Lisbon in 2015. Lisbon Cruise Terminals, a consortium formed last year by Global Liman Isletmeleri, Sousa Group Investments, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd and Creuers del Port de Barcelona operates three cruise facilities and a new cruise terminal, designed by acclaimed architect Carrilho da Graça, is set to open in 2016.

Although a number of cruise ships offer a shuttle service to Praça do Comércio, the heart of the city, the port’s proximity to the historical and cultural centre of the Portuguese capital allows visitors to reach independently, quickly and easily many of Lisbon’s tourist highlights.

Further afield, but reachable on a day’s stay in port, are the Arco da Rua Augusta offering bird’s-eye views of the city from the top, the UNESCO World Heritage Sites at Belém, the Mosteiro dos Jerónimos and the Torre de Belém, both built in the 1500s, and Bairro Alto with its multitude of alternative shops, second-hand clothes stores, record stores and art galleries.

According to a study conducted by the Lisboa Tourism Observatory in partnership with the Port of Lisboa Administration, British cruise passengers to the list of visitors to the capital.