Chiado

Chiado sits right at the heart of Lisbon and is both a cultural and shopping hotspot. This district has been around since Roman times, but it really made its mark in the 18th and 19th centuries, and you'll easily sense the elegant charm from those times while exploring Chiado. During the 19th century, the district became popular with artisans and intellectuals, who would frequent the coffee shops and bars. Chiado's reputation as an artisan district was enhanced with the construction of Lisbon's grand opera house, the Teatro Nacional de São Carlos. On August 25, 1988, Chiado was ravaged by a terrible fire which destroyed a great swathe of the district along with many historic shops. The restoration took over 10 years but has faithfully retained much of the character of the district, and today it bustles with shoppers browsing the independent shops and family-run businesses. Rua Garrett is the main street, with the Armazéns do Chiado mall at one end and the landmark A Brasileira café at the other. In between is one of the city's most beautiful stores - a 1909 jewelry store that seems to belong to a Louis XV palace, and one of Europe's first and most beautiful elevators, installed in the Ramiro Leão department store and now protected like a museum piece. Chiado is where everyone meets for coffee, shopping, or before a night out in neighboring Bairro Alto, maintaining its position as Lisbon's most cosmopolitan and culturally vibrant neighborhood.