Pink Street (Rua Nova do Carvalho)

Pink Street is a night-time street. If your ship sails before evening, set your expectations accordingly: by day Rua Nova do Carvalho is a short stretch of pink-painted road with shuttered bars and a few people taking photos. It takes about five minutes to see and is not worth a special trip on its own. It does make sense as a quick detour when you are already at Cais do Sodré. From the terminal, walk about 26 minutes west along the flat riverside, past Praça do Comércio; the street runs one block behind Cais do Sodré station, under the stone arch that carries Rua do Alecrim overhead. A taxi takes about 10 minutes. Combine it with lunch at the Time Out Market or a look round the traditional Mercado da Ribeira, both a couple of minutes away, or with the train to Belém from the station. For a photo of the pink surface without people, go in the morning. From late afternoon, bar tables and drinkers start to cover it. The street comes alive only after dark. Bars open from late afternoon or evening, the crowd builds from about 22:00 and it peaks on Thursday to Saturday nights, when the street is packed and loud. That makes it relevant mainly to passengers on overnight calls or late departures. If you go, keep your all-aboard time in mind, carry phones and wallets in front pockets, and plan the way back: about 26 minutes' walk east along the river, or a taxi or ride-hailing car, which can be slow to find at closing time on weekend nights. Skip it if you dislike crowds. Daytime visitors looking for atmosphere will find more along the Ribeira das Naus promenade or uphill in Chiado. Context: this was the centre of the port's sailors' nightlife for much of the 20th century, and the pink paint arrived in 2011 as part of a local effort to revive the area.