Parque das Nacoes Walking Tour

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1 Copyright by GPSmyCity.com - Page 1 - Parque das Nacoes Walking Tour Parque das Nações, often referred to by locals as Expo, is a commercial and residential area in Lisbon which gained popularity and underwent tremendous transformation in the late 1990s as a site of the World Expo Many attractions were built here during that time, including the Oceanarium (the world's biggest), Science Museum, Vasco da Gama Tower, Vasco da Gama Bridge and others. Decades on, Parque das Nações still continues to draw attention of visitors and locals alike as a cultural and entertainment hub of the Portuguese capital. With so much to see here, it's no wonder! Guide Location: Portugal» Lisbon # of Attractions: 8 Tour Duration: 2 hour(s) Travel Distance: 4.3 km Please note: This walk is also featured in the ios app "Lisbon Map and Walks" on itunes App Store and the Android app "Lisbon Map and Walks" on Google Play. The apps provide GPS navigation to guide you from one tour stop to the next, so you will never be lost. The apps offer additional walking tours in Lisbon. Check them out! GPSmyCity offers self-guided walking tours in over 1,000 city around the world. Please visit gpsmycity.com for more walking tour offers. List of attractions included in this self-guided walking tour: A) The Oceanarium B) Pavilhão do Conhecimento - Science Museum C) Casino Lisboa D) Portugal Pavilion E) Gare do Oriente F) MEO Arena G) Vasco da Gama Tower H) Vasco da Gama Bridge Copyright by GPSmyCity.com - Page 1 -

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3 Copyright by GPSmyCity.com - Page 3 - A) The Oceanarium (must see) To celebrate the cultural relationship of Lisbon and Portugal with the sea, the Oceanarium was built for the World Expo in It is dedicated to teaching the public about aquatic creatures and their conservation. The Lisbon Oceanarium was designed by Peter Chermayeff who has designed many other world famous structures including the world s largest Oceanarium in Osaka, Japan. It looks like an aircraft carrier and is built on an inland sea. It is a large aquarium that houses over 16,000 aquatic creatures from over 450 species. It has a 1000 square meter tank that extends around the center of the main floors. Surrounding the main tank are four tanks representing four habitats, the North Atlantic, the Antarctic, the Temperate Pacific and the Tropical Ocean. Though acrylic walls separate the tanks, the Oceanarium is so designed that all the creatures appear to be swimming together. Ocean creatures exhibited include sharks, rays, starfish, amphibians, barracudas and tuna. An unusual creature is the sunfish that is usually difficult to preserve indoors. Sounds of the ocean are played as visitors walk through the observation rooms giving a restful ambience. Guided tours are conducted including a backstage tour that shows visitors how an Oceanarium works. Address: Doca dos Olivais, Parque das Nações, Lisbon, Portugal Image Courtesy of Wikimedia and Nol Aders. Sight description based on wikipedia B) Pavilhão do Conhecimento - Science Museum (must see) Pavilhão do Conhecimento is an interactive museum of science and technology. Open to the public since July 25, 1999, is part of the Network of Science Centers Viva. Its main objective is to stimulate scientific knowledge and dissemination of scientific and technological culture among the citizens. The visitors are allowed to explore many different exhibits in an active, relaxed and playful way. Operation hours: Tue - Fri: 10:00-18:00, Sat - Sun: 11:00-19:00 Address: Alameda dos Oceanos, Lote , Parque das Nações, Lisbon, Portugal Image Courtesy of Wikimedia and Filipe Rocha Copyright by GPSmyCity.com - Page 3 -

4 Copyright by GPSmyCity.com - Page 4 - C) Casino Lisboa Casino Lisboa is a casino located at Parque das Nações (Park of the Nations) in the city of Lisbon. It was inaugurated and opened to the public on April 19, The casino, at the time of opening, had around 700 slot machines (expandable to 1,000), 22 gaming tables, 4 bars, 3 restaurants and a theater seating 600. The casino took up the former Pavilhão do Futuro (Pavilion of the Future), one of the main attractions of the World Expo of '98, which was extensively rebuilt for its new purpose under a project by architect Fernando Jorge Correia. The original architects for the Pavilion obtained an injunction to halt construction work on the grounds of copyright violation (due to changes in the façade and in the structure of the building). A superior court overruled the claim, but the construction work was still halted from January to April Address: Alameda dos Oceanos, Parque das Nações, Lisbon, Portugal Image Courtesy of Wikimedia and Husond. Sight description based on wikipedia D) Portugal Pavilion The Portugal Pavilion was built to host Expo 98 the world s largest trade fair that was held in Lisbon in The design was based on the theme, ocean and heritage and the intention was to present the culture of the country to the world. The Portugal Pavilion was designed by Pritzker Award winning architect, Alvaro Siza Vieira. The striking feature of the building is a sagging roof representing the billowing sails of a ship reflecting the maritime theme of the structure and its surroundings. It weighs 1,400 tons, has an area of 167 by 223 square feet and covers a large ceremonial plaza. It is supported by fin like walls designed as porticos along the sides of the square. Since Lisbon is earthquake prone, high density cables hold the roof in place and the buildings and the roof have distinct support systems. The Portugal Pavilion has two exhibition spaces. The covered space hosts the main exhibitions while the outdoor plaza is used for national displays. Today, it hosts many temporary exhibitions. The structure has had no permanent use after Expo 98 although there are proposals for making it the headquarters of the Portuguese Cabinet or converting it into a museum of architecture in the future. Address: Doca dos Olivais, Parque das Nações, Lisbon, Portugal Copyright by GPSmyCity.com - Page 4 -

5 Copyright by GPSmyCity.com - Page 5 - Image Courtesy of Flickr and andy Sight description based on wikipedia E) Gare do Oriente The Gare do Oriente is one of the world s largest transit stations and the largest and busiest transport hubs in Portugal. It was built for Expo 98, the world trade fair held in Lisbon. The Gare do Oriente is a magnificent structure designed by Spanish architect, Santiago Calatrava. The roof is made of glass and steel and the design resembles a row of trees. The glass roof offers views of the other structures made for Expo 98. At night Oriente Station looks magnificent when the lights are turned on. The structure has an open concept and the roof is supported by beams giving an aura of grandeur. This concept helps to keep the interior cool during the hot summer months. The Gare do Oriente is the main terminal of the Lisbon metro. It is also a high speed commuter and regional train hub and a national and international bus station. Over 75 million passengers come to the station annually. It is now being extended to house the main terminal of the high speed train service of Lisbon and will also be the first stop of the train bringing visitors from the Lisbon airport. The Gare do Oriente also contains a police station, a book market, a cafe and a shopping centre. Address: Alameda dos Oceanos, Parque das Nações, Lisbon, Portugal Image Courtesy of Wikimedia and Husond F) MEO Arena MEO Arena (formerly Pavilhão Atlântico) built for Expo 98 in Lisbon is a large indoor hall with the capacity of seating 20,000 people. The external appearance looks like an upturned boat or a horseshoe crab and to some, like a flying saucer. It is the largest indoor arena in Portugal. MEO Arena was designed by Portuguese architect, Regino Cruz. The façade faces the south to maximize sun exposure during winter and minimize exposure to direct sunlight during summer. Ventilators on the roof allow the flow of fresh air and lower the cost of artificial climate conditioning within the arena. External moving blinds help to allow natural light into the building. The entire structure is designed to suit modern environmentally Copyright by GPSmyCity.com - Page 5 -

6 Copyright by GPSmyCity.com - Page 6 - conscious architectural norms without compromising on the comfort of spectators. It is also fitted with state of the art acoustic equipment for music performances. During Expo 98, a spectacle called the Oceans and Utopias took place at MEO Arena. Ocean themed artistic, scientific and historical exhibitions were shown during the program. Today, performances by major international music bands and artists take place here. It was also the venue of major events like the Tennis Masters championships, the World Indoor Athletics Championships and the MTV Europe Music Awards. Address: Rossio dos Olivais, Lote A, Parque das Nações, Lisbon, Portugal Image Courtesy of Wikimedia and João David Tereso. Sight description based on wikipedia G) Vasco da Gama Tower (must see) Opened on the 500th anniversary of the voyage of Vasco da Gama s voyage to India, the Vasco da Gama Tower is the tallest structure in Lisbon. It is 145 meters high and the shape resembles the sail of The Portuguese sailing ship called Caravel. The Vasco da Gama tower was one of the many buildings constructed for Expo 98, the world trade fair held in Lisbon. The inauguration celebrated the 500th anniversary of Vasco da Gama s historic voyage. It was designed by architects Leonor Janeiro and Nick Jacobs and constructed by the firm, Skidmore, Owings and Merrill. The engineering firm, Maritfer assembled the steel structure. At the base of the Vasco da Gama Tower is a three floor building that was used as the pavilion of the European Union during Expo 98. At the top of the tower, there was an observation deck that was designed to look like the viewing basket on a ship. There was also a restaurant below the viewing platform that offered panoramic views across Lisbon. At the time three glass elevators took visitors to the top of the tower. Today, a large hotel is being constructed adjacent to the Vasco da Gama Tower and it is temporarily closed for visitors. Address: Av. da Bao Esperanca, Lisbon, Portugal Image Courtesy of Wikimedia and Ebalter. Sight description based on wikipedia Copyright by GPSmyCity.com - Page 6 -

7 Copyright by GPSmyCity.com - Page 7 - H) Vasco da Gama Bridge (must see) This cable stayed bridge was inaugurated during Expo 98 the world fair held to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the historic voyage of the Portuguese navigator Vasco da Gama that opened trade routes by sea between Europe and Asia. It is the longest bridge in Europe and the 9th longest in the world. The Vasco da Gama Bridge was constructed across the Tagus River to connect the Lisbon suburb of Sacavem on the northern bank to the south bank near Monjito. It covers a length of 17.2 kilometers and has six lanes for automobile traffic. The bridge was designed by Armando Rito and constructed under the supervision of a private consortium called Lusoponte who were given the right to levy a toll for crossing the bridge. It was built over a period of 36 months. The Vasco Da Gama Bridge is best viewed from the Expo 98 cable car. It has a life expectancy of 120 years and the strength to withstand an earthquake 4.5 times stronger than the 1755 Lisbon earthquake that almost destroyed the city. The viaducts are extended inland to preserve the marshes below and the lamp posts are slanted inwards so as not to cast light on the river at night. All these considerations have made the Vasco da Gama Bridge one of the most environmentally friendly structures in the world. Address: Vasco da Gama Bridge, Lisbon, Portugal Image Courtesy of Flickr and F H Mira Copyright by GPSmyCity.com - Page 7 -