Lapa

Bairro da Lapa is one of the most noble and traditional areas of Lisbon, which attracts residents of all nationalities, as well as the upper class who have long chosen Lapa as their favorite neighborhood to live.

This is where most of the embassies of foreign countries are located , which give preference to the mansions once inhabited by the nobility. Examples abound, such as the embassies of: Austria, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Finland, Indonesia, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Romania, Sweden and Switzerland. It is also in the neighborhood of Lapa that the Palácio de São Bento (Assembly of the Republic) is located, as well as the official residence of the Prime Minister of Portugal .

Its origin dates back to 1770, the year in which the parish of Nossa Senhora da Lapa was established, which currently occupies an area of 0.74 km² and is inhabited by eight thousand people. After the administrative reorganization of 2012, the parish of Lapa was extinguished and became part of the parish of Estrela.

Despite being a residential neighborhood par excellence, it has a wide range of local shops, as well as famous restaurants and hotels.

Points of interest:

• São Bento Palace - Built at the end of the 16th century, it is a neoclassical style palace, where the Parliament of Portugal has been based since 1834.
• Palacete de São Bento - The historic palace is a building from the last quarter of the 19th century, where the official residence of the Prime Minister of Portugal is located.
• Basilica da Estrela or Basilica of the Heart of Jesus - It is a Catholic church and former convent of Carmelite nuns and one of the most iconic buildings in Lapa.
• Hotel Olissipo Lapa - Overlooking the Tagus River, set in a majestic and century-old subtropical garden, this hotel located in the Lapa district is one of the most romantic hotels in Lisbon, with its richly decorated interiors.
• Palace of the Counts of Olivais and Penha Longa - Also called "Palacete da Lapa", this imposing building was built in the 19th century. XIX at the initiative of the first Count of Olivais. The Embassy of Germany and the United States of America were already based here in the first half of the 20th century.
• Palacete dos Viscondes de Sacavém - This building is a beautiful example of the romanticism of the late 19th century.Built in the 19th century, ordered by the Visconde de Sacavém, it features an exuberant ceramic decoration, which combines blue and white tiles with relief pieces, very much in line with the Bordalo Pinheiro School.
• Palacete do Conde de Agrolongo - It is a historic building designed by the architect Arnaldo Redondo Adães Bermudes, at the request of the Viscount of Sande and Count of Agrolongo in 1909. That same year, it received an honorable mention from the Valmor Architecture Prize.
• Casa de António Sérgio - House where the famous writer and thinker António Sérgio lived for 40 years until his death.