Parque das Nacoes, a modern wonder

Many people praise Portugal in its entirety and Lisbon city in particular for its old, beautiful architecture and for the romantic air it exudes, but for those of you who do want to remember that we live in a postmodern world after all, there are places such as Parque das Nacoes, a modern wonder in architecture, at the heart of the capital city of Portugal, right on the riverbank.

Lisbon hosted the World Fair in the year 1998, which proved to be a happy occasion for the Portuguese to add a few pieces of the architecture of the future. The fair welcomed 130 countries, organizations, etc. and was a replica of the original 1851 Great London Exhibition. Expo 98 permitted the creation of Parque das Nacoes.

The three main attractions of the park are the Oceanarium, the Oriente Station and the Vasco da Gama Bridge. The Oceanarium is one of the most visited tourist attractions in Portugal, an amazing aquarium displaying a review of all the wonders of the Atlantic Ocean. The Oriente Station is another trip into the future, a roof made of iron and glass designed by architect Santiago Calatrava. Last but not least, the Vasco da Gama Bridge measures 17 km in length, making it one of the largest (and longest) bridges in the world.

A day at the Parque das Nacoes can make for an excellent family outing, especially since there are additional attractions to explore, such as the water gardens, a marina and a modern built casino, as well as two imposing twin towers named after two of the ships of Vasco da Gama, Sao Gabriel and Sao Rafael.

Accessing the park is quite easy, most of the tourists arrive at the Oriente Station (which houses a train station, a metro station and a bus terminal), but you can also choose to rent a car in Lisbon or employ the fastest and best way, a Lisbon airport transfer.