Cristo Rei

The Portuguese bishops pledged in 1940 that if the country were spared the Second World War they would raise a monument to Christ, and Portugal stayed out; the Cristo Rei was begun in 1949 and inaugurated in 1959, funded largely by public subscription and explicitly modelled on the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio, which the cardinal patriarch had visited. The figure is twenty-eight metres tall on an eighty-two-metre portico, arms outstretched towards the city across the river. A lift runs up the pillar to a platform at the feet, which gives what is arguably the best view of Lisbon there is: the whole waterfront, the 25 de Abril bridge immediately alongside, the Baixa grid, the castle, and the estuary opening east. There is a chapel and a small exhibition at the base, and the terrace below is free.

What you actually see

• The statue - twenty-eight metres of Christ on an eighty-two-metre portico.
• The view - Lisbon's whole waterfront, the bridge and the estuary from the platform.
• The 1940 vow - the bishops' pledge that produced the monument.
• The Rio model - a deliberate copy of Christ the Redeemer's design and gesture.

When to go

Year-round. One to two hours including the ferry. Late afternoon light is best on the Lisbon side of the river.

Honest expectations

The lift is ticketed and queues in season. Extremely windy on the platform. The ferry plus bus adds up to an hour each way. It is a religious monument with services; behave accordingly.

Nearby

Cacilhas and its seafood restaurants are below; the 25 de Abril bridge is alongside.