Rossio Square

Rossio has been the centre of Lisbon for six hundred years - market, bullring, carnival ground, and the place where the Inquisition held its autos-da-fé, with the Palace of the Inquisition standing where the national theatre is now. The square was rebuilt on the Pombaline grid after 1755, and in 1848 it was paved in calçada portuguesa, the black basalt and white limestone cobbling, in a wave pattern called mar largo; it was the first large-scale use of the technique and it spread from here across the Portuguese world, including to Copacabana. The waves are said to make some people dizzy, which is repeated often enough to have become part of the square's identity. Two baroque fountains and a column carrying Pedro IV stand on it, the Teatro Nacional D. Maria II closes the north side, and the Rossio station's neo-Manueline front is around the corner.

What you actually see

• The wave paving - the 1848 mar largo pattern in black and white cobbles.
• The theatre - the D. Maria II national theatre on the site of the Inquisition palace.
• The column - Pedro IV on a pillar between two baroque fountains.
• The station - Rossio's neo-Manueline horseshoe entrance around the corner.

When to go

Year-round. Thirty to sixty minutes. Evenings are busiest; early morning is the only time it is quiet.

Honest expectations

Very crowded and one of the main pickpocketing areas in Lisbon. The cobbles are slippery when wet and hard on ankles. Café terraces on the square charge tourist prices. Persistent street selling.

Nearby

Praça da Figueira is adjacent; the Baixa runs south to Praça do Comércio.