Rua Augusta Arch

The Arco da Rua Augusta was part of Pombal's plan for the rebuilt Baixa, intended as a bell tower and altered repeatedly before being completed as a triumphal arch in 1875 - almost a century after the design was drawn. It closes the north side of Praça do Comércio and frames the view up Rua Augusta, the Baixa's main pedestrian axis. The sculpture on top, by the French sculptor Célestin Anatole Calmels, is an allegory of Glory crowning Genius and Valour, the figure of Glory some seven metres tall; below stand Viriathus, Nuno Álvares Pereira, Vasco da Gama and the Marquis of Pombal, who put his own rebuilding of the city in the same company as those three. A lift and a short spiral stair reach a terrace on top, giving a view straight down the street, over the square to the river, and across to the castle and the cathedral. There is a clock room on the way up.

The main sights

• The arch - completed 1875, nearly a century after Pombal's plan drew it.
• The terrace - a rooftop view down Rua Augusta and over the square to the river.
• The figures - Viriathus, Nuno Álvares Pereira, Vasco da Gama and Pombal himself.
• The clock room - the mechanism space passed on the way up.

When to go

Year-round. Forty-five minutes. Early or late for light and shorter queues; midday brings the longest waits.

Practical notes

The lift only goes part way - there is a narrow spiral stair at the top. The terrace is small and gets congested. Queues in season. Rua Augusta below is crowded with restaurant touts and street performers.

Nearby

Praça do Comércio is directly below; Rossio is at the top of Rua Augusta.

Key facts