1. From England viâ Oporto and Lisbon to Gibraltar or Tangier ( Marseilles and Genoa )

I. From England to the Mediterranean by the Portuguese Coast.

Route Page

1. From England viâ Oporto and Lisbon to Gibraltar or Tangier (Marseilles and Genoa)

2. Lisbon

a. Cidade Baixa, Lisboa Occidental and Oriental, 10.—b. The Streets on the Tagus. Belem, 13.—c. Excursion to Cintra, 15.

1. To Gibraltar Direct. The chief Steamboat Lines (offices, comp. pp. xviii-xx) are the Peninsular & Oriental Co., once weekly from London to Gibraltar, Marseilles, Port Said, etc.; the Orient Royal Line, fortnightly from London to Gibraltar, Marseilles, Naples, Port Said, etc.; the North German Lloyd, fortnightly from Southampton to Gibraltar, Algiers, Genoa, Naples, Port Said, etc.; the Anchor Line almost weekly from Liverpool or Glasgow for Gibraltar, Marseilles, Genoa, Leghorn, Naples, Palermo, Port Said, etc.; fares to Gibraltar in all these from 12l. 2s. downwards. Less expensive are the Royal Mail Steam Packet Co.’s steamers, fortnightly from London; and from Liverpool, the Moss Line fortnightly and the Papayanni Line occasionally; fares in all these range from 6l. to 8l.

2. Coasting Steamers. Hall Line, weekly from London to Lisbon, Gibraltar, Málaga, and Cadiz; the Pacific Line, fortnightly from Liverpool to La Rochelle-Pallice (for Bordeaux), Corunna, Vigo, Leixões (for Oporto), Lisbon, and St. Vincent (Cape Verde), and thence to S. America (passengers for the Mediterranean requiring of course to tranship at Lisbon or St. Vincent); the Nederland Royal Mail Steamers, fortnightly from Southampton for the Mediterranean and Batavia, touch at Lisbon, and so also those of the Rotterdam Lloyd, fortnightly from Southampton, for Tangier, the Mediterranean, and Batavia; Yeoward Bros. Line, weekly from Liverpool to Lisbon; Booth Line, thrice monthly from Liverpool to Havre, Vigo, Leixões (for Oporto), etc.; Ellerman Line, weekly from Liverpool to Lisbon and Oporto; the steamers of the German East African Line, once every three weeks from Southampton, call at Lisbon, Tangier, Marseilles, and Naples, on their way to Port Said; the Atlantic liners of the Hamburg-American and Hamburg & South American Cos., calling several times monthly at Southampton, also touch occasionally at Lisbon; Royal Holland Lloyd, monthly from Dover to Boulogne, Corunna, Vigo, Lisbon, etc.; the vessels of the Compañía Trasatlántica, monthly from Liverpool, call at Corunna, Vigo, Lisbon, Cadiz, Cartagena, Valencia, Barcelona, and Genoa, on their voyages to Colombo and Manila.

3. Excursion Steamers. Many of the above companies and others besides organize Mediterranean cruises and circular tours at very reasonable fares, whereby everything is made easy and comfortable; but the more enterprising and independent traveller will greatly prefer to piece his tour together for himself, combining the various routes to suit his own convenience, and often lingering for days in profoundly impressive historic places or amid glorious scenery, where the hurriedly conducted tourist can spend a few hours only. Among the excursion steamers may be mentioned the ‘Vectis’ of the Peninsular & Oriental Co., which offers a trip of 10 days from London to Lisbon, Gibraltar, Tangier, Málaga, and Marseilles for 10–15 guineas, and another, of 21 days, from Marseilles to Palermo, Constantinople, the Piræus, Naples, and Marseilles, for 21–40 gs. Similar cruises are offered by the Cunard Line, starting from Liverpool for the Mediterranean and Adriatic, the Orient Royal Line from London (20 days; fares from 18 gs.), and by ‘Continental Travel’ (5 Endsleigh Gardens, London), some of the last-named (either from Southampton or from Marseilles) extending to Egypt and the Holy Land, and lasting from 13 to 34 days (fares 10–26 gs.).—The voyage from London to Lisbon (about 1170 M.) usually takes 3½ days, and thence to Gibraltar (about 350 M.) one day more; but some of the steamers take longer, while much of course depends on the number of ports called at and on the length of stay made at each. For details as to the sailings, which, as well as fares, are liable to frequent alteration, application should be made to the various companies, or to Messrs. Thos. Cook & Son (Ludgate Circus, London, E.C.) or other tourist-agencies.

To Gibraltar Direct. As indicated at p. , most of the great steamers bound for Port Said, India, Australia, and other distant parts steer for Gibraltar direct.

Of the Coasting Steamers to Gibraltar some touch at Lisbon only, others at Leixões (or Oporto) and Lisbon, and others again at various additional stations. All the important stations are here mentioned in their order.

The Hamburg-American steamers call at Boulogne (see Baedeker’s N. France) to take up passengers for Lisbon and America. Most of the vessels pass the Cap de la Hague, a little to the N.W. of Cherbourg, and the Channel Islands, which belong to Great Britain. The first of these is Alderney (Fr. Aurigny); next comes the islet of Burhou; beyond it, behind the dangerous rocks called the Casquets, marked by a triple flashing light, lies Guernsey (‘green island’), and farther away, to the left, is Jersey. The coast of Brittany or Bretagne is visible in clear weather only.

All the steamers leave the English Channel near Ushant (Ouessant; lighthouse), an island near the coast of Brittany, and steer to the S.S.W. across the Bay of Biscay (Viscaya), where, even in fine weather, the heavy swell of the open Atlantic is distinctly felt. The steamers of the Pacific Line and of the Rotterdam Lloyd touch at La Pallice, 3 M. from La Rochelle. From La Rochelle, an interesting historic town, by railway to (145 M.) Bordeaux, see Baedeker’s Southern France. The Bay of Biscay is bounded on the S. by the N. coast of Spain, with which the W. coast of France forms a right angle. In this angle, far to the E. of the steamer’s course, lie Bayonne and the famous health resort of Biarritz. To the S.W. of the latter is (8 M.) St. Jean de Luz, and 8 M. farther is Hendaye, on the Spanish frontier (see Baedeker’s S. France).

In Spain, 12 M. to the W. of the frontier, is situated San Sebastián, a strikingly picturesque town and fashionable seaside resort; 71½ M. farther to the W. lies Bilbao, famed for its iron and steel, 74 M. beyond which is Santandér, with its important harbour. About 280 M. farther to the W. are the N.W. headlands of Spain which mark the S.W. end of the Bay of Biscay.

The steamers of the Pacific Line, the Compañía Trasatlántica, and some others next call at Corunna, Span. La Coruña, a picturesque and important seaport famed in history, and the chief arsenal of N. Spain (see Baedeker’s Spain and Portugal; debarkation or embarkation 1 peseta). Time permitting, passengers may spend an hour or two on shore in walking through the new town (Pescadería) and the loftily situated old town (Ciudad Vieja), and in ascending to the Torre de Hércules (185 ft.; lighthouse), about 1 M. to the N. of the town, for the sake of the splendid view it affords. Some 35 M. to the W. of Corunna lie the small Sisargas Islands, beyond which all the vessels steer to the S., past Cabo Villano (lighthouse), Cabo Toriñana (lighthouse), and Cape Finisterre. To the E., in clear weather, we may descry the long outlines of the Galician mountain-range (‘sierra’). Beyond Cape Finisterre we pass a number of far-penetrating inlets (rias) which abound on the W. coast of Galicia. Many steamers touch also at Vigo, a seaport and sea-bathing place most picturesquely situated on the Ria de Vigo, the southmost inlet of Galicia, which runs 19 M. inland (debarkation or embarkation 1 peseta). Fine view near the lofty Castillo del Castro, to the S. of the town. Some eight or nine hours’ steaming carries us from Vigo, past the mouth of the Minho, the boundary between Spain and Portugal, to—

Leixões (pron. layshŏengsh; Brit. vice-consul, T. Coverley), the first Portuguese port, lying at the mouth of the little river Leça and forming the outer harbour of Oporto. About 2½ M. farther to the S. is the mouth of the Douro, usually entered by the smaller steamers bound for (3½ M.) Oporto itself.

Passengers who wish to go ashore at Leixões are conveyed by motor-boat or rowing-boat (about 225 reis or 1s., and half as much more for luggage) to the custom-house. Visitors with heavy luggage require to take the train (Leça station, near the Alfándega or custom-house) to Oporto (Estacão da Boa Vista, in the N. of the town); others may take the electric tramway (120 rs.), running from Leixões through the villa-suburb of Leça da Palmeira and the watering-places of Mattosinhos and São João da Foz, and up the right bank of the Douro, to Oporto (about 5 M., in 1 hr.). It goes as far as the Praça de Dom Pedro; but those in haste will alight in the Rua do Infante Dom Henrique (comp. p. ).

Oporto.—Hotels. *Hot. do Porto, Hôt. de Paris, Hôt. de Francfort, etc.—Café-Restaurant International, Praça de Dom Pedro 14; Café Suisse, same square, No. 122; Café Marques, in the Crystal Palace.

Cab 500 rs., or about 2s. 3d., per hour.

Consuls. British, H. Grant.—United States Consular Agent, W. Stüve.—English Church (St. James’s), in the Campo Pequeno, to the N. of the Crystal Palace.

Oporto, or briefly Porto (‘harbour’) in Portuguese, is a busy commercial town of 172,400 inhab., the industrial capital of N. Portugal, and the place from which the famous wines of the upper valley of the Douro are chiefly exported. It lies 3½ M. from the sea, on the lofty right bank of the Douro, which has forced its passage here through the granite rock. The old town, with its quaint balconied houses, whose walls are often faced with coloured tiles, rises in terraces on the rocky slopes. The new town lies on a lofty plateau to the N., E., and W. of the old.

To the N. of the Rua do Infante Dom Henrique is the Exchange (Bolsa), with its showy hall in the Moorish style. To the E. of it stands the Monument of Prince Henry the Navigator (p. ). Adjoining the exchange is the Gothic church of São Francisco (entrance on the W. side), containing elaborate gilt wood-carving of the 17–18th centuries. Near the E. end of the Rua do Infante Dom Henrique is the so-called English Factory House (Associação Britannica), an imposing building erected by an Englishman in 1785 and now used as a kind of club. The nearest tramway-car conveys us to the Praça de Dom Pedro, the business centre of the city, with an Equestrian Statue of Pedro IV. (p. ) commemorating the granting of the constitution (1826). We ascend to the W. by the steep Calçada dos Clérigos to the church of Igreja dos Clérigos (427 ft.), the tower of which (246 ft.; ticket of admission 100 rs.) commands a panoramic view of the city, the river, and the coast. Adjoining the church on the W. is the Campo dos Martyres da Patria, with the beautiful grounds of the Jardim da Cordoaria. We next proceed by the electric tramway ‘Palacio’ to the Crystal Palace (adm. 20, 50 or 100 rs.) with its beautiful pleasure-grounds and superb view of the city, the river, and the sea. The same electric tramway, now entitled the ‘Praça de Dom Pedro’, returns viâ the Rua da Cedofeita to the Praça de Dom Pedro; we, however, change tramway-cars in the former and proceed by the tramway ‘Campanha’ viâ the Praça de Dom Pedro to the pretty Jardim de São Lázaro. From the S.W. angle of the garden the Rua das Fontainhas descends to the Passeio das Fontainhas with a view of the river, its S. bank, and both bridges. Following this promenade to the W. we reach the Largo da Policia with a fountain, where remains of the City Walls are to be seen. Hence the Rua de Saraiva de Carvalho leads us, before it descends in an abrupt curve to the left, into the vicinity of the Sé, or Cathedral, now almost entirely modernized. We may now traverse the upper roadway (toll 5 rs.; tramway-car if desired) of the magnificent Ponte de Dom Luiz Primeiro, spanning the Douro with a single iron arch of 564 ft. On the S. bank, on an eminence immediately to the left, lies the ruinous Augustine convent of Nossa Senhora da Serra do Pilar where Wellington effected his celebrated passage of the Douro against the French (1809). The view, especially from the dome of the church, is very fine. We make our way, at first by steps, then by a steep descent, to the lower roadway of the bridge. Returning to the N. bank of the Douro we follow the Rua Cima do Muro to the Praça da Ribeira which affords an insight into popular life and commands a striking retrospect of the Ponte de Dom Luiz. In the neighbourhood we may take the electric tramway ‘Leça’ which conveys us back to Leixões. In the reverse direction we regain the Praça de Dom Pedro.—Comp. Baedeker’s Spain and Portugal.

While the greater Ocean Steamers rarely sight the land, those bound for Lisbon skirt the flat Portuguese coast for some 150 M., from Oporto to Cabo Carvoeiro, steering past the Berlengas Islands (lighthouse), and then rounding the Serra de Cintra (p. ), which ends in the Cabo da Roca (472 ft.), the westmost point of Europe, with its great lighthouse. Passing the Cabo Raso, we now steer due E. into the Bay of Cascaes, the ‘Riviera’ of Portugal, and enter the month of the Tagus (Tejo), where the lighthouses of Torre de São Julião and Torre de Bugio rise conspicuously. On the left we next observe the Torre de Belem and the extensive streets of Lisbon (see R. 2).

Leaving Lisbon, several of the great liners steer due W. across the Atlantic to America. Other vessels head to the S.W. for Madeira (p. ), and others again due S., past the Cabo de Espichel, on their way to Gibraltar or Tangier. About 120 M. to the S. of Lisbon we are off *Cape St. Vincent (Cabo de São Vicente), the ancient Promontorium Sacrum. This huge rocky plateau, with its reddish-brown precipices rising sheer above the sea, presents an imposing appearance. Just beyond it are an old monastery and a lighthouse and then the Cabo Sagres. Between these capes we obtain a glimpse of the dreary and sunburnt interior of the country, with its few poor villages. Beyond the Cabo Sagres lies the little town of Sagres, founded by Henry the Navigator (1421) as headquarters for his voyages of exploration. Both before and after rounding these two capes we sometimes obtain a pleasant view of the Serra de Monchique (2963 ft.), and before leaving the coast of Algarve we may distinguish the little towns of Lagos and Albufeira and the Cabo de Santa Maria. Steering now due E., the smaller trading-vessels call at Huelva, a little beyond the Spanish frontier, noted as the shipping-port for the great Tharsis and Rio Tinto mines, and as the starting-point of Columbus (pp. , 64) for his voyage to America in 1492, while other vessels call at Cadiz (p. ); all the larger steamers however proceed direct across the Bay of Cadiz to the S.E. to the Straits of Gibraltar, and either call at Gibraltar itself, or pass it on their eastward voyage without stopping; a certain number touch at Tangier (p. ).

The *Straits of Gibraltar, anciently called Fretum Gaditanum or Herculeum (comp. Map, p. ), from Gades (p. ) or from the Pillars of Hercules (p. ), date from the pliocene age, when the action of tides and waves forced a passage from the Atlantic into the great inland cavity of the Mediterranean. The straits are widest at the W. entrance, between Cape Trafalgar (p. ) on the left, and Cape Spartel (p. ) on the right. The narrowest part (8 M.) is between the Punta Canales (p. ) and Cape Ciris (p. ). The E. entrance, between Europa Point (p. ) and the Punta Santa Catalina (p. ), is 12½ M. in breadth. Between the ocean and the inland sea run strong currents, the upper and lighter, from W. to E., sometimes setting at the rate of 5 M. an hour, while the lower, being more strongly impregnated with salt and therefore heavier, flows in the opposite direction. These currents, coupled with the conflict of winds at the meeting of the waters, often cause serious trouble to sailing-vessels.

To the right, far to the S.E. as we steer into the straits, appears the lighthouse on Cape Spartel, to the E. of which opens the bay of Tangier (p. ), bounded on the E. by Cape Malabata. To the left, on the treeless coast of Andalusia enlivened only by the numerous ancient watch-towers, lies the town of Tarifa, preceded by an isthmus ending in the Punta Marroquí, the southmost point of the mainland of Europe (36° N. lat.).

The steamers then pass the Punta Canales and Punta del Fraile, round the Punta Carnero, the southmost spur of the Sierra de los Gazules, and enter the broad Bay of Algeciras or Gibraltar, where they usually anchor in the open roads of Gibraltar (p. ), to the N.W. of the government harbour.

From Gibraltar to Tangier and Mogador, see RR. 6 b and 14; to Genoa, see R. 15; to Naples, see R. 16; to Marseilles, see R. 17.