213 585 200, 
museudooriente.pt. Tues–Sun 10am–6pm, late opening Fri until 10pm. €6, free Fri 6–10pm.Loomed over by the enormous Ponte 25 de Abril suspension bridge, Alcântara has a decidedly industrial hue, with a tangle of flyovers and cranes from the docks dominating the skyline. The area is well known for its nightlife, thanks mainly to its dockside warehouse conversions that shelter cafés and restaurants. It also hosts a couple of fine museums, both tipping their hats to Portugal’s historic links with the Far East and there’s an attractive riverside promenade. To get to the docks, take a train from Cais do Sodré to Alcântara-Mar or tram #15.
Avda de Brasília 213 585 200, museudooriente.pt. Tues–Sun 10am–6pm, late opening Fri until 10pm. €6, free Fri 6–10pm.
Owned by the powerful Orient Foundation, this spacious museum traces the cultural links that Portugal has built up with its former colonies in Macao, India, East Timor and other Asian countries. Housed in an enormous 1930s Estado Novo building, highlights of the extensive collection include valuable nineteenth-century Chinese porcelain, an amazing array of seventeenth-century Chinese snuff boxes and, from the same century, Japanese armour and entire carved pillars from Goa. The top floor is given over to displays on the Gods of Asia, featuring a bright collection of religious costumes and shrines used in Bali and Vietnam together with Taoist altars, statues of Buddha, some fine Japanese Shinto masks and Indonesian shadow puppets. Vivid images of Hindu gods Shiva, Ganesh the elephant god and Kali the demon are counterbalanced by some lovely Thai amulets. There is also a decent top-floor restaurant serving good food.
Museu do Oriente
Museu do Oriente
Doca de Santo Amaro
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Just west of the Doca de Alcântara lies the more intimate Doca de Santo Amaro, nestling right under the humming traffic and rattling trains crossing Ponte 25 de Abril. This small, almost completely enclosed, marina is filled with bobbing sailing boats and lined with tastefully converted warehouses. Its cluster of international cafés and restaurants are pricier than usual for Lisbon but the constant comings and goings of the Tejo provide plenty of free entertainment to diners. Leaving Doca de Santo Amaro at its western side, you can pick up a pleasant riverside path that leads all the way to Belém, twenty minutes’ walk away.
Avenida da India 211 117 880. Daily: April–Sept 10am–8pm; Oct–March 10am–6pm. €6.
Resembling the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, the hugely impressive Ponte 25 de Abril was opened in 1966 as a vital link between Lisbon and the southern banks of the Tejo. Around 2.3km in length, the bridge rises to 70m above the river, though its main pillars are nearly 200m tall. It was originally named Ponte de Salazar after the dictatorial prime minister who ruled Portugal with an iron fist from 1932 to 1968, but took its present name to mark the date of the revolution that overthrew Salazar’s regime in 1974. The dizzying Pilar 7 Bridge Experience offers the opportunity to ascend 70m up one of the bridge’s pillars to a glass-encased platform for a close-up look at the thundering traffic and for stunning views across the western riverfront. Inside, an exhibition space traces the history of the bridge using models and multimedia, including a somewhat grainy projection room detailing how three thousand workers built the bridge using 55,000km of steel wire. For an extra €1.50, you can experience a virtual-reality recreation of how maintenance workers carry out repairs on the central pillars, a hairy 200m above the river. Note that only 100 people can visit at any one time (40 on the viewpoint).
Rua da Junqueira 30 213 617 570, www.cccm.pt. Tues–Sun 10am–6pm. €3, free Sun 10am–2pm.
This attractively laid-out museum is dedicated to Portugal’s historical trading links with the Orient and, specifically, its former colony of Macao, which was handed back to Chinese rule in 1999. There are model boats and audio displays detailing early sea voyages, as well as various historic journals and artefacts, including a seventeenth-century portable wooden altar, used by travelling clergymen. Upstairs, exhibitions of Chinese art from the sixteenth to the nineteenth centuries show off ornate collections of porcelain, silverware and applied art, most notably an impressive array of opium pipes and ivory boxes.
Rua 1° de Maio 101 213 613 087, museu.carris.pt. Mon–Sat 10am–6pm. €4.
This engagingly quirky and ramshackle museum traces the history of Lisbon’s public transport, from the earliest trams and street lifts to the development of the metro. There are three zones, the first with evocative black-and-white photos, uniforms and models. You then hop on a real tram dating from 1901 which takes you to a warehouse filled with historic trams, and then on to another warehouse with ancient buses and models of metro trains. It’s great fun for kids especially, who can clamber on board and pretend to drive the vehicles. The bottom of the site also has the eye-catching Village Underground, a bizarre medley of old shipping containers and double-decker buses now given over to work spaces for writers and artists.
Rua Rodrigues Faria 103 213 143 399, lxfactory.com.
Below Ponte 25 de Abril, this former nineteenth-century industrial estate is now the place to test Lisbon’s creative pulse. The factories and warehouses have turned into a mini-district of workshops and studios for the city’s go-getters, along with a series of superb boutiques, shops, cafés and bars set in fashionably run-down urban spaces. Sunday is a good time to visit, with a lively flea market (noon–7pm) and many places open for brunch: LX Factory’s Open Days take place throughout the year, featuring shows, live music and film screenings (check website for details), and in September it hosts the Nova Batida festival (novabatida.com).
LX Factory
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LX Factory, Rua Rodrigues Faria 103 967 382 848. Mon–Fri 9am–9pm, Sat 11am–10.30pm, Sun 11am–7pm.
Set in a small but cosy wooden warehouse, this arty space is very popular for lunch, with wraps, quiches, baguettes and salads from around €7. There are also a few outdoor tables.
Village Underground, Rua 1° de Maio 103 215 583 469. Daily noon–6pm (closes 8pm in summer).
Grab a sandwich (€5–7), salad or dish of the day at the café inside Village Underground, which is inside an old double-decker bus. There are tables inside or out, where you can sit with Lisbon’s creative set.
LX Factory, Edifício H, Espaço 001 210 991 792. Daily 12.30–10.30pm.
One of the larger restaurants in LX Factory, a hip spot with an open kitchen serving a range of dishes, including pasta, steaks and seafood from €12–15. It also does good cocktails.
A Praça
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LX Factory, Rua Rodrigues Faria 103 213 628 239. Daily noon–11pm.
Upcycled furniture and bench-like tables in a spacious former warehouse make this a hip spot. Great breakfasts, snacks and daily specials which usually focus on healthy salads from around €10.
Armazém 14, Doca de Santo Amaro 213 973 556, docapeixe.com. Daily 12.30–11.30pm.
You’ll need a deep wallet to eat at this fish restaurant (mains from €16), but with a counter groaning under the weight of fresh fish, you won’t leave disappointed. They also serve a great prawn curry and sublime lobster rice with clams.
LX Factory, Rua Rodrigues Faria 103, Edifício G-03 213 477 082. Daily 12.30–3pm & 7.30pm–11pm.
This fantastic space has tables wedged between giant old printing presses – a surprising backdrop for fresh, oriental cuisine ranging from wanton soup and green curries to fresh fish, from around €12.
Mercado Rosa Agulhas, Rua Leão de Oliveira, Loja 25 213 649 113. Mon–Sat noon–3pm & 7–midnight, Sun noon–5pm.
On three floors by the market building – and Lisbon’s markets are always worth a call – this is a great place to have a hearty meal. The ingredients don’t have far to travel: the fish and vegetables are day-fresh, and there’s a long list of grilled meats and seafood, including a fine seafood pasta. Mains €12–14.
Passeio Doca de Santo Amaro 967 723 483. Tues–Sat 11am–2am, Sun 11am–midnight.
One of the less pricey options set to one side of the docks, with appealing outdoor tables. The speciality here is pregos (beef sandwiches), with different varieties from €8.
Armazém CP, Doca de Santo Amaro 213 942 410. Mon–Thurs & Sun 9am–midnight, Fri & Sat 9am–2am.
Though it’s located slightly away from the river, this palm-fringed venue is worth seeking out; there’s an enticing cocktail bar on the esplanade, while the restaurant inside serves well-priced modern Portuguese food (grilled fish and meats with pasta or couscous). From €10.
Ler Devagar
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LX Factory, Rua Rodrigues Faria 103, Edifício G-03 213 259 992, lerdevagar.com. Mon noon–9pm, Tues–Thurs noon–midnight, Fri & Sat noon–2am, Sun 11am–9pm.
Primarily a wonderful arts bookshop, with shelves reaching an old printing press, this also has a corner café-bar, a great place to sample Portuguese wines by the glass. It also hosts exhibits and occasional live music.
LX Factory, Rua Rodrigues Faria 103, Edifício 1 entrada 3 966 028 229. Tues–Sun 10am–2am.
Take the rickety lift or unpromising stairwell to the top of this industrial warehouse to discover a cool bar-restaurant with a fabulous roof terrace, where you can sit on multicoloured chairs and sip cocktails. There are fine views over the river from below a rainbow-coloured statue of a woman, mirroring the statue of Cristo Rei opposite.