Lisbon from the Santa Justa Elevador (Lisbon’s own Eiffel-Tower)

Almost an hour of queuing did not dent my enthusiasm to see Lisbon from the Santa Justa Elevador. The Santa Justa Elevador is an iron tower designed by Raoul de Mesnier du Ponsard an apprentice of France’s Gustave Eiffel. With a height of 45 meters or 147 feet, the views, even on a cloudy day as it turned to be when I visited were splendid. A small fee is charged to get to the very top via an iron spiral staircase. There is also a café at the top that leads back into the streets.

The Santa Justa Elevador, completed in 1901, was not built for its aesthetics. It served a purpose which was to link the lower lying areas of Baixa to the higher Bairro Alto and Chiado districts. It served and still serves the purpose of other elevators in Lisbon, notably the Elevador da Gloria which I rod on and links Baixa (Restauradores Square) with Bairro Alto.