Route Page
1. From England viâ Oporto and Lisbon to Gibraltar or Tangier
(Marseilles and Genoa) 1
2. Lisbon 6
a. Cidade Baixa, Lisboa Occidental and Oriental, 10.—b. The
Streets on the Tagus. Belem, 13.—c. Excursion to Cintra,
15.
1. From England viâ Oporto and Lisbon to Gibraltar or Tangier
(_Marseilles and Genoa_).
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 12_l._ 2_s._ 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 6_l._ to 8_l._
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. 1, 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 1_s._, 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. 4).
=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 2_s._ 3_d._, 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. 5). 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. 11) 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. 15), 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. 17),
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. 115, 64) for his voyage to
America in 1492, while other vessels call at _Cadiz_ (p. 58); 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. 98).
The *_Straits of Gibraltar_, anciently called _Fretum Gaditanum_ or
_Herculeum_ (comp. Map, p. 49), from Gades (p. 58) or from the Pillars
of Hercules (p. 54), 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. 58) on the left, and _Cape Spartel_ (p.
102) on the right. The narrowest part (8 M.) is between the _Punta
Canales_ (p. 6) and _Cape Ciris_ (p. 123). The E. entrance, between
_Europa Point_ (p. 55) and the _Punta Santa Catalina_ (p. 123), 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. 98), 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. 52), 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.