Saldanha is located at the heart of Lisbon and combines the Central Business District with the surrounding shopping centres with a strong residential and cultural component. It is a popular area among those who seek to live in the centre of the city.
Saldanha is one of Lisbon's newer neighbourhoods, having been founded in the mid-19th century by Duke João Carlos, only having been recognized after his death in 1922. Inspired by the cities of Paris and London, this neighbourhood’s heart lies in the Duke of Saldanha’s statue, as well as in the wide avenues and beautifully landscaped streets.
The neighbourhood undertook a series of heavy constructions in the ’90s as private investors wished to give it a more modern and posh feel. They gave life to Atrium Saldanha, one of the biggest known buildings in the area today. What’s more, most of the buildings here were build post-WWI, adding a charming feel to the atmosphere and a Parisian feel to those who walk around Saldanha streets.
Saldanha spoils investors with many luxury apartments and properties that have been refurbished and restored while keeping their traditional features. These make the area enticing for ex-pats wishing to move into Lisbon’s city centre.
Praça do Duque de Saldanha is one of the main squares in the city of Lisbon, shared by the parishes of Arroios and Avenidas Novas, dedicated to Marechal Duque de Saldanha - João Carlos de Saldanha Oliveira e Daun. In the middle of the square, an imposing statue of Duque de Saldanha can be found honouring its valiant deeds to the nation.
The Atrium, a smart and contemporary institution in the centre of Lisbon's commercial area, is arguably best known as an office complex, with business spaces filling the building's upper nine floors. There are 78 shops and restaurants on the first three floors of the mall. The Food Hall is the true lure, with various restaurants and cafés serving executives from the offices, offering regional cuisine, fast food burgers, or oriental sushi. Live piano music is sometimes played during the afternoon!
Pastelaria Versailles is one of the oldest pastry shops in Lisbon. It opened in 1922 and has a unique social and cultural atmosphere to it thanks to its Art Nouveau interiors.
Known for the largest assortment of biscuits in Lisbon, Pastelaria Versailles also sells homemade pastéis de nata and all sorts of Portuguese pastries, as well as Portuguese meals throughout the day.
Although the pastry is very much frequented by locals today, in the 80’s it fell into hard times, going bankrupt as Saldanha district slowly transformed into a financial district. Luckily, not too soon after, investors bought the space, turning it into the successful business it is nowadays.
The Arco do Cego garden is located near the Saldanha roundabout. It's a small garden, but with space for you to hang out with your friends. Due to its proximity to Instituto Superior Técnico university, students tend to relax after classes with a few beers and end up filling the entire garden. But they are not the only ones. There are those who come from far away to come to "Arco" for a beer, and there are several schools in the area that surround the garden.
You can also sit on the terraces of the kiosk located at the foot of Saldanha’s metro station; or on the terrace of Cidália, a café where you can snack some pastries; or at 100 Montaditos, where you can eat tapas and drink mugs of beer at cheap prices (especially on Wednesdays and Sundays, when the beer mug is cheaper) while watching a football game with the locals.
Airport The closest airport to Saldanha is the Lisbon one, and it takes around 13 minutes by bus to travel from the airport to the city centre. You can also get the metro’s red line directly from the Saldanha station to the Airport station.
Transportation Being in the main artery of Lisbon, Saldanha offers plenty of transport links. From here, you have the metro station Saldanha, and also buses that will take you from northwest to southeast central Lisbon.
Shopping Saldanha is a cooperative area, however there are still a few shopping malls around if you wish to shop:
Atrium Saldanha
Dolce Vita Monumental
Saldanha Residence
If you fancy strolling around shopping malls, then El Corte Inglés is nearby and will serve you well with its high-end brands for really reasonable prices.
Similar to the other southern European countries, Portugal typically tends to see warm temperatures and nice weather conditions throughout the whole year. Saldanha has a mild climate. You can expect to find 25°C during the summer months and, as the colder months start to creep in, the temperatures will drop to around 11°C. November is the month that sees the most rainfall, which can be around 128mm on average.
Restaurants & Bars Pastries for the morning, and fanciful meals throughout the day. For a trip to the past, for the best éclair in town or to eat at the bar, after midnight. There’s a little bit of everything in Saldanha for the food lovers. Here’s our selection of restaurants and bars:
Aron Sushi Saldanha
Gazpaxo
L’Éclair
Galeto
Pastelaria Versailles
Choupana Caffe
Beaches Saldanha is located by the Tagus river, having different beach coastlines nearby. To the west of Lisbon lies the Oeiras-Estoril-Cascais coastline, where there are beautiful sandy beaches, blessed with a calm sea in the summer months. In the northwest of Lisbon, you can find the Sintra coastline, which is made up of cliffs and embodies wild scenery, where you can truly immerse yourself in nature. The Costa da Caparica coastline is in the south of Lisbon and is sought-after for its wide-open beaches. This coastline comprises a large stretch of beaches, spread along to the western coast, highly popular among surfers all year long.
