A popular meeting point and landmark, this vast square is most easily recognised by the towering obelisk monument that commemorates Portuguese independence from Spain.
Restauradores Square is surrounded by buildings of architectural interest, but it is the 98-foot (30-meter) tall obelisk in the center that will immediately attract your eye. Gaze up at the soaring monument and then look around at the other landmarks in the square, including the magnificent Foz Palace, which once served as the chief residence of the Marquis of Foz.
The iconic obelisk monument celebrates the country’s liberation from Spain in 1640. Circle the pediment on foot and inspect the two bronze figures featured on it: one depicts Victory, while the other represents Freedom. Note the unusual patterned design of the pavement surrounding the obelisk.
Turn your gaze to the west end of the square to see the dusty pink facade of the Foz Palace. Once the private residence of Portuguese nobility, the palace building is now an events space. Concerts are occasionally staged inside the palace in the Sala dos Espelhos, or Hall of Mirrors, a spectacular space that was influenced by the Hall of Mirrors in the Palace of Queluz in Sintra, which in turn, took inspiration from the Hall of Mirrors in Versailles.
Also bordering the square is the old Eden Cinema, an art deco masterpiece. The building was designed in the 1930s by Cassiano Branco and Carlos Florencio Dias, and now houses a hotel. Inspect the frieze above the facade, which depicts actors at work. Compare it with the other old cinema near the northeast corner of the square: the Condes Cinema. This modernist 1950-built cinema now houses a music-themed chain restaurant.
From the square, follow the Avenida da Liberdade, which extends northwest from the square. This avenue is one of Lisbon’s main shopping and dining thoroughfares. Stroll along tree-lined pedestrian pavements and shop for designer goods in luxury shops.
Restauradores Square is located in central Lisbon, near Rossio Square. To get here, ride the metro to the Restauradores stop. The square is a public space and as such, is always open.
