The best running trails around Apelação

The Sun Man is a monumental sculpture by Jorge Vieira. At approximately 20 meters high and weighing 15 tons, it is an anthropomorphic structure inspired by the sun. This work is considered a kind of testamentary synthesis of the author's oeuvre, a symbiosis of surrealism and abstraction with three-dimensional exploration. Jorge Ricardo da Conceição Vieira was born on November 16, 1922, in Lisbon and died in 1998 in Évora.

The Vasco da Gama Bridge is officially the second-longest bridge in Europe at 17.2 km (10.6 miles). Adding the 12.345 km (7.64 miles) of structural bridgework to the 4.84 km (3.91 miles) of roadwork, the road concept for this Tagus River crossing results in a route length of 17.185 km (10.66 miles). The maximum span is 420 meters (139 feet), and the pylons are 155 meters (510 feet) high. The A12 motorway crosses the bridge with six lanes.

The elevator to the top of the tower, with its fantastic view, costs 10 euros. There's a bar at the top with exorbitant prices.

Ingenious: you have to look closely to see what kind of junk the Lynx is made of.

Wooden walkways along the river Tejo and the possibility to see the local wildlife, especially at sunset and sunrise, such as foxes, rabbits and field mise

Right next to the giant Iberian Lynx sculpture in Parque das Nações—created by street artist Bordalo II from recycled plastic—there’s a hidden spot most visitors overlook. If you turn your back to the lynx and stroll toward the Vasco da Gama Tower, you’ll find a quiet bench with a sweeping view of the Tagus and the park’s striking modern architecture. It’s a rare place where you can take in both the wild, colorful street art and the calm of the river at the same time. Hardly any tourists stop here, which makes it perfect for catching your breath or snapping a unique photo.

By naming this bridge after him, the capital of Portugal honors one of the country's greatest sailors and explorers: Vasco da Gama, born around 1469 in Sines (now the district of Setubal). He was of noble birth and a member of the "Order of the Knights of Our Lord Jesus Christ," and enjoyed the trust of King Manuel I. At the end of the 15th century, several European states strove to find a sea route to India (his contemporary Christopher Columbus, for example, had sailed west on behalf of the Spanish royal family and, without even realizing it, discovered America in 1492). Vasco da Gama, on the other hand, opted for the southern route: in 1498, he circumnavigated the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa and successfully continued on to India, where he became its second viceroy. Even 500 years after his death (1524), his name is by no means forgotten and lives on in this modern 20th-century building.

The Loures Riverside Trail is made up of six kilometres of wooden walkways. It starts at the Trancão cycle-pedestrian bridge, which was opened at the end of July, and ends at the gates of the municipality of Vila Franca de Xira, where the Tagus Estuary Linear Trail begins (of which only a section remains to be built in Alverca). Along the six kilometres, there are several shaded and resting areas, with benches, and some birdwatching spots. There are also exits, which will allow, for example, to connect the walkways to the future Loures riverside green park, which will be built on the land that hosted the World Youth Day and which should be ready by the end of next year.