Lisbon.

Come for Baixa's grand opening onto the Tagus, where a U-shaped ensemble, arcades and the statue of José I turn reconstruction into urban theater.

This is the clearest place to understand how Lisbon reoriented itself after the 1755 earthquake destroyed the riverside royal palace. Eugénio dos Santos replaced it with a disciplined civic square open to the water, linking government and commerce to the rebuilt street grid behind it.

• The symmetrical yellow buildings form a U that remains open toward the Tagus.
• Ground-floor arcades run beneath the long façades.
• The equestrian statue of José I anchors the broad center of the square.

Approach through Baixa and finish at the river edge so the square's open side reveals itself gradually.

The center is exposed to sun and wind; use the arcades when conditions are uncomfortable.

Continue north through Rua Augusta to compare the square's scale with Baixa's regular blocks.