Gulbenkian Garden: Lisbon’s Timeless Blend of Art, Architecture and Nature

Lisbon is a city of generous, varied gardens that give it character and make urban life feel richer and far more humane. At Baixa House we have a soft spot for them, which is why our apartments pay tribute to these green spaces with photographs and subtle references to garden furniture.

One of the most distinctive is the garden of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, one of the city’s most important cultural destinations thanks to its remarkable collections of ancient and modern art, as well as its wide programme of concerts and cultural events.

The foundation’s original garden, created in the 1970s by the renowned landscape architect Gonçalo Ribeiro Telles, is a European landmark in the history of landscape design. It is a carefully composed sequence of landscapes arranged around a large lake, where concrete, water and lush vegetation blend to create different atmospheres. It is one of our favourite places to spend spring and summer afternoons, enjoying the cool air by the water and the glorious shade of its magnificent trees.

The recent extension of the Modern Art Museum has brought to Lisbon one of today’s leading international architects, the Japanese Kengo Kuma. Over the past two years he has designed a sweeping timber canopy that now forms the museum’s new façade. Alongside it, the Lebanese landscape architect Vladimir Djurovic has created an “urban forest”, carefully planted with native species and echoing the organic, slightly oriental lines of Kuma’s work. The result is a garden that enhances the pleasure of wandering through the foundation’s grounds.

If you are craving art and nature, be sure to include a visit to the foundation’s museums and gardens during your stay in Lisbon. Bring a picnic to enjoy on the grass, have lunch at the museum café, or simply cool off with an ice cream in the shade on a warm summer afternoon. If you choose the picnic route, stop by the nearby Praça da Figueira market to pick up a good selection of cheeses and cured meats, a loaf of proper artisan bread and a bottle of Portuguese wine from one of the many excellent regions such as Douro, Alentejo or Dão.