In search of: Rossio Train Station
While wandering around the central Lisbon area, I remember walking past an ornate building that had people streaming out of it. As I neared the entrance, I realized, “Oh, it’s the train station.” And then some days later, I wanted to catch the train to Sintra, but forgot exactly where the Rossio Train Station was. “It’s at the south end of this square, or was it that square? I remember it was on the right hand side as you head south…” The guide book said that it was right off of Rossio Square, but it’s a big square, and, truth be told, I had all my squares confused for a long time. I mistook the neighboring Praça da Figueira for Rossio Square because the first time I got off the Metro at the Rossio stop, I emerged in that square. From then on, I was disoriented without even realizing it. I popped into a clothing store on (the real) Rossio Square and asked the young woman working there if she could tell me where the train station was. My Portuguese is of course effectively nonexistent (save for the social niceties like Olá and Obrigado), but the guide book did have a picture of the train station. It didn’t help. She didn’t know where the train station was. Turns out the train station was just a few steps away. So much for asking the locals how to get around.
The Rossio Train Station is off the northwest corner of the square, on the tiny street connecting Rossio to Restauradores. In fact, the closest Metro stop to the Rossio Train Station is not Rossio; it’s Restauradores.
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