THE AMAZING EXPERIENCE OF „PILAR 7“ AND ITS MOST PRIVILEGED VIEW OF PONTE 25 DE ABRIL
An interactive and immersive experience that allows a unique discovery of Lisbon’s signature bridge, Ponte 25 de Abril, has opened its doors (or better say, its elevator) by September, 2017. Its visitors can enjoy a truly unique experience of the bridge, which is considered one of the prettiest in the world. The tour takes in the exterior areas of the key pillar and the sensory experience makes you able to visit its its interior.
Everybody who has been in Lisbon knows that this bridge is more than just a connection between two landpoints. The suspension bridge spans the River Tagus at the narrowest point. It was renamed the 25th April bridge after the Portuguese Carnation Revolution in 1974. Ponte 25 de Abril tells a romantic story about all that Lisbon has to offer. Depending on your location, the view towards the Golden Gate-lookalike bridge adds a marvelous extra to the already mind-blowing panorama. When in Lisbon downtown, you can enjoy the sun setting into the Atlantic ocean right behind the bridge. As if a sunset by itself is not already enough :) When being on one of Lisbon’s hills or even better, on Monsanto, the green lung of Lisbon, Ponte 25 de Abril forms this elegant bow over the River Tagus.
And when you leave Lisbon towards the coast and pass the bridge you immediately enter Belém. The view you enjoy while being at the famous Torre de Belém or Monument to the Discoveries is breathtaking. Also MAAT, the recently build museum of Art, Architecture and Technology, offers a perfect location for stunning views. I can hardly count the myriads of pictures I took from Ponte 25 de Abril, each tells a slightly different story.
Needless to say, that I was super excited to get to know this new attraction in connection
with Lisbon’s stunning bridge. Visiting Pilar 7 is a perfectly well thought of trip through the history of its construction by the American Bridge Company in 1966 and ends with an elevator ride up to a panoramic viewing point that provides an unrivaled view of the city, Belém and the Tagus river. Afraid of heights? Better have a thought over it before you step out on the viewpoint, 80m above
sea level and made from glass on the walls and bottom…
The name Pilar 7 derives from the simple fact that the viewpoint is located on the 7th pile of the bridge.
What really kept me astonished was the virtual-reality experience at the end. Making use of modern multimedia devices, you can literally walk inside the bridge.
Lisbon offers, due to its several hills, plenty of breathtaking viewpoint settings. Each miraduro shows a different angle, each rooftop terrace offers another point of view. Pilar 7 adds a completely different experience that should not be missed out.