50 free Lisbon trivia questions with answers — geography quiz, new questions added Aug 2026.
Lisbon is Europe's second-oldest capital, was flattened on All Saints' Day 1755 and rebuilt on a grid by a marquis who tested his buildings with marching soldiers. This quiz covers that history: the Ulysses legend, Roman garum, the Moors and Alfama, Afonso Henriques in 1147, the 1497 conversion decree, Vasco da Gama's departure, Drake's failed attack, the 1640 restoration, the court's flight to Rio and the Carnation Revolution. The landmarks follow: Belém Tower and its architect, the Jerónimos tombs and their custard tarts, the Monument to the Discoveries, São Jorge Castle, the Santa Justa lift, the two Tagus bridges, Cristo Rei, the Oceanário and Expo '98. Then fado and saudade, the americanos trams, the metro's colours, Benfica's 38 titles, Sporting, the Estádio da Luz finals, Pessoa's café and the Bairro Alto. Easy questions ask which river the city stands on and which club has two European Cups; hard ones want the Norwegian crusader king who seized the city and the year Sporting reached 20 titles. Every answer was checked against Wikipedia's articles on the city and its landmarks, and each question carries the sentence that supports it. Try our Portugal and Madrid quizzes next.
30 of 50 questions with answers and explanations. Play the quiz
Q 01Lisbon lies on the northern shore of which river, near where it meets the Atlantic?
The Tagus
It is the westernmost capital of mainland Europe, and Cabo da Roca in its metro area is the continent's westernmost point.
Q 02Lisbon is described as the second-oldest capital city in Europe after which?
Athens
Phoenician traders were present by around 1000 BC, and Julius Caesar made the town a municipium called Felicitas Julia.
Q 03According to a persistent legend repeated by classical authors, Lisbon was founded by which mythical hero?
Ulysses
Pomponius Mela wrote the name as Ulyssippo; the more likely origin is a Celtic word such as Olisippo.
Q 04Lisbon's common abbreviation 'LX' comes from what?
An old spelling, Lixbõa
The spelling has vanished from modern Portuguese but the shorthand survives on shopfronts and in slang.
Q 05Which king conquered Lisbon from the Moors in 1147 with the help of crusader knights?
Afonso Henriques
The city then held about 154,000 people; mosques were converted into churches and Arabic quickly died out.
Q 06Lisbon became Portugal's capital in 1255, replacing which city?
Coimbra
Its central location decided the matter; the country's first university was founded in Lisbon in 1290 before settling in Coimbra.
Q 07In which year did Norwegian crusaders under Sigurd I seize Lisbon, holding it three years?
1108
The Moorish Almoravids retook it in 1111; the Muslims had first captured the city on 6 August 711.
Q 08Lisbon's Alfama, from Arabic 'al-hamma', survived which disaster largely intact?
The 1755 earthquake
Its compact maze of narrow streets and small squares spared it; the quarter later became home to fishermen and the poor.
Q 09The great earthquake that destroyed Lisbon in 1755 struck on the morning of which feast day?
All Saints' Day
Candles lit for the feast started a firestorm, and a tsunami followed; the death toll in the city is put at 30,000–40,000.
Q 10Which philosopher wrote a poem on the Lisbon disaster and referred to it in Candide?
Voltaire
Many argue that Candide's attack on optimism was inspired by the earthquake.
Q 11Which minister of Joseph I rebuilt Lisbon after 1755 and gave his name to its grid-planned lower town?
The Marquis of Pombal
Architects marched troops around models to simulate quakes; the 'Pombaline cage' of wooden lattice made the Baixa one of the first earthquake-resistant districts.
Q 12Pombaline Lisbon centred on two great squares: the Praça do Comércio and which other?
Praça do Rossio
The Comércio became the river gateway with its 1873 triumphal arch, while the Rossio was the traditional gathering place of cafés and theatres.
Q 13Vasco da Gama's expedition to India set out from Lisbon in which year?
1498
Q 21Lisbon's electric trams, introduced in 1901, were nicknamed 'americanos' because they were what?
Imported from the United States
Today they are called elétricos; the small yellow cars suit the steep hills and narrow streets, and 64 were in service with 35 more coming.
Q 22The 25 de Abril crossing of the Tagus was inaugurated in 1966 under what name?
Ponte Salazar
It was renamed after the events of 25 April 1974 that toppled the Estado Novo; at opening it was Europe's longest suspension bridge.
Q 23The 25 de Abril Bridge takes its current name from the date of which event?
The Carnation Revolution
The following century was Lisbon's golden age as Europe's hub for spices, sugar, textiles and slaves.
Q 14Belém Tower and the Jerónimos Monastery exemplify which exuberant 16th-century style?
Manueline
Both are UNESCO World Heritage Sites; the tower also borrows Moorish minarets.
Q 15Which military architect designed the Belém Tower for the king in the 1510s?
Francisco de Arruda
Building materials began arriving in 1516; the tower originally stood on a little island in the river.
Q 16Which poet, who celebrated da Gama's voyage in The Lusiads, is entombed beside him at the Jerónimos Monastery?
Luís de Camões
Both were moved to carved tombs in the nave in 1880; da Gama's men had prayed on the site the night before sailing in 1497.
Q 17Belém's Monument to the Discoveries (Padrão dos Descobrimentos) was built for what event?
The 1940 Portuguese World Fair
The Praça do Império gardens beside it were laid out during World War II.
Q 18The pastel de nata custard tart was originally created by monks at which Lisbon religious house in Belém?
The Jerónimos
Convents used egg whites to starch habits and turned the leftover yolks into pastries; after 1820 the monks sold them at a nearby sugar refinery.
Q 19In which year was fado added to UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list?
2011
Singers Mariza and Carlos do Carmo were ambassadors for the bid.
Q 20Which Portuguese word, meaning longing or a sense of irreparable loss, sums up the mood of fado?
Saudade
Amália Rodrigues, Alfredo Marceneiro and Mariza are among its most famous voices.
The 1974 revolution ended the Estado Novo and created the Third Republic.
Q 24The Vasco da Gama crossing of the Tagus, opened in March 1998, holds what distinction?
Longest bridge in the European Union
The cable-stayed crossing was built to relieve the 25 de Abril Bridge and opened in time for Expo '98.
Q 25Expo '98 was held in Lisbon to commemorate the 500th anniversary of what?
Vasco da Gama's sea route to India
Its theme was 'The Oceans, a Heritage for the Future', and its site became the Parque das Nações with Europe's then-largest aquarium.
Q 26The Oceanário de Lisboa in the Parque das Nações is described as the world's what?
Second-largest aquarium
It began as the Oceans Pavilion of Expo '98, which had the longest queues of the fair.
Q 27The Cristo Rei statue overlooking Lisbon from Almada was built as a memorial of thanksgiving for what?
Portugal being spared World War II
With open arms it resembles Rio's Corcovado monument.
Q 28Which Lisbon club had won 38 league titles and two European Cups by 2025?
Benfica
Its Estádio da Luz staged two Champions League finals and the Euro 2004 final.
Q 29How many league titles had Sporting, known abroad as Sporting Lisbon, won by the end of 2023-24?
20
It lifted its 20th title in 2024 and also won the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup; Belenenses, from the Belém quarter, has a single title.
Q 30The Estádio da Luz hosted the UEFA Champions League final in 2014 and which other year?
2020
The city also staged the Euro 2004 final there.