Rossio is the long rectangular square at the top of Lisbon's Baixa, the downtown grid rebuilt after the 1755 earthquake. Its official name is Praça D. Pedro IV, but almost nobody uses it. Look down before you look up: the black-and-white wave pavement, laid in 1849, is one of the most famous examples of Portuguese stone paving, and its pattern was later copied on the promenade of Copacabana in Rio de Janeiro.
Rossio at a glance
- Where: at the northern end of the Baixa, between Praça dos Restauradores and the pedestrian Rua Augusta, at the foot of the castle hill.
- Created: a public square since the Middle Ages; the present buildings date from the rebuilding after 1755, the pavement from 1849, the column from 1870 and the fountains from 1889.
- What it is today: Lisbon's busiest meeting point, lined with cafés and shops, with the National Theatre D. Maria II on the north side and Rossio railway station in the north-west corner.
- Time needed: 20–30 minutes, longer if you stop for a coffee on one of the terraces.
From horse market and Inquisition to café terraces
The name Rossio means roughly 'common land'. In the 13th and 14th centuries the open ground at the foot of the castle hill served the growing city as a market, including a horse market. Around 1450 the Estaus Palace was built on the north side to lodge foreign envoys and nobles. It later became the seat of the Portuguese Inquisition, and from 1540 the square was the stage for autos-da-fé and public executions. The east side was taken up by the All Saints Royal Hospital, begun under King John II in 1492.
The earthquake and fire of 1 November 1755 levelled almost the entire district. Under the Marquis of Pombal, the architects Eugénio dos Santos and Carlos Mardel rebuilt the Baixa as a regular grid with uniform façades, and those are the plain, orderly fronts you still see around the square. The old Inquisition palace burned down in 1836, and the National Theatre rose on its site in the 1840s. The wave pavement followed in 1849, the column of Pedro IV in 1870 and the two bronze fountains in 1889.
What to look for
- The wave pavement: small cubes of black and white stone laid in the pattern known as 'Mar Largo' (open sea). Stand in the middle of the square and the waves seem to roll under your feet.
- The Column of Pedro IV: the bronze king on top was Pedro IV of Portugal and also Pedro I, the first emperor of Brazil. At the foot of the column sit four female figures for Justice, Wisdom, Strength and Moderation.
- The two fountains: bronze basins with mermaids and other figures, cast in France at the Val d'Osne foundry and installed in 1889, one at each end of the square.
- The National Theatre D. Maria II on the north side: a neoclassical building by the Italian architect Fortunato Lodi, with a statue of the playwright Gil Vicente on the pediment. It reopened in September 2026 after three years of renovation.
- Rossio station in the north-west corner: its neo-Manueline façade, built in 1886–1887 to designs by José Luís Monteiro, has two horseshoe-shaped doorways. Trains to Sintra leave from here.
The statue that is not Maximilian
A popular legend claims that the statue on the column was really made for Emperor Maximilian of Mexico, that he was shot in 1867 before it was finished, and that Lisbon bought it cheaply instead. Historians have shown that this is not true. The figure wears the collar of the Portuguese Order of the Tower and Sword, has the Portuguese coat of arms on its buttons and holds the Constitutional Charter of 1826, the constitution Pedro gave to Portugal.
Tips for your visit
- Come in the morning if you want quiet terraces and clear photos of the pavement; in the evening the square fills with people heading for the theatre and the restaurants of the Baixa.
- For a view of the wave pattern from above, go up to the platform of the Santa Justa Lift or look down from the Castle of São Jorge.
- Walk down Rua Augusta from the south-east corner to reach Praça do Comércio and the river in about ten minutes.
Nearby
- Largo de São Domingos: the small square off the north-east corner, with the Church of São Domingos, whose interior still shows the damage of a fire in 1959, and a memorial to the victims of the Lisbon massacre of 1506.
- A Ginjinha: a tiny bar on Largo de São Domingos that has served ginjinha, Lisbon's sour cherry liqueur, since 1840.
- Praça dos Restauradores and the Foz Palace: just north of Rossio, an obelisk recalls the restoration of Portugal's independence from Spain in 1640, and the Foz Palace lines the west side of the square.
- Santa Justa Lift: the iron lift from 1902 that links the Baixa with the Carmo district above, a few minutes' walk away.
See Lisbon with World City Trail
Our Lisbon scavenger hunt turns the city centre into a game you play on your phone. The route links 10 stops and takes around 2 hours, with about 49 minutes of walking. Rossio Square is one of the stops, along with the Foz Palace. You can play in English, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Dutch and Portuguese.
If you prefer a different format, there is also a self-guided walking tour and an outdoor escape game in Lisbon.
Play the Lisbon scavenger hunt →
Take the self-guided walking tour of Lisbon →
Play the outdoor escape game in Lisbon →
Facts checked in October 2026.