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Portugal Travel Guide: Lisbon

Rossio Square, Lisbon © Jean Kugler

Lisbon (Lisboa)

• Elegant, historical capital city - now modernizing.
• Located on the north bank of the Rio Tejo (River Tagus).
• Main sites in the Baixa and Bélem.
• Site of hugely successful Expo 98.
• Temperate climate; 15 km from the Atlantic.
• Historic city center juxtaposed with the new.
• A must-see for all visitors to Portugal.

Lisbon is a charming, easy-going, southern European city. During the day, life centers around relaxing in the capital's numerous cafes while the city bursts into life at night in the bars and restaurants of Bairro Alto and Alfama.

Though much of Lisbon was destroyed in the 1755 earthquake, the rebuilt city of Marques de Pombal offers plenty of interest. The vast Praça do Comécio near the river gives the visitor an idea of Lisbon's one-time commercial and maritime grandeur.

The straight, cobbled streets of the Baixa (many of them pedestrianized) are full of elegant reminders of the city's Neoclassical past and Pombal's town planning: Rua do Comércio (Commercial Street), Rua da Prata (Silversmiths' Street) and Rua dos Sapateiros (Cobblers' Street) retain many of their original functions and now play host to more contemporary street performers and pavement artists.

The elegent Chiado area frequented by poets and writers has been completely restored after a fire in 1998. The Meseu Gulbenkian, on Avenida de Berna is one of Europe's finest museums.

To the east the Alfama district is Lisbon's oldest, dating back to Moorish times and retains a traditional atmosphere. Bairro Alto, quiet during the day, can be reached by tram and is the city's main nightlife area teeming with bars, clubs and fado houses with often excellent Brazilian & African sounds.

Festivals & Fairs

9-25 June. International Fair, organized by Portuguese Industrial Association.

13-29 June. Popular Saints' Festivals. Decorated streets and houses, processions, fireworks, nightly dancing, competitions, etc. Communal celebration of 60 marriages at Cathedral on 13th.

27 June-5 July. RoboCup 2004

Belém, accessed by tram #15, is where Vasco da Gama and the explorers set sail for India, Mozambique and Brazil. The huge Mosteiro dos Jerónimos - an extraordinary 16C monastery and church; the Torre de Belém fortress and the Museu de Marinha (maritime museum) are all well-worth catching.

Sintra within easy reach of Lisbon is a must-see for its woodland setting and extravagant palaces.

Cascais is one of Lisbon's nearest beach resorts and British pub hang-out. Nearby Estoril boasts championship golf courses and Europe's largest casino.

Great Gifts From Portugal

Lisbon Tourist Offices

Associação Turismo de Lisboa.
Tel: 213 610 350
Fax: 213 610 359
Email

Centro de Representação, Informação e Animação de Lisboa (CRIA) in the Praça do Comércio.
Lisbon enquiries only.
Tel: 213 433 672
9am - 8pm

'Turismo' in Palácio Foz Building on Praça dos Restauradores.
Tel: 213 466 307
Fax: 213 468 772
9am - 8pm

Lisbon Airport also has turismo information desks.
FREEFONE Tourist Information.
Tel: 800 296 296 9am - midnight; 9am - 8pm (Sunday)

Calling Portugal from abroad.

International dialling code: 351

Pick up free pamphlets: "Follow Me Lisboa"; "Your Guide: Lisboa" and "Lisboa City Walks".

Getting to Lisbon

Air

There are abundant scheduled, charter and no-frills flights to Lisbon.
See our flights page

Train

InterCity trains start from Oriente Station (Oriente Metro Line).
Regional services for Sintra start from Rossio Station.
Rail information call 808 208 208.

Car

Not a relaxing option in central Lisbon. The country as a whole has one of the highest accident rates in Europe.

Bus

Bus - the AeroBus leaves the airport every 20 minutes from Arrivals.
TAP passengers get a free ride if they have retained their boarding pass.
The main terminal is at Av João Crisóstomo (Metro Saldanha).

Taxi

- beware of rip-offs. Luggage carried in the boot (trunk) of the taxi costs extra.

City Transport

The Metro system (6.30-1am) is convenient for travelling outside the city center which is best covered on foot, tram & elevador. A one-day travel pass allows unlimited travel on metros, buses, trams & elevadors. There are also 4-day and 7-day passes.

For more information on things to do in Lisbon click here

Accommodation

Recommended Accommodation Near Lisbon

Featured Hotel

Avenida Palace Hotel
Rua 1 Dezembro 123, Lisbon
82 elegant and classic rooms in the centre of the city.

Book Accommodation in Lisbon

Hotel Almirante

Hotel Altis

Hotel Britania

Pestana Carlton Palace Hotel

Hotels in Portugal – Bookings

Hotels in Portugal – HotelsPortugal

Hostels in Portugal - Hostelworld.com

Hostels in Spain - Hostelworld.com

There are numerous camp-sites heading south from the Costa da Caparica south of the Tagus and the Parque Municipal de Campismo 6km west of the city centre - bus #43.

Discounts

For all sorts of cut-price deals, the following cards are useful:

• ISIC International Student Identity Card.
• ITIC International Teacher Identity Card.
• Euro<26 (for those under 26 years old).
• Go25/IYTC

Money

ATMs are abundant in Lisbon, accepting Visa, Mastercard, AmEx, Access and other cards.

Toilets

Public toilets are not common.
The nearest cafe or bar will have a door with 'H' (=men; homens) or 'S' (=women; senhoras).
Of course the cafe owners prefer that you order something.

Major airline phone numbers

[808 numbers are charged local rate from any phone in Portugal].

Air France 808 222 324
Alitalia 213 536 141
British Airways 808 212 125
KLM 218 476 354
Lufthansa 214 245 155
TAP 808 205 700

Portuguese Embassy in London

11 Belgrave Square, London, UK. SW1X 8PP
(020) 7235 5331

Eating

The food is simple and hearty in the main. Check out the Prato do Dia (daily special) for good deals. The seafood is good in Lisbon, though you tend to pay more for this. Sardines are cheap, though. Fans of tripe (tripas) won't be disappointed.

There are also fine foreign restaurants from Portugal's former colonies: Goa, Brazil, Macao, Mozambique and Angola.

"The bill, please." = A conta, se faz favor . See our Language page for more useful expressions.

Drinking

O'Gilins Irish Pub:
Rua dos Remolares, 8-10, Cais de Sodre, Lisbon.
Tel: 213421899

The Pump House (a traditional English style pub)
Rua da Moeda, 1K (between the bottom of the "Bica" funicular railway and Ribeira Market, opposite the post office), Cais de Sodre, Lisbon.
Tel: 213972059.

Good red, white and rosé wines; port; beer (mostly Sagres); the strong aguardente; Martini com cerveja; and Espinheira Ginjinha (cherry liqueur) are all available in Lisbon at reasonable prices.

List your restaurant/bar/hotel contact Advertising

See our Port Wine and Madeira page for more information on these fortified wines.

Internet Cafes

Cyberstore
Rua Nova do Almada, 105/115 Chiado.
10:00 am- 10:00 pm
Tel: (+351) 919673981
cyberchiado.com

Cyber.bica
Duques Bragança Street, 7 Lisbon 1200.
11am-midnight; closed weekends.
Tel: (+351) 21 3225004

Local football teams

Sporting Clube de Lisboa
Stadium name: Estadio Jose Alvalade
Metro station: Campo Grande

Sport Lisboa e Benfica
Stadium name: Estadio da Luz
Metro station: Colégio Militar-Luz

The average high June temperature for Portugal is between 22C and 26C.
Get more weather information in Portugal

More Tourist Information on Portugal

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