Lisbon
Portugal City Travel Guide: Lisbon
City Guide I
Turismo I Arrival
I Accommodation
I Entertainment
I Internet Cafes
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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.
- Population 560,000.
- Temperate climate; 15 km from the Atlantic.
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.
Festivals
- festas - in Lisbon and Portugal
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.
Golf
courses near Lisbon.
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
InterCity trains start from Oriente Station (Oriente Metro Line).
Regional services for Sintra start from Rossio Station.
Rail information call 808 208 208.
Not a relaxing option in central Lisbon. The country as a whole
has one of the highest accident rates in Europe.
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
 Featured
Hotel
Avenida Palace Hotel
Rua 1 Dezembro 123, Lisbon
82 elegant and classic rooms in the centre of the city.
Book
this hotel Book Accommodation in Lisbon
Hotel
Almirante
Hotel
Altis
Hotel
Britania
Pestana
Carlton Palace Hotel
Pousadas
Villas
& Self-catering
Hotels in Portugal – Bookings
Hotels in Portugal – HotelsPortugal
There are numerouws 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
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.
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 temperatures for Portugal is between 22C and 26C.
Get more weather information for Portugal
Lisbon
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