Travel Guide LISBON.
 
Population: Inner city: 565 000
Greater Lisbon: 2.5 million
Currency
Euro, €1 = 100 cents

Opening hours
Generally 09:00 to 13:00 and 15:00 to 19:00, but many shops are now open during the lunch break.

Internet
www.askmelisboa.com
www.atl-turismolisboa.pt
www.portugalvirtual.pt

Publications
Público
Diário de Notícias
Correio da Manhã

Emergency number
112

Tourist office
Turismo Lisboa
Address: Rua do Arsenal, 15, 1100-038 Lisboa
Tel: +351 210 312 700

Lisboa Welcome Centre
Address: Comércio Square
Tel.: +351 210 312810
Open between 9-20.
www.atl-turismolisboa.pt

© Antonio Sacchert
Welcome to Lisbon
Lisbon basks in the sun reflecting off the Tejo River and soon seduces most visitors. The mixture of history and modernity, of small town and metropolis, of the antiquated and the shining new is irresistible. Add excellent shopping, late but safe night life and restaurants with Europe’s best fish, and you have the city in a nutshell.
the city | do & see

The city
Lisbon’s heart is beside the river, even if the city has grown in all directions. Sit down at a pavement cafe on Rossio Square and you will see the Baiza, the flat city centre that dates from the 18:th century between yourself and the river bank. Look up in one direction and you will see the São Jorge on the top of a hill. Look in the other direction and you will see the ruin of the Carmo Church on another hill. Walk, or take a tram to one of them and you will discover the quarters of old Lisbon, most of them with a magnificent view of the rest of the city and the river.

Wander north from Rossio, you will soon end up on a stately 19:th century avenue, in the part of the city which is still called "Avenidas Novas". Even further north, the buildings become really new, with the city's two large football grounds, Luz and Alvalade, and lastly the airport which is twenty traffic jam-free minutes in a car from Rossi.

Most of the best sights, restaurants and nightlife are along the river. There is good shopping along the Avenidas Novas, but otherwise the rule is to keep close to the river to get the best out of your visit.

do & see
Castelo de São Jorge
Castelo de São Jorge is one of the oldest structures in Lisbon, once a fortress (taken by the Moors in 1147) and now a must see landmark with fantastic views over the city.
Address: Castelo

Mosteiro dos Jerónimos
In Belém, just west of the city along the river, is Lisbon's and possibly Portugal's most important historical monument; an opulent church and cloistered garden built in the elegant Manuelian style at the beginning of the 16:th century when Portugal was a great sea-going power. There are several other sights close by.
Address: Praça do Império, Belém
www.mosteirojeronimos.pt

Museu do Azulejo
Devoted to the tiles which are so typical for Portugal, housed in a monastery whose varying building styles and decoration give a good summary of the country’s history. One of the high points is an enormous tiled fresco which shows Lisbon as it was just before the big earthquake in 1755.
Address: Rua da Madre de Deus 4
Tel: +351-21-8147747/99
www.mnazulejo-ipmuseus.pt

Fundação Gulbenkian
The largest single cultural institution in Portugal was founded in 1955 when Calouste Gulbenkian, the Armenian oil millionaire donated his estate to the country that had welcomed him during WWII. The museum, constructed in 1969, which houses his extensive collections, is part of a larger complex that includes concert halls, a park, restaurants and a museum of modern art.
Price: € 3, with several different discounts
Address: Avenida de Berna 45
Underground: S. Sebastião (blue line)
Buses: 16, 18, 26, 31, 42, 46, 51, 56
Tel: +351 217 823 000
www.gulbenkian.pt

Parque das Nações
The area where Expo 98 was held has been successfully transformed into a centre for exhibitions, leisure and culture. The extensive amount of building since the Expo almost overshadows pearls such as Siza Vieira’s Portugal pavilion and Santiago Calatrava’s adjacent Oriente Station.
Address: Avenida Dom João II


© João Paulo

EVENT HIGHLIGHTS | eating
Event highlights
APRIL
CCB Music Festival
21 – 23 April (tbc)
Lisbon’s Belem Cultural Centre (CCB) presents more than 130 concerts during it’s Music Festival.
www.ccb.pt

MAY
Super Bock Super Rock
25 – 26 May
This is the biggest rock festival in Portugal’s music calendar. This year’s festival takes place in two parts. First the 25 – 26 May, then 7-8 June. The first part includes bands such as Korn, Alice in Chains and Placebo.
www.superbock.pt

MAY
Estoril Open
1 – 7 May
ATP Tennis competition featuring David Nalbandian this year.
www.estorilopen.net/en

Super Bock Super Rock Festival
26 – 28 May
Rock music extravaganza also featuring pop and hip-hop.
www.superbock.pt

JUNE
Festas de Lisboa
12 – 30 June
Lisbon’s biggest street party! A parade is organised on the 12th.
www.egeac.pt

Arraial Gay e Lésbico de Lisboa
2............5 June (tbc)
Annual pride march organised by Lisbon’s gay and lesbian community.
www.visitlisboa.com
© José Manuel
EatingIn Lisbon, you can find both modern and sophisticated restaurants and simple, traditional ones. You generally will find the strongest Portuguese ambience in the simple, traditional places. Small, unpretentious restaurants are all over the place and do not require booking. But at most of the restaurants below, it is safest to book a table. Many restaurants are closed on Sundays or Mondays.

Eleven
One of the most sophisticated places that Lisbon can offer, with a sculpture by Joana Vasconcelos in the entrance to the post-modernistic box at the top of the Eduardo VII park. The cuisine is supervised by Joachim Koerper, who has been awarded prizes by Guide Rouge and who has all of Iberia as his territory.
Address: Rua Marquês de Fronteira
Tel: +351 213 862 211

Bica do Sapato
Trendy restaurant that lives well on the fact that John Malkovich is one of the owners, but worth a visit even when he is not there (which he frequently isn’t). Retro-decor harbour warehouse with dining room, bar, sushi department and a small pavement cafe. Excellent Portuguese and international cuisine.
Address: Cais da Pedra à Bica do Sapato
Tel: +351 218 810 320

Terreiro do Paço
Brasserie with pavement tables at street level, gourmet restaurant one floor higher up. Vitor Sobral uses the best Portuguese ingredients to produce a straight, simple menu downstairs, and a more imaginative, elaborate one upstairs.
Address: Praça do Comércio
Tel: +351 210 312 850 , www.terreiropaco.com

Vírgula
Harbour warehouse with enormous window overlooking the river and the old bridge. Aloof, modern decor and warm art on the walls. Imaginative, modernised Portuguese traditional fare, such as black pudding with green pea cappuccino, bacon and onion marmalade.
Address: Rua Cintura do Porto 16
Tel: +351 213 432 002

La Moneda
Small, lively restaurant with priceworthy cross-over menu where Asia and South America meet. Modern decor, good music and a good bar to hang on.
Address: Rua da Moeda 1C
Tel: +351 213 908 012

Real Café
The Nobres, a married couple, are an institution in Lisbon’s restaurant world. In a fairly anonymous dining room one floor up from the street, you can enjoy classics such as Justa Nobre’s full-bodied crab soup or leg of lamb, marinated in herbs and wine.
Address: Rua da Escola Politécnica 275
Tel: +351 213 852 090

Martinho da Arcada
One of Lisbon’s oldest restaurants, with Fernando Pessoa as the most illustrious regular guest. Traditional Portuguese cuisine in a noisy dining room or on a pavement table in the arcade. There is also a back yard, a beautiful tiled cafe with priceworthy food.
Address: Praça do Comércio 3
Tel: +351 218 879 259

Casa do Alentejo
Unique environment in a slightly dilapidated, neo-Morish private palace two flights up from the street. The cuisine is simple traditional fare from the Alentejo region. The memory lingers on...
Address: Rua Portas de Santo Antão 58
Tel: +351 213 405 140


CAFÉS
Nicola
Fashionable cafe with good pavement tables where you can look at the people round Rossio Square. There has been a cafe here since the 18:th century, but the current Art-Deco decor dates from 1929. Restaurant in the cellar.
Address: Praça Dom Pedro IV (Rossio)

A Brasileira
Lisbon’s other classic cafe, apart from the Nicola. Magnificent, dark panelled interior dating from 1905, newspaper and tobacco kiosk, and pavement tables which are looked at just as much as they are a vantage point.
Address: Rua Garrett 120

Antiga Confeitaria de Belém
Home to Lisbon’s most famous cake, a custard bun which is called Pastel de Belém here (and is called pastel de nata in other places) and is the perfect accompaniment to a bica, the Portuguese expresso. The recipe is said to have come from the munks in the adjacent Jerónimo monastery, and its secret is preserved by three bakers who bake them every morning behind locked and barred doors. About 10,000 a day get eaten.
Address: Rua de Belém 84-92

BARS
The Bairro Alto is the restaurant and bar quarter par excellence: many people’s evening starts here with a meal and then a walk from one of the small bars to another. This often goes on until about two, after which people go to the clubs.

Enoteca/Chafariz do Vinho
Still the best place to sample Portuguese wine, either at the small pavement cafe or in the cool interior - a monumental former water supply depot. A brief food menu complements the long wine list.
Address: Rua da Mãe de Água (at the base of the staircase)

Pavilhão Chinés
No other bar in Lisbon has yet managed to outdo Luís Pinto Coelho’s decor, installed in the 1970s: thousands of collectible objects, from model battleships to dolls and beer mugs, in glazed cabinets which cover most of the walls in the bar’s many rooms. Quite high prices for the drinks. Address: Rua Dom Pedro V 89

NIGHTLIFE
Lisbon is a city that takes its night life seriously. Shortly after midnight, it is best to move down towards the river and the larger clubs along the Avenida 24 de Julho, to the Docas area and Alcântara, were the coolest dance floors are never filled before two in the morning.

Lux
People who hang out in smaller bars like to regard themselves as alternatives, and sniff at the larger clubs with commercial music and a sea of dancers. On the other hand, everybody meets at Lux, the city’s ultimate night club, which has succeeded in housing all the hipness concepts at the same time.
Address: Avenida Infante Dom Henrique
www.luxfragil.com

Club Luanda
Lisbon has an amusing, lively African scene, and the real trend setter is the Club Luanda.
Address: Avenida 24 de Julho 68

Kremlin
One of the city’s most eccentric discotheques, which manages to attract hordes of young partying Portuguese (and tourists) who preferably dance to Techno and Acid House.
Address: Escadinhas Praia, 5

Eating | Cafés | Bars & nightlife
Shopping | sleeping
SHOPPING
A lot of the shopping in Lisbon is now housed in enormous shopping centres such as Colombo and Amoreiras, or in smaller gallerias. The city's old centre, Baixa, retains its identity as a traditional shopping district, where you walk on the streets (some of them traffic-free) between the shops, with the sun in your face.
Chiado is close to Baixa, and has the reputation of being the city's finest shopping district. Chiado successfully manages to combine the gallery model with open shopping blending the best of both worlds.

El Corte Inglés
Lisbon’s only true department store is Spanish, but the Portuguese put aside their suspicions of their larger neighbour here. The range of goods is quite wide, with international brands and a number of Portuguese designers, together with the store’s own low-price lines. A large food hall and gourmet shop downstairs, restaurants and cinemas – and direct access to the Underground.
Address: Avenida António Augusto de Aguiar 31/metro São Sebastião

Santos Ofícios Artesanatos
Houses the best examples of Portuguese traditional art and handicrafts, without the usual tiresome tourist range at your heels.
Address: Rua da Madalena 87

Sant’Ana
One of several excellent tile shops, with a tradition of hand-made tiles that extends back to the 18:th century. These days, they make excellent copies of old tiles, but can also make tiles to customer’s own designs and send them to the customer’s home address.
Address: Rua do Alecrim 95

Fátima Lopes
One of Portugal’s most successful designers, whose clothes are famed for their in-your-face sexiness. Her shop is also a workshop and a bar, with late opening.
Address: Rua da Atalaia 36

Fnac
The French chain has Lisbon's best-stocked bookshop, with a relatively large selection of foreign literature plus music, computers and other home electronics. Performances of various kinds are regularly arranged in the shops.
Address: Armazéns do Chiado and Centro Colombo

Coisas do Arco do Vinho
Their selection and scale makes them the best wine shop in Lisbon, especially as regards Port. Literature and all kinds of wine accessories are also on sale.
Address: Rua Bartolomeu Dias, beside the Centro Cultural de Belém
Essential informationAirport
Lisbon Airport, Portela, is so close to the centre that it is going to be re-located, but until then it is quick, easy and cheap to get to and from. Airport buses (Aero-Bus, no 91) departs every 20 minutes between 07:40 and 20:45. Tickets cost €2,40 and are then valid all day on other buses, trams and funiculars. A taxi to the centre costs about €10, more if you have a lot of luggage.The tariff is also somewhat higher during nights and weekends. Expect between twenty minutes and a half hour’s travelling time.

Local public transport
Lisbon is well provided with public transport, including buses, Underground, local trains, ferries, trams and funiculars. The latter two are least efficient but most entertaining. Ticket prices are around one Euro. Buses and the Underground stop running at about one o’clock at night; there are night buses but it is simplest to take a taxi for late night journeys.

Taxi
Can be stopped on the street, taken from stations or phoned. In central Lisbon, empty taxis circulate frequently, except during rush hours or when it rains. Tips are not mandatory, but are appreciated even if they are small.
Autocoope; tel: +351 217 932 756
Retalis Rádio Táxis; tel: +351 218 119 000
Teletáxis; tel: +351 218 111 100

Post
The post offices are open from Monday - Friday 09:00-18:00. The main post office at Praça dos Restauradores has longer opening hours (08:30-22:00) during the week and is open 09:00-18:00 on Saturdays and Sundays.

Pharmacy
Each suburb has a 24 hour pharmacy (farmácia, with a green cross) according to a schedule posted in the windows of closed pharmacies. Opening hours are otherwise 09:00-13:00 and 15:00-19:00.
Dentists
The public dental clinics are not very expensive, but do not maintain the highest standards either. There are Swedish and English dentists at Clínica Europa in the Carcavelos suburb.
Adress: Rua de Catembe 107
Tel: +351 214 580 764

Telephone
Country number: + 351
Area code: 2

Electricity:
220 Volt/50Hz