Lisbon Travel Guide

Lisbon (or Lisboa to the locals) is the gorgeous capital of Portugal that has much more of a “European” feel to it than the large cities of next-door Spain. There’s no siesta here and the smartly-dressed locals and their café culture feel more like Paris than Madrid, but Lisbon has things that make it unique as well. The main part of the city fronts a river with important parts of town on hills flanking either side. It’s compact and easy to get around and the main sites can all be seen in just a couple of days.

What To Do

St. Jorge’s Castle is on one of the hills and is a great place to start your visit. It’s interesting on its own, but also offers great views of the entire city and also a good place to start a walking tour of the Alfama neighborhood just below. Bairrio Alto is atop the hill just across from the castle and is a great place for a stroll and to experience a traditional meal while listening to one of Lisbon’s traditional fado singers.

The city contains an entire museum dedicated to the fado music it gave birth to. The songs are sung in Portuguese, but the sad songs you’ll hear have a universal appeal to them. Santa Justa’s elevator is an unusual attraction in the center of town. It was built to take people from the lower central part of town to the old Bairrio Alto, but you can just ride to the top and take in views of the city from platform there, which features a small café.

Getting There

If you are adding Lisbon on to a tour of Spain you can certainly arrive in the city by train, but most will want to book a flight into Lisbon’s Aeroporto da Portela. It’s a major airport so good deals are often available from destinations all over Europe as well as the Americas. The airport isn’t too far from the center of town and the helpful Aerobus can quickly shuttle you back and forth for a reasonable price.

Where To Stay

Lisbon is fairly compact, but some neighborhoods are better for travelers than others. There are several hostels in Lisbon and of course many hotels in Lisbon as well. Some of the cheaper places are further from the river, but it’s probably worth paying a bit more for a place closer in since the neighborhoods closer to the river are more central and also more charming.

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