Shops, and shuttered houses faced with beautiful azulejo tiles. Getting around by public transport can be fun in itself, too, whether you’re cranking uphill on one of the city’s ancient trams, Restaurant The city’s buoyant nightlife scene is just as eclectic, ranging from the traditional fado clubs of the Alfama district to glitzy venues playing African and Brazilian beats. Negotiate its hills, Lisbon is a great place to explore on foot: get off the beaten track and you’ll find atmospheric neighbourhoods sheltering aromatic pastelarias (patisseries), traditionalĬountless cosmopolitan bars and restaurants, many of them influenced by the tastes of immigrants from Portugal’s former colonies.
Lower temperatures of 22–26✬ mean September and October are good times to visit, as is June, when the city enjoys its main festivals. Even in midwinter it is rarely cold and, as one of Europe’s sunniest capitals, the sun usually appears at some stage to light up the city. When to visit Lisbon is comfortably warm from April to October (average daily temperature 20–28✬), with cooling Atlantic breezes making it less hot than Mediterranean cities on the same latitude. Most Lisbon residents take their holidays in July and August (27–28✬), which means that some shops, bars and restaurants close for the period and the local beaches are heaving. Alongside the cobbled streets and crumbling mansions are Many of this era’s grandest buildings were destroyed in the Great Earthquake of 1755, and much of today’sĬity dates from the late eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.These days, apart from its individual sights, the biggest attraction has to be its streetlife: nothing beats watching the city’s comings and goings from a pavement café over a powerful bica coffee or Portuguese beer. Although officially the European Union’s least expensive capital, Lisbon was once one of the continent’s wealthiest cities, controlling a maritime empire that stretched from Brazil in the west to Macau in the east. Lisbon Set across a series of hills overlooking the broad estuary of the Rio Tejo (River Tagus), Lisbon’s stunning location and effortless beauty immediately strike most first-time visitors. It’s an instantly likeable place, a big city, with a population of around two million, but one that remains human enough in pace and scale to be easily taken in over a long weekend. Matthew Hancock WITH ADDITIONAL ACCOUNTS BY