Frommer's Lisbon day by day

Contents

10 Favorite Moments

10 Favorite Moments

1The Best Full-Day Tours

The Best in One Day

The Best in Two Days

The Best in Three Days

2The Best Special-Interest Tours

Food For Thought

Child’s Play: Lisbon with Kids

True Romance

Modern Moves

3The Best Neighborhood Walks

The Alfama

Sé

The Grand Avenues

Baixa

Chiado

Belém, Ajuda, Alcântara

São Bento, Príncipe Real & Amoreiras

4The Best Shopping

Shopping Best Bets

North of Center Shopping

City Center Shopping

Lisbon Shopping A to Z

5Lisbon Outdoors

Along the Riverbanks

City Center Gardens

West to Monsanto

6The Best Dining

Dining Best Bets

Alfama Dining

Parque das Nações Dining

City Center Dining

Belém Dining

North of City Center Dining

Lisbon Dining A to Z

7The Best Nightlife

Nightlife Best Bets

Alcântara/Belém Nightlife

City Center Nightlife

Parque das Nações Nightlife

Lisbon Nightlife A to Z

8The Best Arts & Entertainment

Arts & Entertainment Best Bets

Campo Pequeno Arts & Entertainment

Belém Arts & Entertainment

City Center Arts & Entertainment

Arts & Entertainment A to Z

9The Best Lodging

Lodging Best Bets

Belém/Alcântara Lodging

Parque das Nações Lodging

North of Center Lodging

City Center Lodging

Lisbon Lodging A to Z

10The Best Day Trips & Excursions

Southern Beaches

Cascais & Estoril

Sintra, Mafra & Ericeira

The Savvy Traveler

Before You Go

Getting There

Getting Around

Fast Facts

Lisbon: A Brief History

Useful Phrases

Index

Published by:

Frommer Media LLC

Copyright © 2019 FrommerMedia LLC, New York, NY. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning or otherwise, except as permitted under Sections 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without the prior written permission of the Publisher. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to Support@FrommerMedia.com.

ISBN: 978-1-628-87448-8 (paper); 978-1-628-87449-5 (ebk)

Editorial Director: Pauline Frommer

Development Editor: Alexis Lipsitz Flippin

Production Editor: Kelly Dobbs Henthorne

Photo Editor: Meghan Lamb

Assistant Photo Editor: Phil Vinke

Cartographer: Roberta Stockwell

Indexer: Kelly Dobbs Henthorne

Front cover photos, left to right: Alfama District © ESB Professional; Monument to the Discoveries at Belém, Lisbon © Photo and Vector / Shutterstock.com; Street musicians play jazz and folk music at city square © Elena Dijour / Shutterstock.com.

Back cover photo: Vintage tram in Lisbon © S-F.

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About This Guide

Organizing your time. That’s what this guide is all about.

Other guides give you long lists of things to see and do and then expect you to fit the pieces together. The Day by Day guides are different. These guides tell you the best of everything, and then they show you how to see it in the smartest, most time-efficient way. Our authors have designed detailed itineraries organized by time, neighborhood, or special interest. And each tour comes with a bulleted map that takes you from stop to stop.

Hoping to get a little lost strolling the ancient cobbled streets of Lisbon’s historic Alfama? Is a night of dancing to the soulful rhythms of fado music on your bucket list? Craving to see the magnificent panorama of Lisbon from its miradouros, viewpoints high above the city? Whatever your interest or schedule, the Day by Day guides give you the smartest routes to follow. Not only do we take you to the top attractions, hotels, and restaurants, but we also help you access those special moments that locals get to experience—those finds that turn tourists into travelers.

The Day by Days are also your top choice if you’re looking for one complete guide for all your travel needs. The best hotels and restaurants for every budget, the greatest shopping values, the wildest nightlife—it’s all here.

Why should you trust our judgment? Because our authors personally visit each place they write about. They’re an independent lot who say what they think and would never include places they wouldn’t recommend to their best friends. They’re also open to suggestions from readers. If you’d like to contact them, please send your comments our way at feedback@frommers.com, and we’ll pass them on.

Enjoy your Day by Day guide—the most helpful travel companion you can buy. And have the trip of a lifetime.

About the Author

Paul Ames has been enchanted by Portugal since he first arrived as a child in 1975 and found the country gripped by revolutionary ferver. He lives in Lisbon, works as a freelance journalist, and never tires of exploring the delights of his adopted homeland from the vine-covered hills of the Minho to Madeira’s rocky shores and all the beaches in between.

An Additional Note

Please be advised that travel information is subject to change at any time—and this is especially true of prices. We therefore suggest that you write or call ahead for confirmation when making your travel plans. The authors, editors, and publisher cannot be held responsible for the experiences of readers while traveling. Your safety is important to us, however, so we encourage you to stay alert and be aware of your surroundings.

Star Ratings, Icons & Abbreviations

Every hotel, restaurant, and attraction listing in this guide has been ranked for quality, value, service, amenities, and special features using a star-rating system. Hotels, restaurants, attractions, shopping, and nightlife are rated on a scale of zero stars (recommended) to three stars (exceptional). In addition to the star-rating system, we also use a kids.jpg icon to point out the best bets for families. Within each tour, we recommend cafes, bars, or restaurants where you can take a break. Each of these stops appears in a shaded box marked with a coffee-cup-shaped bullet 1258.jpg .

The following abbreviations are used for credit cards:

Travel Resources at Frommers.com

Now that you have this guidebook to help you plan a great trip, visit our website at www.frommers.com for additional travel information on more than 4,000 destinations. We update features regularly to give you instant access to the most current trip-planning information available. At Frommers.com, you’ll find scoops on the best airfares, lodging rates, and car rental bargains. You can even book your travel online through our reliable travel booking partners. Other popular features include:

•Online updates of our most popular guidebooks

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•Newsletters highlighting the hottest travel trends

•Online travel message boards with featured travel discussions

A Note on Prices

In the Take a Break and Best Bets sections of this book, we have used a system of dollar signs to show a range of costs for 1 night in a hotel (the price of a double-occupancy room) or the cost of an entree at a restaurant. Use the following table to decipher the dollar signs:

An Invitation to the Reader

In researching this book, we discovered many wonderful places—hotels, restaurants, shops, and more. We’re sure you’ll find others. Please tell us about them, so we can share the information with your fellow travelers in upcoming editions. If you were disappointed with a recommendation, we’d love to know that, too. Please write to: Support@FrommerMedia.com.

Lisbon skyline.

10 Favorite Moments

Portugal’s maritime capital has been open to the world since its explorers and spice traders reached across the oceans in the 15th century. Today, Lisbon is changing fast as booming tourism fills medieval alleys with hip hotels, chic eateries, and fashionable stores. Yet the city’s soul lives on in the plaintive sound of fado music, the character of its historic neighborhoods, and the eternal embrace of the River Tagus. It all adds up a heady cocktail of art and architecture, vibrant street life, and cafe culture, bathed in almost year-round sunshine.

Diners toasting the vistas from the São Pedro de Alcântara miradouro.

❶ Tucking into superlative seafood. The world is waking up to the delights of Portuguese cuisine. Based on seafood freshly caught along the country’s long Atlantic seaboard, the traditional cooking is simple, but delicious. One of the biggest treats is eating chargrilled bream or bass accompanied by local wine as you look out over the glassy waters of the Tagus. Or try a shellfish extravaganza washed down with iced beer at a bustling marisqueira (seafood restaurant). See p 105.

❷ Taking in the views from rooftops and miradouros. They say that Lisbon, like Rome, is built on seven hills. The ups and downs are tiring for calf muscles but rewarding for the eyes. The city is sprinkled with miradouros (viewing points) offering glorious vistas. Favorites include São Pedro de Alcântara, looking across downtown to the castle of São Jorge or Portas do Sol perched above Alfama’s rooftops and the Tagus beyond. Rooftop bars have sprouted on hotels, shopping malls, office blocks, and even parking lots so you can enjoy cocktails with the views. p 127.

❸ Getting lost in Alfama and catching some fado. Lisbon’s ancient heart is a tangle of cobbled streets and narrow steps. Getting lost amid its lanes is a delight. Discover tiny churches lined with blue-and-white azulejos (ceramic tiles), new street art, or pavement barbecues pungent with grilled sardines. On Tuesdays and Saturdays catch the sprawling Feira da Ladra (Thieves Market), a treasure trove of bric-à-brac. Alfama is also the spiritual home of fado music with its passionate love songs. See p 46.

❹ Uncovering the art at the Gulbenkian Foundation. Lisbon’s most influential arts institution is the legacy of an Armenian oil magnate who found refuge here during WWII. The Gulbenkian runs two museums: one dedicated to the founder’s collection of treasures from Ancient Egypt to the French Impressionists; and the other a panorama of modern art. Located in a peaceful garden, the foundation also has a concert hall hosting its own symphony orchestra and visiting musicians. See p 128.

❺ Shopping without dropping in Príncipe Real. This aristocratic uptown neighborhood has the chicest shopping. Arguably the world’s prettiest mall is located in an Arabesque palace. Another is dedicated to designers from Brazil. Rows of tasteful, original boutiques line the streets. Take a break in some of the district’s cool bars and cafes, or chill in leafy havens like Praça das Flores or Jardim do Príncipe Real. See p 79.

A street vendor grills sardines.

❻ Topping up your tan on suburban sand. Hop on a train at waterfront Cais do Sodré station and you’ll hit the beach in 15 minutes. From Caxias to Cascais a string of sandy coves boast calm waters and soft sand. Carcavelos is the grandest, a broad strand that’s popular with surf schools and flanked by an imposing 16th-century fortress. A bit farther out are untouched coves bathed by Atlantic rollers, sheltered bays with turquoise water, and fun urban beaches fronted by cafes.

❼ Going nose to nose with sharks. Lisbon’s Oceanário showcases sea life in spectacular fashion, from a vast central tank where sharks, rays, and tuna patrol to ocean-themed sections where you can get up close to puffins, luminous jellyfish, and jewel-like seahorses. See p 18.

❽ Marveling at the Manueline. The Mosteiro dos Jerónimos and Torre de Belém are pinnacles of a unique Portuguese architectural style named after King Manuel I, patron of the Discoveries. The UNESCO World Heritage buildings are the main attraction in the riverside Belém district—although the lines are sometimes even longer at Pastéis de Belém, a cafe serving custard-filled tarts since 1835. See p 16.

❾ Making like a commuter on boats and trams. If your legs tire of those hills, hop on one of the little yellow streetcars that rattle around the narrow streets. Tram 28 is the most famed, but it gets crowded on its route through the most historic neighborhoods. Lines 14, 15, or 25 also offer a retro transport adventure. Or join commuters on one of the ferries heading to south-bank suburbs; the views make the trip worthwhile. See p 10.

❿ Immersing yourself in Sintra’s fantasy. Lord Byron called Sintra a Glorious Eden. Amid forest-covered hills, romantic palaces rise among the trees. Two belonged to the royal family: one a Renaissance gem in town, the other a romantic hilltop confection dreamed up by a German prince. It’s an inspirational fusion of art and nature. See p 160. •

The sunset cityscape from the Belvedere of Our Lady of the Hill.

Lisbon skyline from the Alfama.

The Best in One Day

This full-day tour is an introduction to Portugal’s historic capital. You’ll get your bearings looking out from the hilltop citadel where the city was born in pre-Roman times. Then head down through its most characteristic neighborhoods: Alfama, the Baixa, and Chiado. The route roughly follows the rails of the iconic Tram 28, so you can hop on if the going gets tough on the feet. You can also make the tour in reverse if you want to beat the rush for the tram and catch sunset from the castle. START: Castelo de São Jorge. Rua de Santa Cruz do Castelo. Bus: 737.

Tram 28, which links several of Lisbon’s historic districts.

❶ ★★★ kids.jpg Castelo de São Jorge. Phoenicians, Romans, and Visigoths lived here before Arabs from northern Africa built the stronghold that sits atop the highest of Lisbon’s hills. More than 4 centuries of Muslim rule came to an end in 1147 when Portugal’s first king, Afonso Henriques, enlisted the help of northern European crusaders, to besiege the city. Despite its bellicose history, the Castle of St. George is nowadays a peaceful place. Come in the