Lisbon

We're thinking about going to Lisbon in September (Aniversary, birthdays, pension etc... all coming close together), but have never been to Portugal before.

Have any of you visited / worked in Lisbon and could give some guidance of what area of the city to stay in?

Re: Lisbon

Been to Lisbon on many occasions, lovely place. City centre is very easy to navigate, from the Black Horse Square.

The city itself is well spread out and full of great architecture and it is very easy to find your way around.

There are lots of trips around the city; most of them go from the top corner of Black Horse Square, however there are other pick-up/drop-off points around the city.

One of the trips is the ‘Tagus Tour’, this takes in all the main sights, including the Discovery monument on the river bank before dropping you back at the square, you can get on and off at leisure and just pick up the next tour bus, every 30 minutes.

There is also the old tram, it is an old wooden yellow tram and is a h-o-h-o trip
.
A must see is the ‘Elevator de Santa Justa’, the trip to the top is worthwhile with fantastic views over the city.

You could also try a visit to St George’s Castle, a short but steep climb to the ticket office and then spend a lovely couple of hours or so wandering round the castle site. The views from the top are spectacular!

Do make a visit to the Belem Tower, on the north bank of the river - it's around a 20-minute walk from the city centre.

If dining, then a Portuguese custard tart ('nata cake') is a must and totally delicious.

For Esteril, trains just go from The Station to Cascais with Estoril situated just before Cascais. It cost less than€10 fo r the return ticket for a couple. The journey is approx 25 minutes with a view of the coast line most of the
way.

If you want the beach then this is about 2 minutes’ walk from the station. The sandy beach is normally packed with holidaymakers, but remember the sea is the Atlantic Ocean, so could be a little chilly.

Re: Lisbon

Thanks for the info Deb. My immediate problem is the choice of hotels and the best area to stay in. Streetview is useful for a virtual stroll round the place, but faced with so many options, it's difficult to know. I've seen plenty of good hotels in dodgy areas of town!

Re: Lisbon

can't help you with where to stay - we always cruise!

Re: Lisbon

We've never wanted to cruise. We like to be in charge of where we want to be and change plans at the drop of a hat. Booking anything this far ahead is virtually unknown for me, but I managed to get flights using my 'airmiles'.
In the absence of any good recommendations, I'll just choose something that looks good.

Re: Lisbon

I can only re-iterate what Deb has stated as I too only cruise and Lisbon is a frequent and welcome stop.

Sampling the "Pastais De Nata" custard tarts is a must imo. I buy them in tubes of 6 at a time.

The main area from the Black Horse square is very easy to walk, plenty of shops of all kinds, very touristy.

If you like fish then a meal at the Restaurante D'Or is a must which is situated half way along the main pedestrianised street up from Black Horse square. You can eat inside or out in the street. massive spider crabs, huge variety of fish, big tanks in the shop window with live lobsters etc.

For a much more basic and simple lunch seek out the well known (but harder to find) Chicken Piri Piri restaurant called
Bom Jardin. It is absolutely no frills, good service, and tasty tasty spit roast chickens served with salad and chips and your own piri piri basting sauce. Also go for the salted cod fishcakes to start (Bacalau). The restaurant has numerous plaques on the wall from a wide variety of travel agents, airlines and other companies as this is where all their staff flock to when they are in Lisbon. On a cruise this is where the entertainment staff make a bee-line for.
The restaurant is found down a little side street behind the easier to find Hard Rock Café.

Walking around the main tourist street you will find numerous streets running parallel also with shops. There are plenty of clothes and shoe shops (tho a bit pricey). One or 2 fantastic chocolatiers, plenty of naughty cake/pastry shops, a really good Christmas shop (on the right side parallel street).

Typically the place has the usual contingent of street sellers inc many Nigerians selling sunglasses and bags, just avoid imo.

If you have the legs you can walk from Black Horse Square along the coast (well dock estuary) all the way to the April 25the suspension bridge. Further afield in the same direction are all sorts of heritage sites and buildings.

If you cruise you see these things every time you sail in and out, I would heartily recommend it. I appreciate you like to be in control of where you are going however, with a cruise you can pick one with an itinerary that interests you and when you arrive in each port you are free to do whatever you want, take a trip, go off walking yourself, take a taxi ride etc etc. The advantage is that you will always return at the end of each day to what is effectively a 5-star floating hotel where you know you are safe and all your food and fantastic service is laid on. There's just nothing like it. Very addictive.

Enjoy your visit

Re: Lisbon

Thanks Realist. I've picked a central hotel that gets very good reviews and your recommendations for places to eat are appreciated. We love seafood.

My favourite mode of transport is our motorhome and we've travelled extensively in the UK and Europe, however travel abroad from Scotland is expensive so we tend to fly now.

When it comes to cruising, the idea of river cruises appeals rather more than ocean/sea cruising, so I'll never say "never".