Lisbon, the capital and richest city of Portugal, is a picturesque place. The influence of Roman and Moorish rule can be seen in the splendid architecture. The boulevards and monuments set a romantic tone throughout the city. Lisbon has witnessed a renaissance in recent years due to its thriving cultural arts scene. It is one of the few cities in Western Europe that faces the ocean and makes use of its location on the waterfront.
Lisbon’s Highlights:
Jeronimos Monastery: This UNESCO World Heritage site showcases sculptured designs known as Manueline. It is the most prominent monument in Lisbon and a popular tourist attraction.
The Belem Tower: Since the 16th century, the Belem Tower has welcomed all the ships coming into Lisbon. Originally planned as a fortress, it has served as a lighthouse and also as a prison over the years.
Berardo Museum: Spread over two floors, this museum features a wide range of paintings, sculptures and photos from legendary artists like Picasso, Jackson Pollock, and Andy Warhol.
Gulbenkian Museum: Named after the oil magnate Calouste Gulbenkian, who donated all of his art to Portugal, this unsung European treasure features a haunting gold Egyptian mummy mask and a huge European art section.
Oceanarium: Designed by American architect Peter Chermeyeff, this is one of the largest aquariums in the world. It rises from the river, and a footbridge connects it to the mainland.
Bairro Alto and Chiado: This was the city's original meeting point for artists and writers. Today, it represents the city's vibrant nightlife. Chiado is an upscale and sophisticated district with an old school atmosphere.
Baxia: This is the heart of Lisbon. It was rebuilt after the catastrophic earthquake of 1755 and is one of the finest European architectural achievements.
Alfama: A village within the city, going to Alfama is like stepping back in time. The streets are narrow and lined with whitewashed houses.
Here “Palace” really isn’t an overstatement. The Pestana Palace, located in a tiny residential district just outside the city center, occupies the grounds of a century-old estate, a manor house (with modern additions) surrounded by lush gardens — not quite the most convenient hotel option for getting out on the town, but ...
If you haven’t been to Portugal in a while you might be surprised at the explosion of new contemporary design that’s taken place there. Suddenly this classic, conservative town is full of striking avant-garde architecture and interiors. And that goes for the hotels as well — among the best of the new breed is the Fontana Park H ...
Though they’re all outwardly different, the boutique hotels of Lisbon’s Heritage group share a common approach: they’re historic buildings in central locations, heavily renovated, with one eye on contemporary design and the other on historical preservation. And of all of them, the Britânia is at once the most discernibly ...
The sunset-blue facade of the Heritage hotel is the only original remnant of this 18th-century palace on Lisbon’s Avenida Liberdade; the interiors are unrecognizable, pure contemporary luxury, courtesy of the designer Miguel Câncio Martins, perhaps best known for the interiors of the Buddha Bar in Paris. There’s no oversized re ...
It’s stylish, it’s plush, it beckons you off the street with its cheery yellow exterior. But perhaps the best thing about the Bairro Alto is the hotel’s choice location on Lisbon’s main square, Praça Luís de Camões. This central spot would make its poet namesake proud: serene by day, the square is hom ...
Just down the road from the National Art Museum on the Rua das Janelas Verdes is an eighteenth-century mansion; once the home of the Portuguese novelist Eça de Queirós, today it’s a small and elegant boutique hotel, with many of the trappings of an old-fashioned literary residence— wood-paneled walls, ornate armchairs, ...
The Castelo, of course, is St George's Castle, once a fortress and now a walled-off, pedestrians-only district, and one of Lisbon's hippest — the coolest shops, bars, and cafes are within walking distance of Solar do Castelo.
The hotel itself occupies an 18th-century mansion, itself built on the site of the old castl ...
Right on the Avenida Da Liberdade, the Sofitel isn’t exactly off the beaten path — but don’t hold that against it. We tend to shy away from the big luxury chains, in most cases, because while they typically offer methodical and attentive service (a big plus, obviously) there’s usually little to distinguish the hotels them ...
Just off the the Avenida da Liberdade, the main boulevard in Lisbon’s city center, lies the fifty-year-old Hotel Lisboa Plaza, a classic family-owned hotel housed in a listed historic monument, behind a charming Art Nouveau facade. Here you’re within walking distance of the best of central Lisbon, yet quietly and discreetly tucked aw ...
Far from modern-day Lisbon traffic, perched on a hilltop in the middle of the city’s most civilized district, sits a 19th century palace surrounded by fairytale gardens, fountains, flowers and century-old trees in whose branches birds are encouraged to nest.
Opulence reigns at the Lapa, with the neo-classical pink- and gold- ...
Sometimes, when it comes to hotels, the name more or less says it all. The Internacional Design Hotel in Lisbon does pretty much exactly what it says on the tin. This classic colonnaded building on Rossio Square may be traditional on the outside, but inside it’s the archetypal contemporary-design boutique hotel, right down to the plentiful ...
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