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Portugal : Lisbon - February 2010

Country Code: Dial 1 for Portugal

Lisbon’s Atlantic neighbour Rio may take centre stage for Carnival, but there are some great parades in local Sesimbra. Also worth seeking out are the thought-provoking ‘suspended time’ installations by Jane and Louise Wilson at the Gulbenkian Museum (see museu.gulbenkian.pt for details). Matthew Hancock explores the city’s hidden treasures

Getting around

Lisbon Airport

Bus: The Aerobus leaves every 20 minutes from 7.40am to 11pm and goes to the city centre, finishing at Cais do Sodré. Tickets cost €3 and can be bought onboard.
Taxi: It’s about a 20 minute taxi ride to the city centre. The fare costs approximately €15, with an extra charge for luggage in the boot. Prices increase by 20% at night and on weekends and bank holidays.
Tourist information: The Lisboa Welcome Centre is located at Praça do Comércio, on the corner of Rua do Arsenal (tel. , www.atl-turismolisboa.pt).

BAIXA

This downtown riverside suburb is Lisbon’s commercial heart, which pulses with street life.

Sleep soundly – The Evidencia Tejo (2 Rua dos Condes de Monsanto, tel. , evidenciahoteis.com, rooms from €80) offers affordable boutiquestyle rooms in the heart of the Baixa.

Culture vultures – Still evolving MuDe (24 Rua Augusta) is becoming one of Europe’s top museums of fashion and design, set in a former bank.

Must eat – The Casa do Alentejo (58 Rua das Portas de Santo Antão, tel. ) serves sumptuous southern Portuguese dishes, such as pork with clams, in a splendid tiled dining room.

Must drink – A powerful ginginha (cherry brandy) in the tiny A Ginginha (8 Largo de São Domingos) guarantees you a glowing view of Lisbon.

Shop til you drop – First-rate Portuguese flavours – from pungent cheeses to vintage ports – can be found at Manuel Tavares (1a Rua da Betesga).

ALFAMA

The city’s oldest quarter is an alluring tangle of back alleys that lead between the castle and the river.

Sleep soundly – With rooms abutting the castle walls, Solar do Castelo (2 Rua das Cozinhas, tel. , heritage. pt, rooms from €175) is a small, tastefully furnished hotel that offers a breakfast to die for – served in the courtyard when the sun shines.

Culture vultures – Tune into distinctive Portuguese fado at the excellent Casa do Fado museum (1 Largo do Chafariz de Dentro), which explains all you need to know about this mournful musical style.

Must drink – Sink in the comfy sofas of Pois Café (93–95 Rua São João da Praça), where you could easily hole up all day over a steaming hot chocolate and a cake or two.

Shop til you drop – Little changed since it opened in the 1930s, quirky Conserveira de Lisboa (34 Rua dos Bacalhoeiras) specialises in tinned fish, with wooden cabinets stacked with canned sardines, squid and mussels.

SANTOS

Dockside Santos is known as the district of design, with fashionable cafés and bars serving a range of designer shops.

Sleep soundly – Recently renovated York House (32 Rua das Janelas Verdes, tel. , yorkhouselisboa.com, rooms from €120) combines the feel of a former Carmelite convent with ultra chic décor, overlooking a courtyard.

Culture vultures – Though this puppet museum mostly appeals to children, the Museu da Marioneta (146 Rua da Esperença) also has plenty for adults, including risqué shadow puppets and scary life-size satirical marionettes.

Must eat – Guarda Mor (8 Rua do Guarda Mor, tel. ) serves sublime prawns fried in lemon and wonderful salted cod cakes, as well as a range of warming soups.

Must drink – A popular bar with students, Peróla (25 Calçada Ribeiro de Santos) packs in the locals thanks to table football, inexpensive drinks and lively music.

Dance the night away – Club B.leza (50 Largo Conde de Barão) has hosted top African and Latin bands for over a decade in its fine 16th-century building.

SESIMBRA

An hour south, Sesimbra is a popular weekend retreat from the capital. A former fishing village with great beaches, it also hosts the region’s best Carnival parade in mid February.

Sleep soundly – Right on the seafront, the Sana Sesimbra Hotel (11 Av. 25 de Abril, tel. , sanahotels.com, rooms from €95) comes with glass lifts, sauna and pool, restaurant and groovy rooftop bar.

Culture vultures – Hanging over the town is a battlemented Moorish castle that encloses a church and cemetery, offering dazzling views over the coast.

Must eat – It’s hard to resist the fresh fish and seafood straight from the Atlantic at Pedra Alta (13 Largo dos Bombaldes, tel. ) – but leave room for crêpes for dessert.

Compiled by Matthew Hancock