Lisbon

jiltloop

I have to say, you've got Sintra completely wrong. It sounds like you didn't go to the best places there which were recommended in this thread. I couldn't disagree more with your quote.

It was one of the most amazing places I've ever seen.

barneysplash

I can only saw what I saw and experienced.

Fair play to you if you can get more out of the city than I did.

If you liked something that I didn't or experienced it differently, then that's ok too.

I did enjoy my time there overall and would recommend it for a city break.

Instead of getting into a slagging match, why not post up details of
good spots and things to do in Lisbon that you know about.

jiltloop

barneysplash wrote: »

I can only saw what I saw and experienced.

Fair play to you if you can get more out of the city than I did.

If you liked something that I didn't or experienced it differently, then that's ok too.

I did enjoy my time there overall and would recommend it for a city break.

Instead of getting into a slagging match, why not post up details of
good spots and things to do in Lisbon that you know about.

A slagging match? I just said I disagreed with you. I felt it was important to state this also in case people may be dissuaded from travelling there and missing out on what I (and others here) felt was a great experience and holiday. No need to get so easily offended.

I have already posted up my experiences of Lisbon, you obviously didn't read the rest of thread.

grimm2005

While I appreciate the time and effort barneysplash went to in writing up such a comprehensive report, I'd also disagree on some points.

I didn't find there to be a lack of convenience shops at all. There was one right by my hostel in Alfama and I spotted at least a few while walking around the city including a Spar.

I'd definitely recommend against getting the Lisbon card as €39 is very expensive for 3 days unlimited transport. The viagem card (which is the equivalent of our Leap card) is only 50c and a single journey costs only €1.40 on the metro or trams. A day pass is only about €6.50 and that works on both trams and metro. If you're staying anywhere even slightly central, you probably won't be using an awful lot of public transport as Lisbon is a very walkable city. For example I used maybe 2 or 3 single trips and got a day pass on the day I went to Belem so transport cost me maybe €10 for 4 days plus my return to the airport on the 5th day. The train to Sintra or Cascais was around €5 return also (and I'm not sure these trains are covered by the Lisbon card anyhow). As for the discounted entry to places, they aren't great. I think the most expensive tourist attraction I visited in Lisbon was St. Georges castle at around €8 entry and the card only offers a 30% discount which isn't a whole lot on €8. If all the main tourist attractions were included, you could definitely make a case for it but otherwise I'd avoid.

While there are a lot of North Africans immigrants selling cheap, tacky crap in the main tourist areas, this is unfortunately something that I've seen in most Western major cities on the continent. Barcelona and Paris were even worse for example.

I'd reiterate that I'd definitely recommend Lisbon as a place to go, a big part due to the laid back nature of the city and the cheapness as well as the good weather and safety of the place. I'll certainly be returning myself at some point!

eager tortoise

There is some fantastic information on this thread - all much appreciated, as I am trying to plan our honeymoon to Portugal for next July. I was thinking of a few days in Lisbon as we like city breaks, sightseeing etc and then maybe a few days somewhere else outside the city, just for variety. Am I wrong in thinking a few days might be sufficient in Lisbon? The break will probably be for 7-10 days in total so I just want to ensure we have plenty to see and do.

Has anyone any experience of a two centre holiday in Portugal, to include Lisbon? It was suggested to me that somewhere on the Algarve might be suitable as a second destination, but I'm not sure where would be good. Any ideas or suggestions welcome! Thanks

grimm2005

eager tortoise wrote: »

There is some fantastic information on this thread - all much appreciated, as I am trying to plan our honeymoon to Portugal for next July. I was thinking of a few days in Lisbon as we like city breaks, sightseeing etc and then maybe a few days somewhere else outside the city, just for variety. Am I wrong in thinking a few days might be sufficient in Lisbon? The break will probably be for 7-10 days in total so I just want to ensure we have plenty to see and do.

Has anyone any experience of a two centre holiday in Portugal, to include Lisbon? It was suggested to me that somewhere on the Algarve might be suitable as a second destination, but I'm not sure where would be good. Any ideas or suggestions welcome! Thanks

A few days is enough in Lisbon alright, I went for 4 days and saw most of what there was to see and also fit in a day trip to Sintra which is highly recommend as it's so close and cheap to get to by train. Cascais is also meant to be lovely but I couldn't manage to fit it in in my time there so I could have done 5 days to be honest but regardless if you pick 3/4/5 days, you'll be able to get loads in. That said, I would definitely return as I really like the city.

I was down in the Algarve a couple of years ago, specifically Albufeira. I went in December so it was pretty dead and there wasn't an awful lot to do as most of the tours were off and a lot of places closed but it was pleasant enough all the same and the weather was nice. In July it would be a much different atmosphere I imagine with the place in full tourist swing and loads of things to do. On the plus side, there will be plenty to do but also a huge amount of tourist crowds I would imagine so keep that in mind too. Better to ask someone who's been in Summer how it is.

You could do a few days in each destination and grab a train or a coach between them as there as plenty of services available and fly in to one and fly out of the other.

Wyldwood

I've been to Lisbon several times, it's a city I love as it's so easy to get around.
If you want to split your stay between Lisbon and a coastal resort you have the choice of staying on the Lisbon coast near Cascais/Estoril or going south to the Algarve.
As July is high season it will be very hot and busy. You don't say whether you prefer busy places or more relaxed. Cascais is lovely and only a half hour train journey from Lisbon but quieter than the Algarve. If you're looking for a nice hotel check out the Miragem. It'a a bit pricey but beautiful and perfect for honeymoon. You can hop on a bus to Sintra from Cascais for a lovely day out. Lovely beaches and walks all around Estoril/Cascais.

If on the other hand you want to go south, Lagos on the Algarve is my favourite place. There are a number of lovely hotels there but the Marina club would be the one I'd recommend for location. The marina is also a good place to take an apartment if that's your preference. The old town has loads of shops and restaurants to offer and the town is a lot nicer than Albufeira or Praia da Rocha in my opinion.
If you prefer somewhere quieter then maybe Vilamoura. It's a purpose built resort centered around a marina. There are numerous golf courses if that's your thing. Quartiera, an old fishing port is a 15 minute walk away along the beach. You can get a bus from Vilamoura to Faro if you want a day out. The Tivoli Marina is in the best location between the beach and marina and is a nice hotel. The Blue and Green Lake resort is also lovely for honeymoon. If you're looking for an apartment try the Moura Praia complex, lovely apartments very close to marina and beach.
You can easily get a train from Lisbon to the Algarve and they are quite reasonable. I think it was about €20 1st class but it's a while since I did it so check it out. You do have to change trains in Tunes, if I remember rightly, but that's very straighforward. You can then get the train all the way to Lagos or if you're heading to Vilamoura you get off at Faro and take a taxi for the 20 min ride to Vilamoura.

eager tortoise

Thank you both so much for your replies! Good to know that there will be plenty to do in and around Lisbon itself. I might re-think going somewhere else if we end up just going for the week, as it sounds like we could reach a lot of the coastal resorts by taking day trips and then of course it would be nice to spend a couple of days relaxing as well. If we stay longer I think we'd probably be better off forgetting the Algarve and maybe staying out in Cascais or Estoril like you suggest, Wyldwood, as we'd probably prefer somewhere a little more relaxing. Thanks again for the advice.

Wyldwood

If you're looking for a nice hotel in Lisbon check out the Eurostar Das Letras. It's a lovely modern hotel off the Avenue da Liberdade. It is up a steepish hill but worth the climb. Most of Lisbon is quite hilly so be prepared to do a bit of trekking!

Make sure to pay a visit to Belem while you're in Lisbon.

I think you might have guessed by now that I love Portugal:)

OakeyDokey

I have two full days in Lisbon coming up. What's the best of the best I need to do? Food, drink, sites etc.

gene_slackman

i really liked lisbon , sintra and cais cais but i agree with the poster who pointed to the chronic lack of convenience stores , walked for a mile on lisbons version of o,connell st and could not find anywhere open to buy a pint of milk

sarkozy

I just don't get the lack of shops thing. They're everywhere. But, you know, just stock up in a Pingo Dos or market.

Aglomerado

sarkozy wrote: »

I just don't get the lack of shops thing. They're everywhere. But, you know, just stock up in a Pingo Dos or market.

Plenty of mini-markets around too like these guys:
http://www.minipreco.pt/

dudara

We were in Lisbon back in June - would have to recommend visiting the Mercado da Ribeira - it's the old food market of the city, but it's currently being renovated and they've opened a fantastic food hall full of restaurant stalls and so on. It's a great spot to go for dinner in the evening before heading to some bars.

We also did a walking Food & Drink tour while we were there. It cost €60 per head, but lasted about 4 hours with plenty of food & drink. More details here.

Our hotel was the Hotel Fontecruz Lisboa - really liked it and thought it was in a pretty good location.

We spent a few days in Lisbon and then we picked up a hire car and drove south to Setubal and Troia. We spent another few days in Troia at the Troia Design Hotel, which was top notch and very relaxing. Lovely area to drive around and visit wineries, eat seafood and generally take it easy.

gene_slackman

sarkozy wrote: »

I just don't get the lack of shops thing. They're everywhere. But, you know, just stock up in a Pingo Dos or market.

they most certainly are not everywhere , i accept that the convenience store is more of an anglo american cultural thing

Mr rebel

Lisbon is just stunning......such a romantic city with beautiful sunsets.

mjp

Heading to Lisbon with my girlfriend in summer but trying to decide between going in mid June or else last week Aug early September. Would we still get warm weather in September? Reading online and seems to be lot of festivals and carnivals on in June

uck51js9zml2yt

mjp wrote: »

Heading to Lisbon with my girlfriend in summer but trying to decide between going in mid June or else last week Aug early September. Would we still get warm weather in September? Reading online and seems to be lot of festivals and carnivals on in June

You'll miss the worst of the heat but it will still be warm.

blue note

Thanks to everyone who's posted in this thread already! I'm going at the end of the month with the girlfriend and can't wait! We have a bike tour booked for the first morning, but nothing else organised. I really want to do a good tour, but sintra looks absolutely spectacular so might do that the second. Then we might manage to do a good tour before we go on day 3. Wish we booked an extra day now!!!

Mr rebel

Just be careful if out late at night in Lisbon and make sure to get a taxi back to where you are staying. There are a lot of dodgy characters around who'll try to mug lost-looking tourists, as I discovered on my last trip there.

grimm2005

Mr rebel wrote: »

Just be careful if out late at night in Lisbon and make sure to get a taxi back to where you are staying. There are a lot of dodgy characters around who'll try to mug lost-looking tourists, as I discovered on my last trip there.

Funnily enough I found the total opposite. I found it to be a very safe city, even after midnight when I had a few drinks on me and I was going back to my hostel alone. Perhaps I was just lucky (and the fact I'm 6ft6" probably helped!) but I definitely felt a lot safer in Lisbon after dark than a lot of other cities.

Strumms

I also found it safe myself from my own experiences. However on a recent trip a friend of mine took a good hiding going back to his hostel alone after drinking by 4 guys who tried to rob him, left him in not great shape all be it all superficial injuries.

I think in any major European city is caution is advised in the early hours and as long as you are aware of your surroundings and don't walk around looking like that lost sheep tourist and avoid the dimly lit back streets, of which there are a few in Lisbon then you should be ok..

uck51js9zml2yt

I've been traveling to Lisbon for the last 15 years and never had any problems regarding safety.
In that time I've gone into a lot of the residential areas where normal tourists just don't go.
As with every city, don't leave your brain in Dublin airport but on the whole it's a safe city.