edit Lisbon Travel Guide

• The Gulbenkian Museum, Avenida de Berna, 45A. Created from the personal collection of Calouste Gulbenkian, an Armenian who longed to see all his treasures displayed in a museum. A nice assortment of Egyptian artifacts, along with paintings by masters such as Rembrandt, Manet, Monet, Renoir, and Cassat. The museum's gardens are worth a visit in and of themselves, as a little oasis in the middle of downtown Lisbon. Entry to the museum is free for students with ID.
• St. Jorge's Castle - Located up the hill, with a great view over the city and the river. If you have the energy, get there by walking from downtown, going through the fantastic old neighborhood of Alfama.
• Santa Justa's Elevator - Located downtown, this elevator was designed by a follower of French engineer Gustav Eiffel and connects the downtown to the Trindade, located several meters uphill.
• Praça do Comércio - This magnificent plaza, facing the river, is the beginning of Lisboa's downtown. It is also known as 'Terreiro do Paço', meaning 'Garden of the Palace', relating to its function before the Great Earthquake of 1755.

Like Istanbul, Rome and Seattle, Lisbon is built on seven hills.

The sparkling new Lisboa Ask Me Centre (Pç. do Comércio, 21 0312815, open 09:00 - 20:00 daily) will help you find accommodation and is happy to dispense advice, maps and brochures. Smaller Ask Me Lisboa kiosks are dotted about the Rossio district and airport and their multilingual staff also have maps and brochures.

The Lisboa Card, which can be purchased from tourist information outlets, offers free use of all public transport in the city and free or reduced price tickets to many museums, galleries and tourist attractions. They can be purchased in 24 hour (adult / child: €14.85 / €7.50), 48 hour (€25.50 / €12.75) and 72 hour (€31.00 / €15.50) denominations. They are not very good value unless you plan to visit a lot of museums.

By plane

Portugal's largest international air hub is the Aeroporto da Portela (IATA: LIS; Alameda das Comunidades Portuguesas, Tel: 21 841 35 00, Fax: 21 841 36 75, web: http://www.ana-aeroportos.pt) which is linked to the city centre by an Aerobus (line 91) every 20 minutes from 07:00 - 21:00 and bus lines 5, 8, 22, 44, 45, 83.

• A ticket for the Aerobus is €3,50 and is valid on all public transportation lines for one day.
• Taxis cost about €10 from the airport to the city centre. Charge is according to the meter, adding €1.20 per item of luggage. As with many cities, watch out for dishonesty and if you think you are being charged significantly more (paying €45 to get into the city but only €6 back to the airport is not unheard of) ask for their number and a receipt, and make it clear you plan to complain. To avoid fraud you can buy a taxi-voucher in the airport (€13 - slightly more than the average real meter price) which is good to go anywhere in the centre, with luggage. A trick to avoid disonest taxi drivers is to catch the taxi outside the departures lounge (first floor).

By train

There are two big train stations in Lisbon: S. Apolónia and Orient Station.

By car

Lisbon can be accessed from six main highways.

Coming from the south (A2) or east (A6 - the main route from Madrid), there are the two bridges:

The A2 goes all the way to the 25 de Abril bridge, which usually has lots of traffic getting into Lisbon, specially weekday mornings. This is the best option if you want to go to the center of Lisbon or to the west (A5 - Estoril, Cascais, Sintra);

If you branch from the A2 into the A12, you'll get to the Vasco da Gama bridge, the longest bridge in Europe, it usually has less traffic than the older 25 de Abril bridge (but a more expensive toll). This is the best option to go to the eastern/northern section of Lisbon (to the airport and to the Parque das Nações - the former Expo 98 site), and also to take the A1 or A8 going north.

Coming from the north, there is the A1, that connects Lisbon to Santarém, Fátima, Leiria, Coimbra, Aveiro, Oporto. The A1 ends near the airport. There's also the A8, which goes to Torres Vedras, Caldas da Rainha, Alcobaça, Leiria.

From the west, there is the A5, which connects to Estoril, Cascais, and the IC19 that crosses all the suburbs and ends near Sintra.

Lisbon has three ring roads: The 2ª circular, which connects the A1 to the IC19; the CRIL IC17 (still incomplete), which connects the Vasco da Gama bridge with the A1 and A8; and the CREL A9, which connects the A1 with the A8, IC19, A5, and goes all the way to the Estoril coast.

Regarding toll highways - Portugal has a unified electronic toll paying system - it's usually on the one or two left most lanes of the toll booths, marked with a green "V" (Via Verde - "Green Lane"). If you don't subscribe to the system, pay the toll at the manned booths (cash and most debit and credit cards accepted). If you by chance get distracted and go through the Via Verde lane, you have 48 hours to go to a Via Verde office and pay the toll without a fine.

By bus

All nearby cities and most major cities in Portugal have direct buses to Lisbon. The main bus terminal is at Sete Rios (metro: Jardim Zoológico) Rede expresso is one of the largest inter-city bus companies.

By boat

You can get a boat to Lisbon from the following stations: Barreiro; Trafaria; Montijo; and Cacilhas. Recommended for excellent sightseeing from the river Tagus to Lisbon.

By Car

By Mass Transit

By Foot

Police

Fire Department

Hospitals

Crime

Although Lisbon is a relatively safe city by European standards, crime rates are on the rise. The most common crime against travellers is pickpocketing and theft from rental cars or on public transport (especially tram line 28). Lisbon has also seen some gang-related nightclub violence in recent years. Be careful at late night in the Bairro Alto. Travellers can get mugged being on their own or when they "bond" with a local gang. Also be careful with bank machines in the City Centre.

While Bairro Alto and Chiado are hot spot for nightlife, Baixa became almost desert past 8pm, except for homeless and beggars.

Smoking

A lot of the hash and marijuana smuggled into the EU from Morocco is channelled through Lisbon (actually most is through the huge and not well guarded Portuguese coast, from the Algarve, where most of it gets in, to the very south). Chances are you'll be approached at least a few times by certain types offering 'hash' or 'chocolate'. A firm 'no thank-you' should be enough to deter them.

If however you are into that sort of thing, you should know that most of what these "types" are selling is not worth buying. It's just stuff that they throw together (i.e. not drugs) and coat with resin to sell to tourists. Not worth your money or the risk to your health.

In additional to Highlights section:

• Centro Cultural de Belém - This monument-packed neighbourhood features the likes of Belem Tower (Torre de Belém), the Jerónimos Monastery, Padrão dos Descobrimentos and the modern Belém Cultural Center. A stroll around its many gardens enjoying the river's bright blue is also a must. In front of the former Royal Palace of Belém, now the Presidential Palace, there is a massive statue looking out to sea, representing Afonso de Albuquerque, first Viceroy of Portuguese India at the early 16th century. Housed in the former ridding school of the palace, don't miss the world's largest collection of coaches and royal vehicles at the Coach Museum (Museu dos Coches). Take tram 15 to the west, which follows the coast line.
• Chiado - Take a stroll along the historical streets of this elegant shopping district, stopping for a cup of coffee with the statue of Fernando Pessoa, Portugal's great Modernist poet. Head uphill to Bairro Alto, for stunning views of the city and some wild partying in Lisbon's most popular nightclub district.
• Downtown (Baixa) - This part of the city was completely rebuilt after the 1755 earthquake by the Marquis de Pombal. The planned layout, greatly different from what you will see in the more ancient neighborhoods, is a testimony to the ideas of the Enlightenment.
• Ponte 25 de Abril - This sister bridge of the Golden Gate in San Francisco was designed by the same architect in 1966 to connect Lisbon with the Setubal peninsula across the Tagus (Tejo) River. Formerly known as the Salazar Bridge, it was renamed after the Carnation Revolution, which on April 25, 1974 ended the dictatorship.
• Cristo Rei - Similar to the Christ statue in Rio de Janeiro, this statue stands over 100 meters tall on the opposite bank of the Tejo River from downtown Lisbon. Views from the top of the statue are breathtaking, although the elevator up will cost you 3 euros.
• Parque das Nações - Built for the 1998 World Expo, the eastern side of town (take the Metro to Oriente) is a change from downtown and has one of the world's largest aquariums (10.50 euro admission fee), among other sights.
• Lisbon metro - Most of the metro system is a free art gallery. You'll find art by contemporary artists inspired by the stations' surrounding area. Check the subway webpage for more details on this curiosity. The red line is the newest one and has the best pieces of art. Lisbon metro
• Alfama - This atmospheric neighbourhood is a sign of the Muslim presence in the city, with the buildings very close to each other, and very irregular streets.

Shops open a little later than other places in Europe, and the lunch breaks can be quite long, usually from 1pm to 3pm. They are usually closed on Sundays, but you'll find that some which are open for a couple of hours. Most malls, however, are open on Sundays, such as Colombo (beside the Colegio Militar/Luz metro station), the Armazens do Chiado, the Vasco da Gama (beside the Oriente metro station), and Amoreiras (not far from the Marquês de Pombal metro station). Grocery stores are closed on Sundays, after 1PM, except those smaller than 2000m2.

You can buy a Lisbon Shopping Card, which gives you discounts at major stores around the city for a period of 24 hours.

From Praça do Comércio (aka Terreiro do Paço) to the Restauradores, the Baixa is the best shopping district in the city. Stroll along the pedestrian Rua Augusta, with everything from tourist stores to European chain clothing stores like Zara, H&M, Campers and many others.

• Sintra is a beautiful UNESCO World Heritage site village 30 minutes by car/train from Lisbon.

• Praia das Maçãs is a small and surprisingly calm seaside resort about 30km to the west.

• Azeitão some 30km South of Lisbon, this small region consists of a series of lovely villages, of which Vila Nogueira de Azeitão and Vila Fresca de Azeitão are the most well known. Azeitão stands between the Arrábida Nature Park and the coast. In the park you'll meet the last remains of the original Mediterranean flora. Also, there is the famous Convent of Arrábida to visit and the stunning views from its hills and at its peak.
  • Vila Nogueira de Azeitão - visit the beautiful Winery and palace "Quinta da Bacalhoa". Visit also the grand estate and winery of "José Maria da Fonseca". Igreja de São Lorenço with hand painted tile panels, gilded wood chapels and a Lucca Della Robbia medallion. Convent of S. Domingos
  • Vila Fresca de Azeitão