There is more to Portugal than the Algarve - visit Lisbon

Advantages: Easy to get around and different quirky places to visit, everyone speaks English
Disadvantages: The City seems a bit 'faded glory'- places uncared for and tired

...what we would see on the way going across the Serra do Caldeirao and which regions we would pass through and then as it was early she said she would be quiet until nearer Lisbon. As we approached Lisbon she told us about the toll on the A22 and the various industries approaching Lisbon and the fact that we would go into Lisbon over the April 25th Bridge and see the huge statue of Christo Rei which is a bit like the Corcovado in Rio and overlooks the city of Lisbon from a great height. This bridge was the first to cross the Tejo and was originally called Saladar Bridge until the coup overthrew the Fascist dictator Saladar in 1974 and Portugal became a democratic Republic. The Portuguese are justifiably proud of this bridge and liken it to the Golden Gate bridge of San Francisco which is does resemble to be fair. We drove over the bridge...

catsholiday 21.06.2009 · Read review
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Review of Lisbon (Portugal)

Loquacious Lisbon

Advantages: A Vibrant City with a Cosmopolitan Atmosphere
Disadvantages: A bit hilly for some

...Lisbon or Lisboa is the capital of Portugal and enjoys a marvellous position. To the northeast of the city the River Tagus opens out to form the shining Mar de Palha (sea of straw). The city stands on the northwest bank of this lake just before it narrows and flows out into the Atlantic Ocean. For miles and miles, homes, factories, warehouses and port installations carpet the steep hills and valleys along the estuary. Lisbon is sometimes called the Cidade Branca, the White City but actually its colour is really a matt pastel shade. The best view of the city can be enjoyed from one of the many excellent fish restaurants in Cacilhas on the south bank of the river. Between Alfama (see my review), the labyrinth of narrow alleys on the citadel hill, and the elevated Bairro Alto, lies the flat plain of the city centre, the Cidade Baixa...

Praski 28.09.2009 · Read review
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Review of Lisbon (Portugal)

A long weekend in Lisbon

Advantages: Reasonably priced, lots to do, good food, great architecture
Disadvantages: Not really any

...We visited Lisbon this September having decided to go there instead of Rome. It has to be said that we were initially motivated by the fact that an equivalent holiday- same number of days, same rating of accommodation- was about HALF the price of Rome. Lisbon is a fascinating place, the overall impression being of a city of great style and architecture, the ancient (colossal old buildings, grubby but striking statues and monuments) rubbing shoulders with the modern (great trains and tube, some flashy restaurants). It may be because of this that it took a little getting used to. We arrived on the Saturday evening- admittedly a little late following various delays with the flight and then the bus, which became stuck in rush hour traffic- at our hotel, the Travel Pak in the Anjos area of the city. We ventured out to see if we could...

bagoproverbial 28.09.2007 · Read review
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Review of Lisbon (Portugal)

Lisbon - Capital City On A Human Scale

Advantages: Plenty to see, good food, the trams, nice people
Disadvantages: Can't think of any, unless you count having a really odd-sounding language!

...I?ve been to Portugal before, both the more popular Algarve in the south and some quieter regions in the far north on the border with Galicia in Spain. I?ve even been to Oporto, its other major city, but somehow, the capital, Lisbon, had always eluded me. Up until the weekend of the ?Glasgow Airport Security Alert? that is ? can I pick a great time to be dependant on planes or what? If there?s one thing more uncertain than how it will affect getting there, it?s wondering how it will affect getting home! Courtesy of some creative accounting at my wife?s school they ended up with a four day break, Friday being a ?SATS marking day? (my wife had done hers), and Monday being a bona fide ?occasional day?, which is not to be sniffed at since it?s an opportunity for those tied to school holidays by marriage, (i.e. me) to take a break when...

BNibbles 14.07.2007 (29.07.2007) · Read review
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Review of Lisbon (Portugal)

Lovely Lisbon

Advantages: a really nice city
Disadvantages: none

...interested in shopping go to the Bairro Alto (high quarter) opposite the castle hill, an area which is a bit elegant but not too much. Lisbon is rather shabby, many façades want painting, the pavements all over the city are covered with small square cobble stones and you won´t find 100m without a hole so that you always have to look down in order not to stumble and fall. It´s not dirty, though, on the contrary, hardly any dogs around, in one week I didn´t see more than 15 (and not a single cat!), so hardly any dog poop, hardly any graffiti on the walls, the underground spick and span although with the exception of junctions all stations are without staff (there are automatic ticket machines). Lisbon is obviously poor but well kept, it exudes the charme of having seen better days. What else is there to do? Portugal has about 10 million...

MALU 02.08.2005 · Read review
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Review of Lisbon (Portugal)

Lisbon - vibrant and relaxing

Advantages: Pretty easy to get to from UK
Disadvantages: Lots to see not enough time!

...Lisboa, as the locals call their city ? Lisbon to us British types ? was my latest holiday destination. Literally just returned at the time of writing (well 22 hours ago). We were looking for somewhere no too far away, warmer than the UK and reasonably priced. A friend had told me that Portugal was pretty inexpensive in terms of a holiday location. So, given that I plan to visit all European capital cities, I figured I?d add Lisbon to my list of those visited. Lisbon is situated on the banks of the River Tagus to the southern end of Portugal.. It?s also the capital city of Portugal ? which I?m pretty sure the majority of readers already knew! Getting there We flew from Edinburgh to Heathrow, then onwards to Lisbon. The journey took around 5 hours and included 1 and a half hours between flights in Heathrow. We flew...

John1958 25.02.2005 · Read review
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Review of Lisbon (Portugal)

Lisbon with public transports

Advantages: Sightseeings starts at 3 Euros a day
Disadvantages: Avoid rush hours!

...at www.lisboacultural.pt and also extra info about lisbon at the city hall web site at www.cm-lisboa.pt for information on activities in Lisbon and Portugal you can search from one of our diary newspaper at: http://lazer.publico.pt Now some usefull expressions in Portuguese: Good morning - Bom dia Good afternoon - Boa tarde Good night - Boa noite Thank you - Obrigado How much is it? - Quanto custa? I want to go to... - Quero ir para... Where is... - Onde é... I want a coffee please. - Um café por favor. One - Um Two - Dois Ticket - Bilhete Speak English? - Fala Inglês? If you need any further information fromLisbon,museums or transports,please leave a comment and I'll be glad to give you further information. By the way... for hotels there's a lot of information available at the net, but if you need specific information...

jtogando 15.08.2004 (15.05.2005) · Read review
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Review of Lisbon (Portugal)

A wonderful city.

Advantages: Picturesque city full of character. Wonderful architecture.
Disadvantages: Traffic, street peddlers.

...Lisbon, or Lisboa as the locals know it, capital of Portugal, is an elegant city on the banks of the river Tagus. As the birthplace of the age of discovery, Lisbon has as you might expect its fair share of grandieuse architecture dating to the 16th and 17th Centuries. Add to this, a wealthy centre of Catholicism, and you have perhaps one of the finest old cities in the World. Below follows a rough guide as to where to go in Lisbon. Flight from the UK with British Airways can be found from about £150 upwards during the holiday season. None of the budget airlines visit as yet (nearest is Faro). Lisbon Airport is a short distance(4km) away from the city, and is where the majority of international tourists enter the country. It is a pleasant, modern airport, of not too great a size, so navigating it, should not be too much of a drain...

DashOfMooo 20.01.2004 · Read review
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Review of Lisbon (Portugal)

  Portugal's Costa do Sol

Advantages: A Stretch of Coastline with Villas and Architecture from a Ggolden Era
Disadvantages: None

...Estoril and its coastline has always been a favourite getaway for me especially when I worked in Lisbon and still to this day is somewhere I love to visit even though the area has changed a great deal with time. When I first visited Portugal's Cost do Sol over 20 years ago the area had what I can only describe as a 'Miss Faversham look.' It was run down and jaded around the edges. Beautiful villas had been left to decay when their owners fled during the Revolution. I remember walking through private lanes looking at these beautiful ornate buildings with windows broken, overgrown gardens and gates falling off their hinges. Gypsies had taken refuge in many a property, children playing in the streets while scrawny cats jumped into turned over bins. Even though there was a sadness to the area part of the resort had enormous charm and made...

Praski 06.05.2009 · Read review
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Review of Cascais-Estoril (Portugal)

Graceful Portugal

Advantages: Relaxing, hot, beautiful scenery
Disadvantages: very steep streets, mad drivers

...I went on my first holiday aboard in 20yrs last year, with my sister, her husband, and their family - to Portugal, we stayed in an apartment complex a few miles out of Lagos - We were only there for a week and had a day trip into Lagos - we caught the local bus, which was air conditioned, but was a bit rickerty, the journey took us about 40mins, through very narrow streets in places. At one point we thought the bus would not make it, but it limped and got us there. It cost us the equivalent of £2.00 each on the bus. Once there the main highway boarding along the coast and the marina is very wide and very busy, there are many crossing along the road, which you can us to cross safely and go into the town. We walked along the front, where you go to many little coves and swim in the sea - which is the most beautiful blue. One...

arnoldhenryrufus 17.07.2005 · Read review
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Review of Lagos (Portugal)