Mouraria, Graça & intendente At the other end of tramline 28 is Graça, a bustling, quintessentially Lisbon area atop one of the tallest hills. A leafy terrace in front of the baroque Convento da Graça is one of the best places to enjoy a drink with a view. Tumbling down the hill is the medieval Arab neighborhood of Mouraria, whose maze of alleys echoes to the sound of fado. It leads down to Intendente, once a seedy red-light district, now fast upcoming, particularly around Largo do Intendente Pina Manique, home to the tiled facade of Viúva Lamego, one of the city’s best ceramic stores. Largo Martin Moniz is a focus for Lisbon’s Chinese and South Asian communities; around it are Asian groceries and some tasty hole-in-the-wall eateries.
Parque das NaÇÕes Strung out along the Tagus at Lisbon’s northeastern extremity, Parque das Nações is a modernist counterpoint to the city’s retro charms. It holds Lisbon’s most-visited attraction, the Oceanário, one of the world’s biggest and best aquariums, containing a panoply of sea life from huge rays to tiny fluorescent jellyfish. The whole neighborhood was developed on a former industrial site for the 1998 World’s Fair. Among all the architecture is an interactive science museum that kids will love, a big shopping mall, casino, theaters showcasing dance and music, towering hotels, and some first-class riverside restaurants.
Getting Around
Central Lisbon is relatively compact and walking is a joy, although because of the hills it can be hard on the feet. There’s a clean, safe, and efficient subway system, and the trams and buses can be a delight to ride through the historic streets. Traffic gets jammed at rush hour, driving in narrow old town streets is challenging, and parking hard to find except in expensive parking lots. Public transport is a better option. Taxis are plentiful, easy to hail, and cheap compared to many other European cities. Uber and other ride-hailing services are available. Ferries can take you to destinations across the Tagus, and suburban trains run out to Cascais and Sintra. There’s a plethora of tourist-related transport options: from tuk-tuks to bikes and electronic scooters.
One Card, Many Rides
For most modes of public transport in Lisbon and surrounding areas, you can use the Viva Viagem card, which can be bought at ticket booths and machines at metro stations as well as the post office, most newsagents, and other shops bearing MOB and Payshop logos. They cost just 0.50€ and can be charged up with amounts from 3€ to 40€ through a system called zapping. Using the card, a single ride costs 1.31€. The amount is deducted from your card when you touch it on a contact pad as you enter and leave metro or train station platforms, or board the bus. In comparison, a single ticket for the metro costs 1.45€ and a bus ride is 2€ if you buy a ticket on board. The cards can also be used on suburban trains like those heading to Cascais and Sintra, ferry boats crossing the Tagus river, and Lisbon’s iconic trams and funiculars. You must buy a card for each person traveling. They are valid for a year, if you are planning a return trip. Alternatively, you can buy a daily card offering unlimited 24-hour travel for 6.40€ for the bus, street car, and metro, or 10.55€ if you add suburban train services, for example to Cascais and Sintra. Avoid buying your ticket at the ever-crowded Cais do Sodré railway station.
Metro The Metro (www.metrolisboa.pt), Lisbon’s clean and modern subway, is the quickest and easiest way to get around. There are four lines identified by colors: red, yellow, blue, and green. Many of the metro stations are clad in tiles decorated by modern artists and are attractions in their own right. The Olaias, Parque, and Cidade Universitária stations are recommended. The Metro operates daily from 6:30am to 1am.
Bus, Tram, Train & Ferry The city bus company Carris (www.carris.pt) runs an extensive network that gets to places the metro doesn’t reach. Carris also runs street cars (eléctricos), often using little yellow trollies dating back to the early 1900s, which have become a major attraction for visitors (annoying regular users who often find them too crowded on their commute to work). Other public transport options include the suburban rail lines run by the CP rail company (www.cp.pt) departing from Cais do Sodré station for the beach resorts of the Cascais coast, and to Sintra from Rossio station. For a cheap, off-the-beaten track adventure and great views of Lisbon, take the little orange ferry boats or fast catamarans that leave from Cais do Sodré, Terreiro do Paço, and Belém to the south bank of the Tagus.
Funiculars & Elevators Carris runs a trio of cute funiculars that will haul you up to elevated districts: Glória, which goes from Praça dos Restauradores to Rua São Pedro de Alcântara; Bica, from Rua da Boavista in Santos to the Bairro Alto; and Lavra, from the eastern side of Avenida da Liberdade to Campo Mártires da Pátria. There’s also the Elevador de Santa Justa, an iron landmark constructed in 1902 and a stylish way (although you’ll have to queue) to rise from Baixa to Chiado. A pair of newer elevators will take you from Baixa to Castelo (they aren’t so picturesque, but are free and will save your feet).
Taxis & Ride Hire Taxis are plentiful, relatively cheap and easily hailed in the street in all but the busiest times. A 15-minute trip from riverside Praça do Comércio to the cool Campo de Ourique neighborhood will cost around 5€, for example. For a radio taxi, call
See also “Fast Facts” on p. 471.
Currency Exchange Currency-exchange booths at the Santa Apolónia station and at the airport are open 24 hours a day. But ATMs run by the Multibanco network offer better rates. They operate in English, and there are almost 3,000 around the city.
Dentists Among dental practices orientated to foreign visitors are: São Dente (www.saodente.pt;
Drugstores Pharmacies (farmácias) normally open Monday to Friday 9am to 7pm, and Saturdays 9am to 1pm. Most in the center will have staff who speak English. A list of “farmácias de serviço” that stay open late and on Sundays are listed on the windows of all pharmacies and on the website www.farmaciasdeservico.net.
Hospitals & Doctors The U.S. embassy has a list of hospitals and doctors: (https://pt.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen-services/doctors). Good private hospitals include Hospital da Luz (www.hospitaldaluz.pt;
Internet Access Lisbon is a wired-up city. Most restaurants, cafes, and hotels have free Wi-Fi (just ask for the password). There’s also free Wi-Fi on buses, the metro, and in several