UltimateCity Guide Lisbon
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Stories from Lisbon, Portugal

Every story, long read and guide in the ULTIMATE Lisbon City Guide, in one place.

Culture

Arts + Culture

All of Arts & Culture

Calouste Gulbenkian’s collection, the tiles of the Madre de Deus, opera at São Carlos and fado in Alfama.

The royal box and gilded tiers of the Teatro Nacional de São CarlosArts + CultureArts & Culture in LisbonMuseums, tiles, opera and fado

Areas

Lisbon, hill by hill

Seven quarters, each with its own guide: the grid of the Baixa and the cafés of Chiado, Alfama’s stairways under the castle, Príncipe Real’s palaces, the Avenida, Belém on the river, the embassy streets of Lapa and the Expo city of the Parque das Nações.

The Rua Augusta Arch and the yellow arcades of the Praça do Comércio under a blue skyNeighbourhood guideChiado & the BaixaCafés, theatres and the river squareThe walls of the Castelo de São Jorge and its pines above the rooftops of the old cityNeighbourhood guideAlfama & the CastleStairways, fado and viewpointsThe Castelo de São Jorge on its hill above the rooftops of the BaixaNeighbourhood guidePríncipe Real & the Bairro AltoPalaces, gardens and late barsThe tree-lined promenade and water channel of the Avenida da Liberdade, with patterned pavingNeighbourhood guideThe Avenida da LiberdadeThe grand boulevardThe Tower of Belém on the Tagus under a blue sky with white cloudsNeighbourhood guideBelémThe monastery and the tower

On foot

Lisbon is a city of hills: walk downhill whenever you can, and let Tram 28 or the Metro carry you back up.

  1. Neighbourhood guideLapa, Estrela & SantosPalaces and old masters
  2. Neighbourhood guideThe Parque das NaçõesThe river city of Expo 98

Practical

Before you go

Arrival by Metro from the airport, the lifts that are closed this year, booking Belém, and three days that work for a first visit.

The Rua Augusta Arch and the yellow arcades of the Praça do Comércio under a blue skyBefore you goLisbon essentialsEntry, the tourist tax, the lifts and 112The tree-like steel canopy over the platforms of the Gare do OrienteGetting aroundGetting aroundThe airport, the Metro, trams and trainsLisbon’s red roofs falling to the Tagus, with the dome of the National Pantheon and the church of São Vicente de Fora under a clear blue skyItineraryLisbon in three daysBelém, Alfama, Chiado and the GulbenkianA suite at the Verride Palácio with white rococo stucco, a carved marble fireplace and an arched mirrorLuxury guideLUX LivingThe finest addressesThe lobby lounge of the Four Seasons Hotel Ritz Lisbon: velvet sofas, a tapestry, orchids and a sweeping staircaseItineraryThe Gold weekendThe Ritz, CURA and Belcanto
  1. ItineraryThe Platinum weekendVerride, Belém and Fifty Seconds

Our advice

Check the lifts before you climb

Carris lists the Glória, Bica, Lavra and Santa Justa lifts as closed in 2026, with replacement buses. Check carris.pt on the day, and wear flat shoes with grip for the polished pavements. Lisbon essentials

Day trips

Beyond Lisbon

Sintra’s palaces and the coast at Cascais are a train ride away; Comporta and the Alentejo lie south and east across the Tagus, and Óbidos to the north.

The red and yellow Pena Palace on its wooded peak above SintraBeyond LisbonSintraPalaces in the forestThe Santa Marta lighthouse and a seaside villa in Cascais at duskBeyond LisbonCascais & EstorilThe coast by trainHolm oaks, vineyards and golden fields of the Alentejo plainBeyond LisbonComportaRice fields and dunesThe Corinthian columns of the Roman temple in Évora under a blue skyBeyond LisbonÉvora & the AlentejoA Roman temple and the wine plainA cobbled lane of whitewashed houses with bougainvillea inside the walls of ÓbidosBeyond LisbonÓbidosA walled town

Our advice

Start Sintra early

Take an early train from the Rossio, book a timed slot for Pena on parquesdesintra.pt, and choose two palaces rather than four. Sintra

In depth

Lisbon in depth

The great sights, the table, the arts and fado, the hotels, the railways and where to buy: the stories behind Lisbon.

Greater flamingos feeding on the Tagus mud at sunrise, from the Parque Papa Francisco in LisbonIn depth: nature & wildlifeWild LisbonFlamingos, dolphins and the TagusSardines grilling over charcoalThe back storyLisbon at the tableBelcanto, Bibs and the cervejariasThe gilded church of the Madre de Deus at the Museu Nacional do Azulejo, with blue-and-white tile panelsThe back storyTiles, fado and the GulbenkianLisbon’s arts

At the counter

Eat the pastel de nata warm, with a dusting of cinnamon, standing at the counter with a bica.

  1. The back storyWhere Lisbon sleepsPalaces, the Avenida and the river

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