Lisbon

[MinDonner]

I'm going there for a few days in May. Anyone been? Then recommend me your favourite sights/activities/places to eat/etc etc! All travel tips welcome :D

[Liffguard]

I've been but it was a few years ago and I didn't get up to much touristy stuff. That said, the Rua de Augusta is pretty cool and worth seeing.

[Arkhangel]

It's a really beautiful city. A friend of a friend's brother used to give great pay-what-you-want walking tours there, I'll find out if he's still doing it if you like.

[Purity]

Hey, I'm Portuguese :) I can provide you with some tips if you like. I will nevertheless need to know which kind of things you'd go for. PM? :)

[S John]

I've been but it was a few years ago and I didn't get up to much touristy stuff. That said, the Rua de Augusta is pretty cool and worth seeing.

Same for me. My friend and I spent most of our couple of days there drinking beer at an outdoor cafe that was up on a hill and overlooked most of the city.

As I recall we also derived great joy amongst ourselves from thanking each other by purposely butchering (Americanizing?) the Portuguese 'obrigado' to avocado. Oh you brought me another beer? Avocado man. Avocado.

[The Iceman of the North]

The old town is a must, but it's hard to avoid, as well as the old castle. As for places to eat, I never found it hard to find good places to eat, you basically just stumble over them.

[Rubies & Jade]

Lisbon was beautiful, I spent 5 days there mostly just wandering around and following a tour guide for basic tourist spots. It was more than 15 years ago, though, so I'm not sure that places I went are still there or would be that helpful to you. I did find it a pretty easy place to navigate, though.

One place that did stick in my mind is a Tibetan restaurant that we went to like 3 times cause it was so stellar. I *think* it was this place, but like I said... I was there a long time ago!

Hope you have a great trip!

[Serious Callers Only]

Lisbon is generally dirty, crowded (where you'll be going anyway), hilly and boring. Go to Sintra or something, that's crowded and hilly but pretty and has some nice pastries to eat and you generally don't have to deal with masses of drunken and drugged teenagers every weekend night (not judging, i was occasionally one of them). If you disregard, there is a overpriced snack bar / club on top of the santa justa lift, i recommend the (overpriced) crepes. Also it sways in the wind and you have to climb a circular bands metal stair for the last few steps, which is nice for a bit of acrophobia to sharpen the appetite.

Edit, on second thought 'traditional' restaurants are all over. Maybe the calouste gulbenkian planetarium? Although i imagine that would be very boring if you'll compare it to something like the NYC planetarium, and it's a bit generic anyway.

[Filippa Eilhart]

Lisbon is generally dirty, crowded (where you'll be going anyway), hilly and boring.

It's definitely not boring. I loved Lisbon. We did all the touristy stuff so I won't be recommending anything novel, but it is really worth seeing - Alfama, Belem (including the monastery),the Santa Justa Lift, tram ride. We also went to the old Expo site for views of new architecture, it was quite cool. I will agree that a day trip to Sintra is a good idea.

As for food, we mostly relied on trip advisor and were not dissappointed. There was a thai place that was especially nice - this one I think.

[Zorral]

Visit Sintra, the ancient castle in the Mountains outside. It was originally the site of a -- get this, this is how old! -- a Phoenician lookout point. Lord Byron looked from the ramparts of this castle (to where the Portuguese royal family would retire in the hot months) across the grain plains, which scenes and his reflections while viewing them were included in his Childe Harald's Pilgrimage, Canto 18.

I just re-read that part of my Portuguese travel journal. :) I enjoyed intensely everything I experienced in Portugal, but this particularly excited me.

"Lo! Cintra's glorious Eden intervenes

In variegated maze of mount and glen.

Ah me! what hand can pencil guide, or pen,

To follow half on which the eye dilates

Through views more dazzling unto mortal ken

Than those whereof such things the bard relates,

Who to the awe-struck world unlocked Elysium's gates?"

I've been re-reading lately about the British army and Wellington in Portugal during the Peninsular War against Napoleon's forces. Having an outline of Portuguese history and Lisbon's made my visit there all the more enjoyable. And of course, the person I was with speaks excellent Portuguese, and knows the music very well, which also helped.

[MinDonner]

Belatedly posting again in here for the sake of posterity (ie. anyone who turns this thread up once the search is working again).

Lisbon was an awesome city, thoroughly enjoyed my trip and would recommend it to anyone - as long as you can cope with ALL THE HILLS. I thought "pfft, I've lived in Brighton, my house is on a hill, I know all about hills" - nope. HILLS.

Highlight: the day out at Sintra doing as many palaces as I could manage (four, in the end). And the highlight of THOSE, as anyone on my FB will already know, was this: the CULTIST ADVENTURE GARDENS. They're not actually called that. All the guidebooks seem to mysteriously play this place down; there'll be a short paragraph going "oh yeah and this other palace that was built by an eccentric billionaire and has some tunnels and an interesting well" zzzz so I had no idea what I was letting myself in for.

There are SECRET TUNNELS. Which lead to tiny spiral staircases which come out onto battlements, or grottoes full of statues of greek gods, or the crypts of the chapel. There are stepping stones across the lake, unsignposted, which go round a corner and into another network of (mostly unlit) tunnels, which in turn lead to the base of a giant well with a spiral staircase round the edge. And at the top, the exit is concealed by a revolving stone door hidden among some fake rocks. This place was like being in a real-life computer game; I kept expecting to find chests and possibly a save-point before a final boss battle. The grounds are roughly pentagon-shaped, and the house itself was apparently built to some arcane alchemical principles and is topped by freaky fucking gargoyles; the guy who built it was basically a Portuguese version of the guy who built that skyscraper in Ghostbusters. Quinta da Regaleira! Everyone needs to go there!

Aside from that... the old town was cute, Belem Tower was worth a visit, the Aquarium was outstanding. And back at Sintra, Pena and Monserrate palaces were also brilliant (in a magnificently tacky way); didn't really rate the National Palace in comparison. Would definitely put Lisbon up there as one of my favourite places in Europe now.

[Jon AS]

Highlight: the day out at Sintra doing as many palaces as I could manage (four, in the end). And the highlight of THOSE, as anyone on my FB will already know, was this: the CULTIST ADVENTURE GARDENS. They're not actually called that. All the guidebooks seem to mysteriously play this place down; there'll be a short paragraph going "oh yeah and this other palace that was built by an eccentric billionaire and has some tunnels and an interesting well" zzzz so I had no idea what I was letting myself in for.

There are SECRET TUNNELS. Which lead to tiny spiral staircases which come out onto battlements, or grottoes full of statues of greek gods, or the crypts of the chapel. There are stepping stones across the lake, unsignposted, which go round a corner and into another network of (mostly unlit) tunnels, which in turn lead to the base of a giant well with a spiral staircase round the edge. And at the top, the exit is concealed by a revolving stone door hidden among some fake rocks. This place was like being in a real-life computer game; I kept expecting to find chests and possibly a save-point before a final boss battle. The grounds are roughly pentagon-shaped, and the house itself was apparently built to some arcane alchemical principles and is topped by freaky fucking gargoyles; the guy who built it was basically a Portuguese version of the guy who built that skyscraper in Ghostbusters. Quinta da Regaleira! Everyone needs to go there.

That does sound awesome. Makes me regret not visiting that place when I was at Sintra some years ago. Though Lisbon is definitely worth revisiting at some point in my life, so maybe I'll get another chance to see it. Provided I can still remember this post then.

[Gears of the Beast]

Shame I missed this thread when it was relevant, I would have definitely recommended the Calouste Gulbenkian museum. It's fucking fantastic. I'm not really an aquarium person but the otters really won me over. After your description I'm kinda sad I missed the 'cultist adventure gardens'. It's definitely on my list if I ever go again.