Bairro Alto, Portugal

For an authentic stay in Lisbon, rent an appartment in the Bairro Alto area. It is a feasible and inexpensive alternative to a stay at a hotel. We rented one through www.lissabon-altstadt.de, but there are other companies also. We had a lovely stay in a cosy appartment in the middle of all the cafes, bars and restaurants... The area is a bit worn out, but that's what makes it so charming. It may get a bit noisy at nights over the weekend, as this is where the night life is...

Bairro Alto is best described as the old town area of Lisbon. It's filled with bars, cafes and restaurants thus being one of the most feverish areas of the city. Despite the occasional drug dealers on the streets at night time the area seems rather safe. If you're looking for places to do some shopping, Bairro Alto is probably your best bet.

Costa da Caparica is an 8km long sandy beach by the Atlantic ocean. It's only a half an hour bus drive away from the center of Lisbon (busses leave from Praça de Espanha) and is definitely worth visiting if you happen to be in the area and enjoy beach life. A mini train runs along the beach every half an hour and takes you to any part of the beach you like.

This huge aquarium is divided into four different sections which each present the flora and fauna of different parts of the world:indian, pacific, north atlantic and antarctica. In the middle of these sections lies an impressive 5000m3 aquarium which contains hundreds of different species including sharks and rays. The most bizarre creature in the tank is the sunfish (see picture). If you're not interested in the aquarium itself, you should still visit the area since it is one of the nicest parts of Lisbon.

User attached a link to oceanario.pt

Take the train from Lisbon to Cascais. It is going to set you back less than 2€ and the scenery on the way is good. So it is well worth the money.

Cascais itself is really tranquil place. The fishing ships in the harbor are colorful and the cafes and restaurants are really cozy.

Walk from Cascais to Estoril is about 2km and it follows the coast line with beautiful views and nice small restaurants that serve fresh fish. Highly recommended.

"Costa" is also a great place to chill out for a good drink and friendly chitchat at sunset. The atmosphere in the local beach bars is great and people are super friendly

This cheap 2 stars hotel is really located in the city centre. Rooms are simple, but ok. Prices don´t include breakfast, but it didn´t matter -> eating out is cheap. Friendly staff (2 old and grey gentlemen).

Turim Iberia hotel was cheap and luxurious for its price. They sometimes have good offers, at least during summertime.

This is a great place to enjoy regular Portuguese food and desserts. However, what is best about this place is that it is open until late - they close only at about midnight and you might still get something to take away slightly after midnight. The food is also very affordable.

Great for kids and adults alike. You can find all kinds of fishes and other animals that live in the sea. The whole tour will take you about an hour.

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Cascais-Estoril is not cheap, but it is well worth a visit. There´s an excellent train connection to Lisbon (Cais de Sodre station). There are many well-preserved hotels from days-gone-by when only the very rich would stroll along the waterfront and take their teas at the Palacio Hotel.

From the top level of this Santa Justa elevator is beautiful view over the city. There are two more levels in the elevator tower, so you have to take iron spiral stairs up. From here you can see e.g. the castle of Sao Jorge.

One of those places, where you can count on someone to appear to guide you if you open a map. Even the meanest-looking bouncer turns out to be very helpful if you just seem to look a bit lost.

Nice little fisher village with nice hotels and golf courses nearby. Good seafood restaurants with fresh fish, you can also party all night and drink sangria at the local restaurants. Do rent a car and visit the other nearby villages also.

A great fish restaurant at Belém, Lisbon is Nune's Real Marisqueira, R. Bartolomeu Dias, 120. It's not a long walk from the culture centre, away from the city centre.

Old european city... culture, food and shopping.

Visit the "Clube de Fado" for a nice dinner and some live fado

This boutique is for all the persons who like to make jewellery. You find here all kinds of beads, pearls, supplies, ect.

I was in heaven when went this boutique! As a jewellery fanatic person I found lots of bying. This time I bought one necklace, one ring and one bracelet. I fiddled with everything, but luckily my friend found something to her as well.

First, take good shoes, not highheels. The ground is irregular, everywhere are small, discrete stones. You can take a tram up to the castle. It´s a huge castle. Take a walk around it. If it´s hot day, you can have a rest in the shade of trees. From there are very good views over the city, so take a camera with you!

This is a cafe and the place to buy those famous "pasteis de Belem" which are custard tards. So delicious, so you should buy many at the same time. Because this is the original place to buy pasteis de Belem, you have to prepare to queue for your custard tards. It´s not unusual that the queue can go outside to the street.

Okay, it costs 5€ but is worth it. The thing is to climb all over the walls and admire the red sea of rooftops of the city. Some local musicians and bands are performing their little shows here and there.

Esperanca happened to be about the only restaurant in BA area that was open on sundays. Lucky us! Despite it was filled with families and screaming children, the food was excellent! Fresh pasta pomodoros and pizzas. Ayeyeye!