Lisbon is a melting pot of cultures, flavours and spices. Lisbon is built on hills looking over the River Tagus. Modern and cosmopolitan, it is a great centre of culture and tourism, and a pleasure to discover on foot. Add to that its cultural diversity, laid-back feel and architectural time warp, and you have one of the most enjoyable cities in Europe.
Clean skies and the softness of its light are an integral part of the charm of this city. Seen from the river - one of the city's many great viewpoints - Lisbon is an impressionist picture of low-rise ochre and pastel, punctuated by church towers and domes.
Several neighbourhoods offer interesting shopping areas of local flavour. Large, modern shopping malls with wide opening hours and easy access by public transport are also very popular.
One of the traditional centres of Lisbon's nightlife is Bairro Alto, with its fado houses, restaurants and dozens of bars and clubs. After the riverside area was remodelled for Expo98, night life in Lisbon gained a new dimension both on east and west fronts.
People who want to get away from the city centre, however, can go with modern railways to Sintra or to Estoril and Cascais, about 30km away, with beautiful landscapes, urban settings and nice restaurants and bars.
Lisbon is a city that receives yearly a large number of visitors, both in business and leisure. Its offer of hotels is very strong, in all price categories, including some charming traditional units as well as large ones from most international chains.
Public Transport in Lisbon has recently undergone great improvements and includes underground, suburban trains and ferries, low floor buses and light rail, while maintaining in operation a small set of old tramway lines, among which the famous line 28, one of the icons of the city.
Day and Multi-day passes are available to enjoy the full public transport network without hassle.
For more information about Lisbon and tips on what to see, please visit the Tourism Bureau website: http://www.visitlisboa.com/
