Welcome to Lisbon !

Lisbon is a historical capital city with 800 years of cultural influences that mingle with modern trends and lifestyles creating intricate and spectacular contrasts which are spread across its seven hills, which give it a view over the majestic Tagus River.
Over the years, Lisbon has grown into a cosmopolitan destination, due to the quality and variety of new and renovated hotels, an increasing number of conference centres, multi-functional venues, excellent international flight connections, trendy restaurants, varied cultural agenda, and a lively nightlife.
Lisbon has positioned itself strategically, over the past decade, as the Atlantic capital of Europe and is endowed with the modern equipment, infrastructure and logistical facilities to host large events and international congresses.
Moreover, it is the only European capital with sandy beaches, which are within 20 minutes from the cobbled streets of Lisbon's city centre. There are also the luxuriant hills of nearby Sintra, an oasis of lush parks dotted with fairytale palaces, and Estoril, a cosmopolitan resort with Victorian-era charm. Lisbon is highly regarded among Europe's major cities with quality accommodation at competitive rates and is an open-minded city thanks to centuries of cross-cultural influences from across the oceans. It is a city where everyone can feel at home.

Facts & Figures

Population: Approx. 550,000 within its administrative limits and 2,800,000 within the greater Lisbon region.

Location:
The westernmost capital in Continental Europe.
Distance to Porto: 320 km
Distance to Algarve: 290 km
Distance to Madrid: 630 km

Travel:
By air: Lisbon Portela International Airport (LIS)
By road: Lisbon is connected with the highways A1, A3 and A25
By rail: From Europe, TGV routes to France/Spanish border and Sud Express route to Lisbon

Time: Greenwich Mean Time (GMT).

Climate: Lisbon has a subtropical-Mediterranean climate – at the beginning of October average daytime temperatures are ~24ºC (75ºF) and the sea ~16°C (60°F)

Dialing code: + 351

Currency: Euro (€)

Weather:

Due to the influence of the Atlantic Ocean, Lisbon has a pleasant climate throughout the year: comfortable summers and lots of warm sunshine in the winter.
For the first week of October the actual maximum temperature has been on average 24ºC and the minimum temperature on average 15ºC, and it can reach as high as 28ºC or 29ºC.

Cuisine

Portuguese cuisine is mainly made up of fish or meat. Of the soups, Sopa de Mariscos, a fish soup, and the Sopa de Legumes are particularly good. Cod, ‘bacalhau’ in Portuguese, is one of the most traditional ingredients of Portuguese cuisine, it can be served in hundred of ways: ‘assado’ (fried with potato), ‘cozido’ (boiled) or baked with potatoes and onions. Sardines are also popular, especially when grilled as ‘sardinhas assadas’.

Octopus, squid, crab, shrimp, lobster, hake, mackerel (scad), lamprey, sea bass, scabbard (especially in the islands) and a variety of shellfish are used in Portuguese cuisine. ‘Caldeirada’ is a stew consisting of a variety of fish and shellfish with potatoes, tomato, and onion.

Açorda de Mariscos is a very traditional dish made with bread and seafood. Of the meat dishes: ‘bife com batatas’ (steak with potatoes), ‘leitão assado’ (roast pork), roasted chicken or ‘cabrito’ (goat), and ‘carne de porco à Alentejana’, which is a combination of pork and seafood, are particularly good. There is a wide variety of Portuguese cheeses, especially those made from goat or sheep’s milk, like ‘Queijo de Azeitão’, ‘Queijo de Castelo Branco’ and ‘Queijo da Serra da Estrela’.

The portuguese desserts, especially those made with eggs, are very appreciated.
The Pasteis de Belem are a world famous custard cream cake.

Transportation

Within the city, the major transportation companies – Carris and Metro – cover the entire city with regular buses, trams and subway services. Apart from these transportation companies, there are more than 3500 taxis operating in Lisbon.

• Subway Ticket 0,90 € www.metrolisboa.pt
• Bus Ticket 1,75 € www.carris.pt

The Carris network operates daily between 5:30am and 12:30pm, including a night time service (after 9:00pm).

Every day there is a special service named 'Aerobus', which operates four buses. This line connects the Airport to the city centre. It is a service with a special fare (only tickets sold onboard by the driver are valid) and runs every 20 minutes, between 7:40am and 8:45pm.

The Lisbon subway has four main lines (blue, yellow, green and red).

Banks

Portugal official currency is the Euro.

Portugal has a national network of cash machines (ATMs) identified by the symbol MB (Multibanco), from which it is possible to withdraw cash 24 hours a day.

In Portugal, the most commonly used credit cards are: Visa, American Express, Diners Club, Europay / MasterCard, JCB and Maestro. Banks are open from 8.30 a.m. to 3 p.m. five working days a week.

USEFUL INFORMATION

Electricity Voltage

220/380 volts at a frequency of 50 Hertz.
All sockets follow European standards.
To use American-type plugs, a 220-volt transformer should be used together with an adapter plug.

Shoping Hours

Shops are open from Monday-Friday, from 9:00 or 10:00 am to 7:00pm.
Some close for lunch from 1:00pm to 3:00 pm.
On Saturdays from January to November, shops generally close at 1:00pm though in city centres some are open in the afternoon. There are plenty of shopping centres inside and outside the city which are usually open from 10:00am to midnight seven days a week.

Shopping places

Avenida da Liberdade
Lisbon’s biggest avenue, located in the city centre is the city’s most exclusive shopping street; Famous international brands and major national brands have their shops on this avenue.

Amoreiras Shopping Centre
Opened in 1985, it was the first shopping centre in Lisbon. With a unique architectural impact on the city, Amoreiras Shopping Centre was awarded the Portuguese Valmor Prize and the Municipal Architecture Prize in 1993.

Vasco da Gama Shopping Centre
Located in the East part of Lisbon, ten minutes from the city centre and five minutes from the Airport, it opened in 1998 for the Expo’98 world exhibition.

Baixa and Chiado areas
Some of the oldest shopping areas of Lisbon with a great variety of shops and restaurants in downtown Lisbon and one of the adjacent hills.

Important Sights

São Jorge Castle
A Moorish castle which occupies a commanding position overlooking the city of Lisbon.

Tower of Belem
It is an UNESCO World Heritage Site because of the significant role it played in the Portuguese maritime discoveries during the Age of Discoveries.

Monastery of Jerónimos
One of the most prominent monuments of the Manueline-style architecture and classified as an UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Avenida da Liberdade
The city’s most exclusive shopping street.

Belém area
Within walking distance there are several important sights like the Monastery of Jeronimos, the Belem Cultural Centre, Museu de Marinha, Museu dos Coches, the Discoveries Monument and also the world famous Pasteis de Belem café.

Gulbenkian Foundation
Within some beautiful gardens are housed two world class museums: the Gulbenkian Museum and the Modern Art Centre.

Museu dos Coches
It houses a collection which is considered unique in the world because of the artistic variety of the magnificent ceremonial vehicles from the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, as well as the number of examples.

Sé Cathedral
The oldest cathedral in Lisbon, built in 1147.

Alfama Borough
The oldest district of Lisbon, which is located on the southern slope from the Castle of São Jorge to the Tagus river.

Baixa – Downtown
The Pombaline Baixa is an elegant district, primarily constructed after the 1755 Lisbon earthquake, taking its name from its benefactor, the First Marquess of Pombal.

Post Offices

In general, post offices are open from Monday to Friday, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m

Schedules

• Opening hours in Portugal are similar to those in the rest of Europe.
• The visitor has access to all normal services at any time of the day and on all days of the week - not only in       Lisbon, but also in the rest of the country.
• Pharmacies keep the same opening hours as the rest of the shops but, in order to guarantee 24-hour service,       some stay open after 7 p.m. Generally speaking, restaurants are open for lunch from 12 mid-day to 3.p.m       and for dinner from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.
• Cinemas begin at around lunch-time, and at some cinemas there are sessions until 2a.m.
• Theatres and other shows usually start between 9 p.m. and 10 p.m

Working Hours

• Buses: Every day - 24 hours.
• Underground: Every day 6.30 a.m. - 1 a.m.
• Banks: Monday-Friday 8.30 a.m. - 3 p.m.
• Shopping Centres: Every day 10 a.m. - 12 midnight
• Shops: Monday -Friday 9 a.m. - 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. - 7 p.m. Sat. 9 a.m. - 7 p.m.
• Embassies: Monday - Friday 9 a.m. - 3 p.m.
• Post Offices: Monday - Friday 8.30 a.m. - 6.30 p.m.
• Pharmacies: Monday - Friday 9 a.m. - 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. - 7 p. m.
• Meal times: Lunch: 12 mid-day - 2 p.m. | Dinner: 8 p.m. - 10 p.m

PSP Police – Tourism Police

Palácio Foz - Praça dos Restauradores
Tel.: +351 213 421 634 / +351 213 421 623