Looking for your next adventure? This Lisbon city guide will have you daydreaming of cobbled streets, stunning coastal vistas, and charming historic quarters.
Surrounded by seven scenic hills with cobbled streets, grand squares and ornate Manueline buildings Lisbon is one of Europe’s prettiest and buzziest capital cities. The colourful ‘azulejos’ tiles, warm pasteis de nata (custard tarts) and colourful ceramics make this city a never-ending delight. Stay in a beautifully converted monastery, listen to your favourite album in a new speakeasy bar and visit some of the most exciting new artists' studios with AD's Design Guide to Lisbon.
Where to stay
Also housed in a former convent from the 17th Century is the Locke de Santa Joana Hotel which is the latest and biggest property from Locke Hotels. Set over nine floors with rooms, apartments and suites which combine historic references with interiors that layering rich textures, patterns and natural materials designed by the US firm Post Company. Barcelona-based Lazaro Rosa-Violan oversaw the design of the public spaces which include restaurants, bars and a gallery to display pieces found during the renovation. lockeliving.com
With only six beautiful suites that all look out over the roofs of old Lisbon town this restored 18th-century building (one of the few that survived the earthquake of 1755) is now a temple to modern design. With walls plastered in local limestone, light fixtures by Italian designer Davide Groppi, tables by Carl Hansen and beds from B & B Italia. The hotel is also located right on Feira da Ladra Lisbon’s best flea market open every Tuesday and Saturday and only twenty minutes from the airport. silentliving.pt
Owned by a British couple Miles and Gail Curley, this 25-room boutique hotel is just a short walk away from the city centre. With a lush courtyard garden, a large swimming pool and rooms that are individually decorated with the personal touches that an independently owned hotel can offer including local port, chocolates and locally made ceramic tea sets in the bedrooms. Interiors have been carefully curated by Gail and blend effortlessly with the original features that still remain intact. The restaurant and bar are for guests only and there is also a small spa with treatments including powder exfoliation using Augustinus Bader products. palacioprincipereal.com
In the Baixa neighbourhood of Lisbon, housed in a 13th Century Dominican convent this new hotel from the Vignette Collection offers a sense of calm serenity away from the bustling streets of Lisbon. The Convent Square Hotel opened in August last year in an 800-year-old cloister which was part of a nunnery and attached to a 13th Century Church. At the heart of the hotel is an open courtyard planted with olive trees and just off this is the Capitulo restaurant with vaulted ceilings where chef Vitor Sobral serves contemporary Portuguese dishes including cod fritters and chicken escabeche. ihg.com
Iranian Designer Amir Mortazavi’s Layered Lisbon Home Was Inspired by a Jewel-Toned Wallpaper
Where to Eat
This famous restaurant has been around since the 1950s and serves up probably the best seafood in Lisbon and there are long queues that testify to this. There is a ‘no frills’ kind of atmosphere here, the dining room is decorated with seascape murals and the food is unpretentious. Famous dishes include the stuffed crab and gambas a guilho and the vodka lemon sorbet that comes in a champagne flute. cervejariaramiro.com
Housed in an old monastery in the Bairro Alto district Belcanto has two Michelin stars and is also included in the World’s 50 Best Restaurants. There is a Belcanto tasting menu highlighting some of the dishes that chef Jose Avillez has cultivated working with traditional Portuguese ingredients and making them his own. There is an extensive wine list which includes both small-scale and large producers. belcanto.pt
Inside the iconic Tivoli building at Avenida da Liberdade is JNcQuoi (pronounced the French way Je ne Sais Quoi). On the ground floor is a Deli Bar with 42 seats a light menu and cocktails as well as a superb delicatessen selling olive oils and cheeses. On the first floor is the restaurant where a glass-cased Velociraptor skeleton takes centre stage in this otherwise classic and cosmopolitan dining room. Chef Antonio Boia serves classic Portuguese and international dishes. On the ground floor is the Fashion Clinic with brands including Saint Laurent, Tom Ford and Dior. jncquoi.com
Where to drink
Inspired by the Japanese bars of the 1960s and with the largest whisky collection in Portugal, curated by Dave Broom, The Kissaten is located in Locke de Santa Joana. Choose your favourite album, select your whisky and settle in for a long night of fun. thekissaten.pt
Housed in a former grocery store with over five floors filled with a huge selection of vintage bric-a-brac including cabinets of toys, model aeroplanes and paintings. Come for cocktails under the huge crystal chandeliers and listen to the fado music but just try not to break anything.
With no signage and just a doorbell under a red frog on the wall for entry, Red Frog Speakeasy is definitely one of the most secret bars in Lisbon. This award-winning bar produces the most inventive drinks designed to intrigue all of the senses. Try the Los Misterios made with Siete Misterios mezcal, gentian mead, melon, watercress, avocado leaves and smoked naga chilli. After a couple of drinks try and find the secret room accessed by a hidden door. redfrog.pt
Museums to visit
Within the interior of this imposing Brutalist building is one of the world’s most important private art collections including works from Ancient Egypt to the early 20th century spanning art from the Islamic World, China and Japan, as well as jewellery from Rene Lalique and paintings by Rubens, Monet, Renoir and Turner. gulbenkian.pt
Feted as being one of Europe’s most lyrical new museums sitting to the west of the city centre on the River Tagus. The new building, designed by British architect Amanda Levete blends the Tejo Power station – one of the most prominent examples of industrial architecture – with the new futuristic design. The museum is now home to the most impressive collection of Portuguese art and also hosts rotating exhibitions including a current photographic exhibition by William Klein and incredible immersive installations by Ernesto Neto. maat.pt
Best art galleries to explore
Adding this newly opened gallery in the Beato district of Lisbon to our Lisbon city guide. It comes off the back of the success of its existing Porto and Sao Paulo outposts. Founder and creative director Joao Azinheiro has launched the gallery with a diverse selection of artists including Alexandre Canonico and Paloma Polo. kubikgallery.com
This gallery created by Emmanual Babled (the founder of Babled Studio) is devoted to art, design and craftsmanship with exhibitions celebrating craftsmen who value and respect the source of their materials and conscious design. Babled Studio which was founded in 1992 creates everything from luxury glassware, tableware and one-off pieces for brands such as Baccarat and Bulgari. primematter.net
In the Bairro Alto area of Lisbon, this artist's studio and gallery is run by two brothers Gezo and Bete. Inspired by a childhood making their own toys, the brothers have curated a gallery filled with ceramics, furniture and toys all waiting to be transformed by artists into something unique and giving new life to each piece. With a clientele including international collectors, hotels and private homes Officina Marques is well worth a visit. oficinamarques.pt
The 10 Best Vintage Design Markets To Shop for Rare and Unique Home Decor
Where to shop
This beautiful shop in the Chiado neighbourhood was once an old perfume factory. Founded by former journalist Catarina Portas the space is filled with everything from linen placemats to olive oil soap. There are over 1,000 originally packaged items from sardines to coffee, toothpaste and tea. Ceramics come from the Bordalo Pinheiro Factory and there are woollen blankets from Alentejo. avidaportuguesa.com
In 2018 entrepreneur Fatima Carvalho spotted a gap in the market for elegant loafers that were easy to navigate on the cobbled streets of Lisbon. Her store on Patio do Tijolo is filled with ballerinas, Mary Janes and flat sandals all made in Portugal using Italian leather. lachoix.com
This beauty and fragrance house originally founded by Germans in the northern city of Porto, is now celebrating its 130th anniversary. There is a men’s grooming area on the lower floor with shaving products and the upper floor is filled with colourfully packaged soaps and cosmetics. A second store has now opened on Rua do Carmo in what was once a renowned Lisbon bookstore. clausporto.com
This multi-brand luxury store fuses fashion and art with an eclectic mix of international designer labels including Acne Studios, Marni, Simone Rocha and Ganni. sheet-1.com
