I am reading and enjoying the comments. Visitors have a more favorable view of the city than natives themselves but that happens everywhere. The Portuguese vs Spanish rivalry is kind of a joke. Dr Salazar never referred to our neighbors with other expression than "nuestros hermanos" (Spanish for our brothers) and that expression is still used today. The last time Portuguese and Spanish armies engaged in a battle field was over 200 years ago and they were fighting side by side (btw French army was the opponent) and that's more than most neighboring countries can be proud of.
Luz de Lisboa is absolutely right in her rule of thumb. English language in continental Europe is something post WWII.

TTT for my upcoming trip

Wishing that I was back in Lisbon!

Having visited Rome, Amsterdam, and a number of other cities in Europe (being from Paris), Lisbon remains my favourite city. There isn't a single other place that is so incredibly beautiful as Lisbon, with such wonderful people, food, and excellent public transport. Rome was the last that I visited and honestly, while it can dish out history and food, has almost less to offer in terms of "coolness" or just simple beauty or organisation.

Lisbon is a rather wealthy city, with robust transport systems that beat anything in the U.S. with very little poverty compared to what you would see in San Francisco or New York. There may be less extravagant displays of wealth, but as a whole, wealth is far more equitably distributed and re-invested in infrastructure.

Having read much around here, one thing i'm sure, modern tourism has little to do with reality.