I have wanted to go to Lisbon for a long time and honestly was a little disappointed even though it is a lovely city. We loved the food--all fresh fish. We had a wonderful guide Paolo for an excellent Jewish tour. We felt the city is in poor shape, a lot of graffiti everywhere, difficult to navigate even with a map. Also were not prepared for the extreme hills and inclines everywhere, so wear shoes that will be safe since sidewalks are all stones and can be sliippery. It is not a place I would revisit.

Everyone is different, and that is a good thing. The world would be a boring place if every person felt and thought, and liked the same thing. We spent 5 nights in Lisbon last April, and we loved it! The graffiti didn't bother us at all. I feel it makes the city more "real", and not just a tourist destination. We had a good map and found the city easy to navigate. Yes, it is very hilly, which we were aware of, so we brought good, sturdy walking shoes. We took taxis when we were getting tired of walking. Lisbon is not a glitzy city like Paris. We felt the size is very comfortable; we loved the food and the sites. Some of our favorites are the Gulbenkian Museum, Jeronimos Monastery, Sao Jorge Castle, the Alfama. We tend not to revisit places because there are so many other cities and countries we haven't seen yet, but if we had the time, I would love to revisit Lisbon. We had half a day to wander around and have dinner on the day we arrived. At the end of our first day, our opinion was that Lisbon is a nice and pleasant city. Each day we liked it more, and by the end of our stay, we were in love with Lisbon!

everyone is very different, I was in Lisbon 2 months ago and really enjoyed my time there.
I honestly did not notice that much graffiti.
I thought it was a great place and would go back there.

I visited Lisbon in May and thought it was a beautiful city worthy of 4 nights and 5 days. Lots to see and do. But the nights are loud and the streets are filled with crowds until early in the morning. Many folks who had too much to drink. The next morning, the streets were littered with empty bottles and trash. It reminded me a little of Bourbon street in New Orleans. We heard that Lisbon had become a favorite place for party goers from all over Europe. If I return to Lisbon, I will stay outside the city and train in, I think.

I visited a few years ago ..stayed four nights..
It is an interesting city, not glamorous but with its own unique charm.
I couldn’t believe how hilly it is.
Would I return for another visit?
probably .

I have been to Lisbon several times and would be happy to go back. I think where you stay has some impact on your opinion. I did not find it at all difficult to navigate, the public transport is fine. Worst case, the taxis are cheap.

We loved Lisbon. We did notice there were boarded up buildings and graffiti, which we attributed to the depressed state of their economy at the time (a few years ago). However, we also felt more welcomed there than in other, more 'popular' large European cities, because we assumed they wanted and needed our tourist dollars in Lisbon.

I share your feelings and felt Lisbon was a bit of a let down.

We had visited because of Portugal being listed as a great place to retire. After visiting, we have ruled it out. Spain and Portugal just weren't our cup of tea!

There are so many more places I would prefer to return to than Portugal.

We actually cut our Portugal trip short and flew to Helsinki (because I had never been there). After a hectic trip, the quiet of Helsinki was wonderful! Also, took the ferry over to Tallinn, Estonia which was okay.

II have been all over Europe and must say Lisbon was a disappointment---Porto waa wonderful!

I didn't think Lisbon had a whole lot of graffiti as cities go..and some of that was apparently done as "street art" in the Alfama. I have seen cities in much worse "shape" which are tourist favorites, for example Buenos Aires. Perhaps the OP was just not staying in the right neighborhood for them.

Also using Google Maps I didn't have any trouble at all navigating..whether on foot or using the excellent public transit system. I used one of trams to get up to Barrio Alto (following the Rick Steves walking tour which I downloaded for free).

However, there were FAAR too many tourists, including those off of cruise ships at the popular sights such as Jeronimos Monastery, the Alfama and the Pastais de Belem coffee shop. Once I was even slightly off the beaten path..eg pastry shops not listed in tourist guides, I found the city and people pleasant and the food was pretty good..just don't order the "cover" appetizer!

In all these things it's best to match one's hotel location to desire to be near nightlife (or not, in my case). So being outside of the trendy areas worked out well for me.

Been to Lisbon several times and though it has some neat slights and districts the city has done a poor job IMO of preserving old sections - 1st time I went in early 70s there was a nice old section that when I returned years later had been demolished. But though city to me lacks overall charm in being old worldish its many neat things as mlgb says. I too thought Porto was dreamily old world and its churches divine in their neat interiors.

Do you think it would be different (I’m relating to the crowds out late and night, mainly) if we visited in January? Just mulling it over as a future destination. We’d probably stay in Chiado. Thanks.

Lisbon is known as the "City of Seven Hills" so I don't know whether I'd knock it for being unprepared for the hills.

We just returned from Portugal and thought Lisbon was very lively and a highlight. No, I don't like the graffiti but also don't see it as being substantially worse than other major cities we've visited. We stayed right near the Baixa Chaido metro station and very much enjoyed the area. We walked a lot, climbed a lot of hills, took a tuk-tuk ride, used the metro as well as Uber twice to get around and thought the city was relatively easy to navigate. While climbing the hills can be strenuous, each new plateau provides another layer of the city to explore.