Lisbon for a Day
 

I will be in Lisbon for only a day in mid-April. Normally I would be staying visiting a city the size of Lisbon for longer, but we are taking a cruise across the Atlantic, disembarking in Lisbon. We are due to arrive on a Saturday morning at 6 AM, and our plane leaves on Sunday at 10 AM for home. Unfortunately, we have to be back at work that Monday morning. We are staying at the NH Hotel on Avenida Liberdade, maybe a half mile beyond Rossio Square. We enjoy history, architecture, and jsut general walking around, getting the feel for a place.<BR><BR>With only one full, we of course will have to miss much. I have two general ideas on what to do...perhaps someone could give their opinion on which is better, or recommend an alternative.<BR><BR>1) Walk around the Alfama, Baixa and Bairro Alto neighborhoods for the full day, with just a few particular sights in mind - such as the Castelo Sao Jorge, the Se. These areas are contiguous, so we would be walking..perhaps with a ride on a tram and/or funicular for fun.<BR><BR> OR<BR><BR>2) As above for half the day, with the other half (morning or afternoon??) spent in the Belem area visiting (some of) its particular sights - Torre de Belem, Jeronimos Monastery, etc.<BR><BR>They say that sometines the ship we are on gets to Lisbon earlier than scheduled. If we have a day and a half, we could combine both plans, if we by chance have two days, maybe add in the Gulbenkian. I just hope we don't get to Lisbon later than planned!<BR><BR>

Ola, Howard. <BR>Are you the Howard who sent me the pictures of Venice? (This email address is different) If so, I would like to chat with you. <BR>I love Lisbon and stayed in the area that you will be visiting. You are just a couple of blocks from the trolley lines which will offer you a great way to see many sights. You can take one line that travels to the Alfama and see the wonderful Azulezos museum. The view of the city is fantastic from this area. You can easily spend hours here and visit the city catherdral.<BR>You can take the trolley back down, transfer to another line and go to Belem. The Jeronimos monastery is not to be missed. You can also see the Coach museum, the finest I have ever toured in Europe.<BR>You will find Lisbon to be charming, the people wonderfully kind and pleasant. I spent 10 days in Lisbon.<BR>The locals will tell you about Jaoa's resturant, near Rossio square. The salmon was delicious! It is a smallish restaurant that I enjoyed several times when there.<BR>Have a wonderful trip! Take lots of pictures! <BR>Gigi<BR>

Gigi - Thanx for your reply. I am not the same Howard who sent you the pictures.

Take the historic #28 tram that winds it's way around the town. It's a great way to get an overview of the city. Walking through the Alfalma and visiting the Castelo Sao Jorge are a must. <BR><BR>It's too bad you won't have time to visit Sintra, which really should have a day of it's own. If you get into town early you may want to consider a 1/2 day (or 3/4) in Sintra, which is really beautiful. If not, Belam is a good 1/2 day.

Belem can be seen from the train which goes to Cascais. I agree with the above writer about Sintra - regular train service and it takes about 43 minutes. Worth going if you can get above about 2 hours there. You can get a bus from there to Cascais and return on the equally frequent train from there. I shall try to e-mail you a folder of notes on Lisbon. The tram 28 tip is spot on as well.

Boa tarde, Howard. Como esta? I have been to Lisboa about 27 times and have an ex-lover who lives there now. I think I know the city pretty well. <BR><BR>I agree that the best thing for you to do with only one day in Lisboa is to walk the city and talk to its people. <BR>Alfama, Baixa, Chiado, Bairro Alto, are your best bets. If you do want to visit some sites, I would try to focus on places that will give you the greatest insights in the least amount of time.<BR><BR>Therefore, I would recommend Jeronimos and the Torre de Belem (because they are so close together). You can also see the Monument to the Discoverers in the same area. While I agree that the Coach Museum is awesome, you do not have the time to spend the one hour in there to see it all properly. Note: you will have to taxi it to this area to save time. <BR><BR>You could then go back to the Chiado area and take the Santa Justa Elevator to see fabulous views of the city. While in Chiado, you must visit Cafe Brasileira. You will find many interesting people here, including some drag queens taking a break from their day jobs. Bairro Alto is only a few short steps away, as is the church of Sao Roque--which is a must to visit and will only take no more than 15 minutes. After some lunch, you will want to poke around Baixa, at one of the many shops, and buy some souvenirs. <BR><BR>You then might want to visit the Castelo Sao Jorge, stopping at the Se along the rough climb to the top (you must take the trolley if you are not in very good shape). There is really nothing to see at the castle, but it does offer astounding views and has a lovely gift shop. After the castle, you can wander around Alfama.<BR><BR>I think this will conclude your day, for you will probably be exhausted. <BR><BR>Someone mentioned the Rossio area for dinner. In all my time spent in Lisboa, I have never had a decent meal at the restaurants along the Rua Santo Antao. (My friends in Lisboa would never think of eating here.) I will recommend to you the following restuarants: STASHA, 29-33 Rua das Gaveas, in the Bairro Alto; CONVENTUAL, 45 Praca das Flores; and Via Graca, Rua Damasceno Monteiro.<BR><BR>Yes, it would be wonderful to go to beautiful, idyllic Sintra, but you do not have the time.<BR><BR>Don't forget to stop and talk to the wonderful people of Lisboa, the best in the world, for you will learn some interesting things and maybe make a friend. <BR><BR>Ate logo, John G.

Hello, Howard<BR>While I really like Sintra, it is more deserving than a couple of hours. I would spend the day in Lisbon and relish in all that beautiful city has to offer.<BR>I found the restaurant I mentioned to be a pleasant, charming little place. Of course, you don't see other Americans there, which is why JG hasn't seen it. But, then, I find that to be part of it's charm. I guess he and I have different tastes. I would not be interested in a place of drag queens. I don't care if others enjoy that, just not my thing.<BR>You do not need to take a cab to the coach museum, and if you only had an hour, it would be well spent at this little museum. You can hop off the tram that goes right by the museum on your way back from the Jeronimos Museuem. <BR>As said in my first post, the trams can take you all over the old parts of Lisbon. You will enjoy the day, I think! If you would like, email me and I could scan in a copy of the tram map and perhaps answer any other questions you may have.<BR>Happy travels, Howard!<BR>Gigi

Gigi, darling, you didn't read my post properly. The Cafe Brasileiro in NOT full of drag queens. What I said is that you can meet a few of Lisboa's drag queens there OUT of drag--taking a break at their day jobs working in shops, book stores, offices, etc. Most drag queens don't dress in drag all day long--they are performers, and are only dressed in drag when doing so. I think you are mistaking them for transvestites, which is a whole other ballgame.<BR><BR>Maybe your restaurant, Jaoa's, is fabulous. I do not know. I didn't mean to insult you or disparage the restuarant. I was trying to get Howard to try restaurant the wasn't a tourist trap, as many near Rossio are.(And, no, you don't have to be American to be a tourist; Lisboa is full of tourists and few are American.)<BR><BR>I am glad you love Lisboa, Gigi, as I do. It is just a shame that you are so homophobic.