lobo_mau

Hi Nedsireland.
I think you are referring to bus #732 (formerly just #32). It's the only Lisbon's public transport I can think of that stops in Saldanha Sq and in Restelo (stadium).
I apologize in advance in case I'm wrong.
kr

Byrd

Thank you, Laurie and Lobo for all this information.

I hope we'll be putting it to good use in the next few months.

Byrd

clairej04

bookmark for sept.

solano

Laurie, thank goodness for your detailed report. It will be used next week.

Traveling_Patti

Laurie,
I'll pass through Lisbon for 18 hours one Sunday in Dec - arriving Lisbon at 6 PM and flying out at 11:45 AM the next day. I hear Lisbon is beautiful at night, but is it safe or advisable for a woman to walk your tour path at night alone?

I'd really feel more comfortable with a guide of some sort than trying to follow your tour at night in a city I've never visited before. There's a "Lisbon by Night" tour, but not available on Sundays.

Any ideas/recommendations? Anyone?

lreynold1

Hi, Patti,
I have been in almost all of the places on this route alone at night (59 year old female). I think that probably the one part of the trip I would avoid walking by myself is the Alfama district. I know someone who was walking around (probably with too much to drink) with a very expensive camera in the wee hours (maybe 3 am) and was robbed at knife point in the Alfama. But there were a lot of stupid decisions made leading up to that point. Also, I think the castle closes around 6 pm in wintertime, so you won't be able to see it anyway. But you will have great views of it lit up from the lookout on the way to the Bairro Alto.

If you start at Rato metro stop, walk up to Bairro Alto, then down to Chiado, Rossio, etc, I think it would be perfctly safe. I guess I wouldn't go any further than the cathedral (on my route) if I were walking alone at 10 pm or so. Also, Sunday night is probably the lowest outdoor traffic night.

I am sure there must be good Lisbon guides who would do a night time tour if you would prefer that. I have a friend who took a private tour of Lisbon (not cheap) and I'll see if she remembers the guide's name. There must be someone on this board who has done that, maybe someone will read this and respond.

And just out of curiosity, are you going to get a hotel?

Laurie -- I'll report back if I can find the guide.

lreynold1

Just after finishing this, I had a vague flash that I remembered a topic here about a Lisbon guide. A search brought up this thread. Hope it helps. Laurie

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...tour-guide.cfm

lobo_mau

If I were a woman alone, in Lisbon, I'd do some people watch in Rossio square. Pastelaria Suiça (coffee shop) has an outdoor section great for that purpose. The National Theatre has some tables where you may ask a coffee or something like that and stay as long as you wish.
Rua Augusta (pedestrian street, the one with the arch) is great for walking ate any time. The Baixa (grid section between Rossio and the river) is good to walk at any time. Other options are the ride in Santa Justa elevator to the top, the upper passage to Carmo Sq, Carmo St, Garrett St, Camões Sq, everywhere in Bairro Alto are great for a lady alone. Meals are available in Trindade (between Carmo Sq and Bairro Alto) or any of the outside restaurants in Rua Augusta.
Bairro Alto Hotel and Regency Chiado Hotel have a great last floor bar with great views.
A word of caution, a woman alone, joining a fado house or a bar (within a Hotel or outside) may eventualy attract unwanted attraction.
All places I've mentioned are within a radius of 1 mile, no need to taxi or public transport to move from one place to the other.

lobo_mau

"unwanted attention".

Traveling_Patti

Thanks a lot for your responsees, both of you, and especially for the link to guide discussion, Laurie. I must admit it is somewhat daunting to think about following your walking guide at night when I have absolutely no familiarity with Lisbon, its streets or sites.

Yes, I will be reserving a hotel room, but haven't yet. Would you recommend near the airport or somewhere else for just a night's sleep? I'll be looking for a deal on Kayak or Priceline, both of which allow selection of hotels in proximity to the airport or other city landmarks.

Thanks again, you two.
patti

lreynold1

Hi, Patti,
I understand your hestitance to set out in the dark in an unfamiliar city. Lobo's selection of places to go as a single woman coincide with the parts of the walking tour I had suggested, just that you wouldn't start out at the Rato metro stop. Rather, you would be located in the central Baixa/Rossio area and then move "uphill" a bit to Chiado. That might be a little less daunting than heading up the hill from Rato, but in either case you will get a feel for downtown central Lisbon and won't have to worry about personal safety.

Since your plane leaves at 11:45 on a Monday, if it were me, I'd make sure to stay downtown to be able to really enjoy your short time there. If you're an early riser, you'd even have a few hours to explore before heading to the airport. Getting to the airport from the main touristy central areas is easy in a taxi, and by the time you need to be there airport the main rush hour will have passed.

I don't know how those websites work, but I would look for a place somewhere near Avenida Liberdade, between Restauradores and Marques de Pombal. I'm assuming that only bigger places participate on sites like that, so you won't be looking at small residenciales or small hotels in the Baixa area, for example, where other Fodor-ites have stayed and recommended.

Laurie

Traveling_Patti

Thanks again, Laurie! Excellent information.

Let me ask you this. Since you were there a year, do you have a friend who might still be there who'd be willing to walk with me a bit to get me oriented? I'd be willing to pay them something. If so, I'll share my personal e-mail address so we can get in touch.

Thanks!
Patti

Weekender

Laurie:

Thank you for providing such great info. I just returned from spending Thanksgiving weekend in Lisbon and had a great time. Your walking tour info was terrific.

Loved Lisbon and will go back for sure.

Sher

Patti. I just want to caution you. This last time when we departed from Lisbon the airport was very slow. It was August, so that may account for it, but allow yourself just a little extra time. We departed on a Tuesday.
The last time, we had enough time to visit the TAP lounge, since I had a pass.
I just wanted to give you a heads up. Although, at this time of the year you may not have a problem.

Clousie

Great post, Ireynold1, and thanks for others helpful comments, too. This will definitely go in my Portugal folder.

Thinking of going to Lisbon and heading north, perhaps even in to northern Spain. For walking/hiking and just generally exploring the countryside, would mid-May to early June be good for weather/prices/crowds? Prefer cool rather than hot weather.

lreynold1

Hi, Patti,

I'm sorry but I don't feel comfortable asking any of my friends to do this -- they have families and very busy professional lives and this is a really hectic time of year. What I could do, though, is to ask one of my friends to see if any of their students (university law students) would be willing to do it for some $$$. What kind of payment were you thinking about? Let me know if this makes sense or appeals to you. Your hotel might also have some suggestions on this.

And Clousie, I think northern Portugal is just a great place to visit (there's another thread on this topic where I will give some of my more general opinions).

In terms of hiking/walking, I would recommend two bases -- one is Lousa with a lot of very nice old stone villages up in the mountains and trails to walk; and the other is the national park of Peneda Geres. We stayed in Geres, an old spa town, and it is really nice -- that time of year should be great too. There is a tourist office right next to the still functioning spa that has a lot of maps of day hikes. We took a couple of them, they were very pleasant. We walked on a path with lots of Roman mile markers! I will put in some links to my pictures from those two areas, so you can get a sense.

Here's Lousa: http://picasaweb.google.com/laurie.reynolds/LousaJan09#

And here is the park and its surroundings:
http://picasaweb.google.com/laurie.r...JWXia2F6tugUw#

One last thought for walking -- we went with an outdoor club to some hiking spots in northern Portugal near a town called Fafe, and there were very well marked trails as well:
http://picasaweb.google.com/laurie.r.../HikingInFafe#

There is no shortage of pretty places to walk in the north, and if you do head north, you have to make sure to include a few days in the Douro Valley as well.

Laurie

Traveling_Patti

Thanks, Laurie.

I understand completely. A student would be great, if one is willing. (FYI, I'm a 58-yr old; so you and are same generation.) Was thinking of $50-$75 US, depending on how much they do with me. Does that sound reasonable for a student?

If none of your friends knows of a student, I may try that Peter that someone referred to in the other blog to which you referred me.

Thanks!

Traveling_Patti

BTW, thanks for your heads-up on the airport, Sher.

Patti

lreynold1

Patti -- Can you give me the date and the approximate time and where you would be starting? Laurie

Traveling_Patti

Yes, Laurie. I'm scheduled to arrive the Lisbon airport at 5:50 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 27. I'm sure it will take a while to process through Customs and collect my luggage.

I've booked at the Hotel Nacional, Rua Castilho 34, as it seems close to the area you suggested I stay. If you think it best for me to check in and meet someone there, I'd guess I'll be ready to go out about 7:30 or 8:00 PM. Does that sound right to you?

Thanks!
Patti