CITY TIP LISBON

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If you're a fan of San Francisco, you don't even have to put up with such a big jet lag to have a similar feeling as on America's West Coast. The Atlantic Ocean of Portugal is enough: the country's capital, Lisbon. A dream for anyone who wants to enjoy temperatures of more than 20 degrees all year round. However, the flight time of more than three hours should be kept in mind when planning a (long) weekend.

Hotel, Journey, Lisbon, market INSIGHTS, Portugal, Restaurant

The comparison with San Francisco is quite simple. Through the Ponte 25 de Abril – probably the most famous landmark of Lisbon. The red bridge resembles the Golden Gate Bridge of San Francisco. The best places to enjoy the sight of the bridge are the statue of Christo Rei or the Torre de Belém. The highlight is the old town and the boulevard “Avenida da Liberdade”.

Highlight: historic tram

The nice thing about this city is that you can visit all its sights with a different highlight. With the historic tram. Line 28E of the Lisbon tram (Portuguese: Carreira 28E dos Eléctricos de Lisboa) passes you almost everywhere. Among other things, close to the castle of São Jorge. From here you have a gigantic view of the old town, the Ponte 25 de Abril and the statue of Cristo do Rei. It’s worth it.

Also worth seeing is an artistically designed elevator in the middle of Lisbon, which in turn connects the districts of Baixa (Lower Town) with Chiado and Bairro Alto (Upper Town). The Elevador de Santa Justa. It is a 45-metre-high steel tower, richly decorated in neo-Gothic style. Its upper entrance is located in the small square Largo do Carmo, while the lower one is located near the Rossio and the Baixa-Chiado metro station on Rua Santa Justa.

Of course, there is also a cheap city map in Portugal’s capital. You might say about such cards that it’s expensive, unnecessary fun, but for a weekend in Lisbon it’s the best and easiest way to get into museums and other cultural institutions quickly and easily.

Beautiful historic old town

The original living culture of the locals can be experienced very nicely in the historic old town. So taking a hotel there is almost mandatory. One hotel that has never let us down is the 9Hotel Mercy on Rua da Misericodia.

The appropriate food option – not only for journalists – is the Clube de Jornalistas in Rua das Trinas 129. The beauty of Lisbon is also the simple fact that the city is located by the sea. A detour to the beach should be included. A suburban train takes you to the popular Carcavelos beach in 20 minutes.