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Winter IN LISBOA

 

Fall in love in Lisboa - So Much More to See

Best Things To Do in Lisbon

Lisbon is probably best known for its colonialist history, ornate Manueline architecture and tradition of Fado music. But some of its best features are in the every day — spectacular hilltop vistas, pleasant year-round weather, friendly people and a true "cafe culture." To enjoy these, bring some comfortable footwear and a pocket map of the public transit system. Plan on spending a half day to a full day exploring the waterfront neighborhood of Belém, or maybe plan a day trip to Sintra, located 20 miles west of Lisbon.

Popular Sights

Torre Belém
Sé Cathedral
Praça do Comércio
Mosteiro dos Jerónimos
Castelo Sao Jorge
Elevador S. Justa
Ginjinha Drink
Igreja Carmo
Suspension Bridge 
Igreja Domingos
Fado music
Cristo Rei Statue
Bull Ring
Basilica Estrela
Igreja Sao Roque
Oceanarium
Parque Nações
Saint Anthony Church
Ponte Vasco da Gama

Feels so good winter in Lisbon !!!! 

And see our specials for stays longer than 7 days !!!  3 months since 2.100,00 euros

JUST CONTACT US

Annually, we have more than 3000 hours of sunshine to enjoy the city and its attractions. 

Being located near the Mediterranean Sea, Lisbon has one of mildest climates of Europe. The Mediterranean climate, strongly influenced by the Gulf Stream, prevents Lisbon from extreme temperatures which sometimes occur in other cities of Portugal (mostly in the interior of the country).

 

Find excellent eateries for solo dinners in the capital


Sushi, burritos or even a kebab, ou fish or portuguese fiid - if you're dining solo in the capital there's plenty of fine food to be enjoyed alone. Check out our guide to great restaurants in Lisbon where you won't feel awkward requesting a table for one ou two.

 

First time in the city? Here are some bite-sized tips. Your ultimate guide to Lisbon

Europe's most westerly and, arguably, sunniest capital offers a glorious escape from the winter grey of Europe. At this time of year, you can expect temperatures of at least 15C in this palm-filled city. Although Lisboans like to complain about the few drops of rain that fall in January and February, the touch of cloud cover provides a wonderful luminosity that adds to the bitter-sweet mood of nostalgia for which Lisbon is so romantically celebrated. Winter is also when the city is least visited, so you'll find its fine galleries and museums relatively empty and you'll enjoy the haunting fado music of its bars in the company of genuine locals.

 

Winter Weather

Winter is the coldest time in Lisbon but still mild thanks to the surrounding temperate ocean waters and the Gulf Stream.

January is the coldest month of the year and December is the wettest one.

Winter can often be windy, and sometimes you can experience a storm that rolls in off the Atlantic. 

Typically, you should expect some rainy days in winter, although you can also expect to experience now and then a very nice sunny winter’s day which can be very pleasant indeed.

Snowfall is not very common in Lisbon, although it can happen for brief moments. If so, it doesn't last long.

 

Get your bearings

 

Water and hills largely define this strikingly located city. Overlooking the wide estuary of the River Tagus, Lisbon is set on seven hills with its tiny heart occupying a narrow flat area known as Baixa or lower town. After a devastating earthquake in 1755 this district was rebuilt in a gracious grid pattern.

 

Immediately to the east, the medieval tangle of the Alfama district survived the tremors as a result of its rocky terrain. Above it sits the spectacularly positioned Castelo de Sao Jorge (Castle of St George). To the west of Baixa are the steep and funky Chiado and Bairro Alto neighbourhoods, while on the water's edge out to the far west is the suburb of Belem from where the great 15th- and 16th-century explorers of Portugal's Golden Age set out.

 

Lisbon's main tourist offices are at Praca do Comercio (3) (00 351 21 031 2810) and Palacio Foz on Praca dos Restauradores (2) (00 351 21 346 3314), both open daily 9am-8pm (www.visitlisboa.com). 

 

Check in

 

The FeelingLisbon Apartments at Principe Real (00 351 91 4567442; www.feelinglisbonapartments.com) offer several apartments to 1 until 12 persons. And a very good prices for stays upper then 7 days.

 

Take a hike

 

For a short walk that takes in two of the city's great landmarks – Lisbon's cathedral and castle – start at the central tourist office at Praca do Comercio. Turn left and then right along the gracious colonnades of this splendid 18th-century square. Continue down Rua da Alfandega, which clangs with narrow trams. On the left you pass the Portal de Nossa Senhora do Conceicao Velha. This fantastically carved doorway, richly decorated with angels, flowers and creatures, dates from the 15th century and miraculously survived Lisbon's 1755 earthquake in which the rest of the original church was destroyed.

 

In the green square at the end of the street, turn left through a pedestrian archway by Nisudo souvenir shop and then right at Rua Afonso de Albuquerque, which brings you to the edge of the Alfama district. Turn left steeply up Travessa do Almargem to reach the walls of Lisbon's Se cathedral . Turn left and follow the road round to the entrance of this fine building dating from the 12th century (open Tuesday-Saturday 9am-7pm, until 5pm Sunday and Monday; admission free). Turn right again, up Rua de Augusto Rossa and along to Largo das Portas do Sol, where terraces offer great views over the rooftops of Alfama and across the Tagus estuary. The Museum of Decorative Arts is on the left (open daily 10am-5pm, adults). Follow the road left up to the imposing Castelo de Sao Jorge, dating from at least the 7th century and much rebuilt since (open daily 9am-6pm).

 

Lunch on the run

 

Just down from the castle, you have same atmospheric little café/bar where for around €6 (£4.60) you can feast on local fare of garlic shrimps or bacalhau (dried, salted cod reconstituted in myriad different ways).

 

Window shopping

 

We give the best tips.....

 

Take a ride

 

Catch the number 15 tram from Cais do Sodre or Praca do Comercio to Belem; the ride takes about 20 minutes.

 

Cultural afternoon

 

Leafy Belem contains a host of museums as well as some of Lisbon's most significant sights. Start at the waterside Torre de Belem (open 10am-5pm daily except Monday). A superb example of ornate, 16th-century Manueline architecture, it was built as a fortress to guard the city and is now a Unesco site. Move on to another Manueline masterpiece, the Mosteiro dos Jeronimos (open 10am-5pm daily except Monday; entry to church free; cloisters and chambers admission). The monastery church contains the tomb of Vasco da Gama, who set sail from Belem to India in 1497. In complete contrast, across the road is the stunning pink marble Cultural Centre built in 1992. It contains performance venues and, possibly the best of all Lisbon's sights: the new Berardo Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (00 351 21 361 2913; www.museuberardo.pt), which opened last June. The permanent collection includes works by Picasso, Mondrian, Warhol and Cindy Sherman. It opens 10am-7pm daily, admission free.

 

Write a postcard

 

Take a table at Belem's iconic café, Antiga Confeitaria de Belem at Rua de Belem 84-92 and write your card while enjoying a coffee and a pastel (custard tart) doused with icing sugar and cinnamon.

 

Take a view

 

Back in town, one of Lisbon's more eccentric landmarks, the 1902 Elevador de

Santa Justa is a large wrought-iron lift constructed by a pupil of Gustave Eiffel. From the entrance at Rua de Santa Justa you clank pleasingly up to a rooftop café. The lift operates daily 7am-9pm – or free to holders of the Lisbon Card.

 

Dining in style

 

The Bairro Alto area spreading west from the top of the Santa Justa lift is full of tiny and generally excellent restaurants. For something more stylish, the Panorama Restaurant at the newly refurbished Sheraton Hotel on Rua Latino Coelho (00 351 21 312 0000; www.sheraton.com/lisboa) presents a magnificent combination of stunning views and gourmet food. Dishes such as John Dory fillet with porcini risotto and chestnut cream are created by celebrity chef Henrique Sa Pessoa, who is Lisbon's answer to Jamie Oliver. Expect to pay about €30 (£23) for a main course.

 

A Night out with the locals

 

Bar-hopping in Bairro Alto is a great way to take in the haunting strains of Lisbon's fado culture. Make for Rua do Norte – particularly Adega Machado at number 91 (00 351 21 322 4640; www.adegamachado.web.pt) – and Rue da Atalaia.

 

Sunday morning:go to church

 

Igreja de Sao Roque at Largo Trindade Coelho has a sombre exterior but inside this Renaissance church is a riot of painted ceilings, gilt chapels and azulejos (decorated tiles). Sunday mass is at 11am; the church is open 8.30am-5pm daily, admission free.

 

Out to brunch

 

Take the best brunch on Sunday at Pão com Canela at Principe Real in Praça das Flores, near the FeelingLisbon Apartments, a varied and served in self-service buffet style brunch is composed of:

 

Hot: Soups, leek patties, cream cheese choux, scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, asparagus and various types of salty;

Cold: yogurt, fresh cheese, smoked salmon, fruit salad;

Sweets and desserts varied;

Wide variety of bread, fruit, cereals, croissants and scones and jam their;

Drinks: water, natural juices, coffee, tea, hot chocolate and other hot drinks.

Fixed price: 18,00 € / person | Children: up to 3 years old is free | From 4 to 8 years: € 7 ask abaut FeelingLisbon Discounts

Available: Saturdays, Sundays and Holidays

Time: from 10h to 17h.

 

A walk in the park

 

Beyond the restaurant, stroll around the Ajuda garden's terraces where peacocks strut by ancient yew trees and magnificent hedges of neatly clipped box (daily 9am-6pm, until 7pm in April and until 8pm May-September).

 

Icing on the cake

 

The Gulbenkian Museum at Avenida de Berna 45 (00 351 21 782 3000; museu.gulbenkian.pt) presents the collection of Oriental and Classical art collected by the Armenian businessman Calouste Sarkis Gulbenkian. The range is staggering, from Ancient Egyptian pieces to paintings by Manet and Monet. It opens 10am-5.45pm daily except Monday.

 

We're at the end of our month in Lisbon and have had a fabulous time. Partly it was the flat and our visitors but it was also the affable Lisboetas, the affordability, the mild weather and the seafood. This is a great city. There's plenty to do but nothing that screams that it MUST be done. This is a city where you can relax into your stay without worrying you've missed something unmissable, though now I think about it perhaps the Gulbenkian Museum is unmissable! We spent a quiet Sunday here and were awed that this was the collection of one man. The Middle Eastern rooms are extraordinary and the Art Nouveau Lalique jewelry was very memorable. I particularly like the manner in which they displayed fine art and furniture together which creates a sense ot time and space.

 

But it isn't all about history and aesthetics, you can't spend any time here without hearing about the austerity measures the Portuguese have been living with for longer than anyone else in Europe. While the Spanish protest the Portuguese are entering yet another year of fiscal cut backs. They have the lowest wages in Europe, with a minimum monthly salary of 500 euro. Youth unemployment continues to rise and the President has recommended  that young people emigrate. Despite all this the people we met were stoic,  welcoming and warm. I can't think of a better place to spend your tourist dollar.

On a lighter note we had some great meals, I've talked about the simple food but we also enjoyed some more elaborate grub. I'd highly recommend any of the following Duval, 100 Manieras (both the main restaurant and the bistro) and Cantinho Avillez. Below is 100 Manieras' signature amusee bouche, a tribute to Lisbon - cod crackers posing as washing drying outside in the wind.

Winter is a good to visit Lisbon because there are no lines for the famous 28 tram, we could get reservations at great restaurants very easily, the sites  and museums were empty and the apartment was reasonably priced. I'd highly recommend traveling here in the winter months I don't think we wouldn't like at as much at the height of the tourist season. Next time perhaps we'll try March.

 

If you are looking for yoga or a gym I can recommend Envy in Chiado. The people there were very welcoming and kind to me and the yoga instructor was very patient. I now know how to say "breathe in" and "breathe out" in Portuguese as well as "bend your legs" which seems like a useful skill! It's very strange to take a yoga class in another language. You spend half your time contorting yourself to see what other people are doing and the rest of your time hoping desperately you'll recognize the sanskrit name for the poses when pronounced with a Portuguese accent. 

I should have blogged about so much more, the pousada in Estremoz, the museums, the port tastings at Solar do Vinho do Porto, the fort in Lisbon and  lots more. Of course there's always so much more to see, instead here are a few random photos to say goodbye.

The symbol of the city in the distinctive paving stones.

Eighteenth century tile work in the National Palace at Sintra....

 

Feels so good winter in Lisbon !!!! 

And see our specials for stays longer than 7 days !!!  3 months since 2.100,00 euros

JUST CONTACT US

 

Contact Us

 

team@feelinglisbonapartments.com

+351 912 900 090

+351 912 262 332

Office Address

 

Rua da Quintinha 12 a 14               1200 367 Lisboa

Portugal

 

 

 

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© 2014 by Maria Silva / 2020 by Carlota Soares - All Rights Reserved  

 

 

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