Lisbon - One of Europe’s Paradise

Beautiful, inexpensive, safe ... Lisbon is one of Europe’s paradises, according to Time magazine.

In a ranking lead by Prague, Lisbon got 6th place right after Rome, Cracow, Crete and Paris.

Lisbon is praised by the US magazine for its "renewed attitude" and the articles also gives several tips for visitors wishing to spend a few days in the Portuguese capital.

The Torre de Belém, the Jerónimos Monastery, the famous Pastéis de Belém, the cable car 28, Alfama, the Sé and the Berardo Museum are highlighted as mandatory stops in a city that Time stands out also for its low prices and safety.

The list was created according to several criteria such as price, safety, quality of public transport, road traffic and quality of services offered to tourists.

Pena Palace by night

Within the framework of the International Day for Monuments and Sites, the Pena Palace will be opened on the night of April 18th, for a free visit. 

After the success of the previous night visits, the Pena Palace, in Sintra, opens doors for a free nocturnal visit on April 18th, between 20.00 and 00.00.

The event, organized by Parques de Sintra, has a limited capacity of 3 thousand people. The admission is free but a pre-registration, made through the event's website, is mandatory.

The international theme for this year’s events is "Cultural heritage and sustainable tourism".

Guide4U - a new guide to visit Lisbon

A new application is now available to help you to know Lisbon. It is called Guide4U and it will help you to discover 18 of the most visited Lisbon sites.

The narrative is available in five different languages: English, French, Spanish, Italian and Portuguese and the concept is very simple.

The App offers 18 georeferenced spots to know or rediscover, places such as the S. Pedro de Alcântara viewpoint, the Castle of S. Jorge or the Praça do Município. Each site has two sound files, which describe what the user can observe, with a brief explanation, as well as the history related to it and which can be traced back to the time of the Discoveries or the Implantation of the Republic.

This is “the” guide for those who visit or live in the city, and it guarantees an increase of knowledge about Lisbon, taking you to places you have never “seen”, and although it only covers Lisbon, the platform will soon expand to other Portuguese cities.

The app costs 1.99€, and is available for IOS and Android, the Apple Store or Play Store, and offers special discounts on selected partners.

Portugal, a safe country for tourists

The world is changing and for that tourists are starting to add another requisite when choosing a destination, security.

The word terrorism is part of the daily talks in Europe like never before. With the attacks in different central European countries, the sense of security plays a major role when choosing destinations, even if it means to choose a less known country.

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The tourist flow is changing and there are countries growing beyond what is considered normal, when comparing with recent years. Among those countries is Portugal. According to the Thomas Cook Group, the world oldest tourism companies, the growth in the number of bookings for countries like Portugal, Bulgaria, Croatia and Cyprus is impressive.

Initially, tourism operators found in Spain and Italy a solution to the impact of the terrorist attacks, but the lack of rooms forced new alternatives, particularly in less saturated markets.

Now, if we join security to the warm climate, the unique cuisine, the historic landmarks and the rising cultural buzz, do you really need any more reasons to visit us?

Lisbon top destination of 2017

According to Minube online community, Lisbon is one of the places to visit in 2017.

“Its varied landscape, its sounds and tastes” placed Lisbon on the Top 25, with recommendations from 2 million travelers that highlight the city as a truly unique destination.

Among the “must see” monuments are the Torre de Belém, the Mosteiro dos Jerónimos, and the Castelo de São Jorge. In terms of gastronomy, the community recommends a visit to the famous café
A Brasileira, a snack in the country’s most old beer house Trindade and of course a visit to taste the renowned Pastel de Belém.

Bairro Alto was also mentioned by the community, stating that the district was perfect to have a drink in the hot summer nights or to attend a Fado show.

“Don’t rush, take your time and enjoy every corner of this historic city by the sea”.

MAAT closed for six weeks

The Museum of Art, Architecture and Technology (MAAT) will be closed from February 6th to March 21st, reopening with new exhibitions and paid access. 

The MAAT was inaugurated last October and more than 22 thousand people attended its inauguration, with the promise of free access until March.

On March 21st, the MAAT will reopen with the exhibition Utopia / Distopia which includes works by Portuguese and foreign architects and artists. On the next day the installation of Mexican artist Hector Zamora entitled Order and Progress will be presented.

The new pedestrian bridge will link the top of the MAAT building to the other side of the train tracks and it is expected to be completed by May. At the same time the garden with 300 trees and 30 thousand shrubs should also be finished.

Tickets to visit the new MAAT building and the Central Tejo will cost nine euros and those who prefer to access only part of the circuit will pay five euros.

Hotel Avenida Palace is a 2017 Travelers' Choice Award Winner

Just received this wonderful news, thank you all for choosing us and for taking the time to write the reviews!

Hotel Avenida Palace is a 2017 Travelers' Choice Award Winner

Congratulations! You're a winner in the following categories:

Top 25 Hotels — Portugal

Top 25 Hotels for Romance — Portugal

Top 25 Luxury Hotels — Portugal

Top 25 Hotels for Service — Portugal

Travelers' Choice awards are the highest honor TripAdvisor can give – meaning your business is truly exceptional. Based on reviews and opinions from millions of travelers, you're in the top 1% of hotels.

The best travel Apps

Travel planning has changed a lot in the last couple of years, now a smartphone it's all you need to plan your dream trip.

Remember the hours you wasted in front of a PC, looking for a cheap flight, or the best available rate for a hotel room? Remember when you had to carry a backpack just to store the local map and the stupidly expensive 300 pages city guide? Well, do you remember?

Fear not, those days are over, in 2017 all you need to plan, execute and light up your trips is a smartphone. Easy, no? Not so fast, the smartphone is not enough, you need to choose the right Apps, and that is what we're going to tell you.

Once you have chosen your destination, the next step is to book a flight, preferably a cheap one, so Hopper should be one of the first Apps to use. Hopper alerts you, through a notification, to the best time to book a flight.

Most of the options allow you to book a flight, hotel and rent a car, and one of the best is Momondo. Another good option, especially for the ones that haven’t decide where to go and are looking for low rates, is the Skyscanner, just choose “Anywhere” and you’ll receive suggestions for several cities.

To book hotels, Hotel Tonight promises the best last minute deals, but if you wish to “live like a local” Airbnb is still the most searched option, featuring now the possibility of reserving experiences in several cities.

You’re all set to go, now you have to organize yourself, Apps like Tripit or Worldmate, are great to organize your reservations. Just by sending the confirmation e-mails for all the reservations, you’ll receive the complete organized schedule that you can share with your friends.

So, you decided where to go, how about trying to learn words of the language you’re going to find? Duolingo is an app that is simultaneous a game, and the progress is made by passing through several levels of learning, and once you’re there the globally famous Google Translate, will help to understand the street signs or the menu option in a restaurant, just point the camera to the word and the app will translate it into 90 languages.

You know how easy it is to get lost in big cities and so if you’re using public transportations Citymapper is your best friend. This is an app that includes all the information regarding buses,
metro, trains, boats, bicycle routes and even services like Uber, gathering real-time departure schedules and eventual delays.

To help you with restaurants suggestions and reservations we have Foodspotting, this app has a different approach, here you choose the local specialty you want to try and the app will give you the best options based on the users’ recommendations. To pay the bill use XE Currency, which converts any currency in the world and it can be used offline.

Last but not least, you have to document the trip and so let’s avoid the Instagram cliché, LiveTrekker will mark in red the route you take, allowing you to add photos, videos, audio and texts along the way, creating a multimedia diary that can be shared with friends.

Ready to start?

Source - Expresso

Time Out Market

New Lisbon’s food hotspot is ready to present you the best Portuguese cuisine it has to offer. 

Created from scratch in 2014, Time Out Market is a concept where only Lisbon’s best ideas and businesses belong. The criteria are simple: if it is good it is recommended in the magazine, if it is great it goes on the market.

With 24 restaurants, 8 bars, more than a dozen commercial spaces, 12 kiosks, a gym and a theater, all with the best of Lisbon (the best steak, the best hamburger, the best sushi or the best shows, among others), all this accompanied by some of the city's most well-known (and old) vendors of meat, fish, fruit and flowers.

Time Out Market is located in Ribeira Market, Lisbon's oldest and largest market, occupying the west wing on the ground floor and the entire first floor of the building, totaling 7 thousand square meters.
The food hall consists of more than 40 spaces served by 500 seats in a covered area and 250 more on the terrace.

Open from 10 am to midnight, from Sunday to Wednesday, and from 10 am through 2 am, from Thursday to Saturday, Time Out Market hosts the following spaces.

Drink Stands: Super Bock Beer Experience, Compal Frutológica, Quiosque do Café, Cinco e Meio, Bar da Odete, Gin Club by Schweppes, Quiosque do Cais (Praça D. Luis I).

Restaurants: Marisqueira Azul, Croqueteria, Sea Me, Café de São Bento, Tartar-ia, Monte Mar, Cozinha da Felicidade, Prego da Peixaria, Asian Lab, Pizza a Pezzi, Confraria, Santini, Honorato, Manteigaria Silva, Nós é Mais Bolos.

Chefs: Alexandre Silva, Miguel Castro e Silva, Henrique Sá Pessoa, Marlene Vieira, Vítor Sobral (Balcão da Esquina) and Miguel Laffan.
Kiosks: Crème de la Crème, Olhó Bacalhau, Organic Market, Frutos Secos do Mercado, L’éclair, Leitão da Ribeira.

Stores: A Vida Portuguesa; Arcádia, Conserveira de Lisboa, Espaço Time Out and Garrafeira Nacional. In the food hall there is also a cookery academy –Time Out Academy.

On the 1st floor, one can find restaurant Pap’açorda, the Estúdio Time Out, the Second Home and the Bar Rive-Rouge.

Goodbye 2016, hello 2017

As usual, at the end of each year, we all make a retrospective about the year that finishes and make plans for the year ahead.

This was an incredible year for Portugal in terms of tourism growth, 10% is the estimated number, with over 48 million room nights. Although Lisbon and Algarve are still the most relevant destinations, other regions such as North, Madeira, and Açores, presented also a sustainable raise.

In 2017, the expectations are to keep on growing, and for that, 56 new flight routes will be available, including new routes to the United States and direct flights to China. On top of that, there are already confirmed 42 international congresses, including another edition of the Web Summit in November.

2017 is also the year in which we celebrate the 100th-anniversary apparition of Our Lady of Fátima to three shepherd children, an event that motivated the visit of Pope Francis to Fátima in May.

One thing is certain, in 2017 Lisbon we’ll continue to grow in terms of visitors and events, and will confirm its status of one of the most relevant Europe’s destinations.

Lisbon on the Top 5 of “The Most Fun Cities”

In a ranking led by Chicago and followed by Melbourne, Lisbon is the highest ranked European city.

This list was released last November through the Time Out City Index, a survey answered by 20,000 people across 18 cities, assessing a city in the following features: eating & drinking, inspiration, dynamism, community, affordability, and sociability.

Chicago got the highest scores not only in general terms but also in restaurants, bars, neighborhoods, and affordability. Melbourne ranked second and New York has emerged in fourth place.

And between Melbourne and New York comes Lisbon, which ranked third and was the best ranked European city in the Index. What makes Lisbon stand out is that it is the most sociable and least solitary city, and it is the best place to make friends and fall in love, defeating Paris, the "city of love".

Check here the complete list.

Lisbon’s new Michelin Stars

Last week the Michelin Guide for Lisbon and Spain honored 2 additional Lisbon restaurants with its famous stars so, let’s learn more about them.

Created by André, the Michelin Guide had its first edition in 1900, with the goal of promoting

mobility to vehicles and bicycles, for whom Michelin manufactured tires. The guide provided suggestions of routes and quality places where drivers could eat and sleep during their trip, but the ultimate objective was to encourage them to use their tires. Garage locations that allowed drivers to stock themselves with alcohol or to fix a flat tire, was another of the information presented in the guide.

The classic selection of one to three stars only started in 1929 and it was in the 30’s that the visits from the anonymous inspectors begun. They travelled in search of five specific criteria: quality of the products, the mastery in cocking, the domain of the technics, the balance of flavors, creativity of the chef, relation price/quality and regularity.

And so the results were produced:

1 star for places with “Quality kitchen. Worth to stop”
2 stars for “Excellent Kitchen”. Worth the detour”
3 stars for “Exceptional Kitchen. Worth itself the trip”.

Lisbon had already three restaurants on the Michelin Guide, the Belcanto with 2 stars, and the Eleven and Feitoria with 1, on November 23rd two others joined the list, let’s get to know them.

Alma
When Chef Henrique Sá Pessoa reopened Alma, this time at Chiado, he was clearly in the star league. It was noticeable by the care of with which the space was recovered and worked up to the smallest detail (from menu paper to the china). Sá Pessoa’s sophisticated cuisine presents a great focus on working with fish and seafood, the Asian influence and its own cuisine style.

Loco
Alexandre Silva risked on a personal project, an investment made by him and by his wife Sara, who is also his partner and he won. It was not clear that the Michelin Guide was to distinguish a much more daring and irreverent restaurant than those who are usually starry. The meal structure at Loco is different (fast pace in the initial snacks, pause for bread and butter, and then the main courses, some of which presented with a tableside show service). The show and the surprises are, in fact, part of the project of a meal that is intended to be fun and relaxed.

Information - Hour change

Next Sunday 30th the time will change.
At 2 a.m. please set you watch to 1 a.m.!

Taxi Drivers’ protest

Next Monday, October 10th, in Lisbon, there will be a strike/protest organized by the taxi drivers against the APP UBER.

The protest consists in blocking the streets with all the taxis, not allowing the traffic to flow, as usual.
This is the probable route of the protest.

12 reasons to love Lisbon

Ann Abel, a journalist from the magazine Forbes visited Lisbon and fell in love with our beautiful city.

Although the piece is titled “12 reasons to love Lisbon” the author highlights the fact that “of course there are more than 12 reasons to love Lisbon” mentioning across the vast article, the low cost, the excellence of our cuisine, the palaces and historic architecture, culture, the vibrating atmosphere and, obviously, the friendly attitude and the unique way of welcoming the tourists.

Recognizing Lisbon as one of the most inexpensive capitals in Europe, Ann Abel invites one to spend a week in Lisbon without agenda, getting lost in the historic districts, tasting shellfish and fresh fish and enjoying the sunset by the sea in one of the many seafood restaurants or taking advantage of Lisbon’s night atmosphere.

Among many things, the list highlights Chef José Avilez and his restaurants Belcanto, Minibar and his most recent creation Bairro do Avilez, but the author also states that Lisbon is not only about chefs with Michelin stars and trendy places. Restaurant Ramiro, visited by Anthony Bourdain when he was in town, is also mentioned, the paper towels, the long queues of clients eager to drink the house beer and taste the famous shrimp with garlic were very impressive.

The store “A Vida Portuguesa” also makes the list.  To the author this is the place to buy souvenirs, a store that calls out for memories and represents the soul of a country.  Also, in the traditional concept, Ann Abel tasted the unique Ginginha.

Parque das Nações, a new part of town, built for the Expo 98 and Time Out Mercado da Ribeira a renovated market where according to the author it is impossible to resist to the diverse gastronomic offers by chefs such as Henrique Sá Pessoa, also makes the list.

But Ann Abel did not confine herself to Lisbon, Cascais with its beaches just at 30 min from Lisbon impressed her and, of course, Sintra, the romantic village World Heritage by Unesco could not be left out of this journey.

Free entrance at Lisbon Museums

On November 06th, the entrance will be free at the following Museums:


Dr. Anastácio Gonçalves House-Museum
Folk Art Museum
Chiado Museum
Music Museum
National Museum of Archaeology
National Art Museum
National Tile Museum
National Coach Museum
Ethnology Museum
National Theater Museum
National Custome Museum
National Ajuda Museum
Monastery of Jerónimos
National Pantheon
Belém Tower

For further information, please contact our Concierge

World’s most visited museums

The Art Newspaper revealed the Top 100 of the most visited art museums and Museu Coleccção Berardo is on the list. 

According to The Art Newspaper, an international publication dedicated to contemporary art, the Museu Colecção Berardo received 823.092 visitors in 2015, reaching the 74th place.

This is not the first time that this unique museum makes this list. Museu Colecção Berardo has one of the world’s largest and richest collection of modern art gathered by José Berardo, it features around 1.000 works, from canvas and sculptures to video installations.

As usual, the list is led by the Louvre with 8, 6 million visitors, followed by the British Museum with 6, 82 million and in the 3rd place the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, with 6, 53 million visitors.

Lisbon on Condé Nast Traveller

Condé Nast Traveller dedicates a recent article to Lisbon “Lisbon with your friends: the perfect escape”.

The famous media company responsible for brands such as Vogue, Vanity Fair, The New Yorker and others, included in the most recent edition of the magazine Condé Nast Traveller, an article that elects Lisbon as the perfect destination to visit with your lady friends
.

The author, Marta Sader, highlights Lisbon’s gastronomy, which she considers to be one of the best, its vibrating night life, the unique shops and some of the most innovating hotels across Europe.

In the article, the author emphasizes the fact that Lisbon is still one of the European cities with more “feeling” and so, she recommends long walks through Lisbon’s historic districts, such as Alfama, Chiado and Madragoa.

The story is completed with tips about places to visit, where to eat and where to stay.

Lisbon leads on Traveller’s Choice

TripAdvisor Traveller’s Choice recently elected the 10 best sights in Portugal, 7 of those are in Lisbon.

There’s no way to go around it, TripAdvisor has grown in such a way that it is virtually impossible to travel without taking a peek at the website and, like that line from the Spiderman movie “with many visitors comes great responsibility”.

The Traveller’s Choice Awards is a sort of guarantee stamp mainly because the selections are made by the users, which gives it more credibility and visitors rely on these selections to plan their vacations, places to go, hotels to stay in and restaurants to eat at.

TripAdvisor asked its users to select 10 sights not to miss in Portugal and 7 of those sights are in Lisbon. The first and second places are taken by Quinta da Regaleira in Sintra and Jerónimos Monastery, but the list also includes Park and Pena Palace, Belém Tower, St. Jorge Castle, the Comércio Square and the Augusta Street Arch.

As you may imagine this is the tip of the iceberg, Lisbon has much more to offer so, come and visit us this summer.

Art Map – Contemporary Art Lisbon

There’s a new map of Lisbon: the map of Lisbon’s Contemporary Art or simply the Art Map.

Launched recently in 2 languages, Portuguese and English, the Art Map is available online or in paper. Updated annually, the map gathers a series of Contemporary Art spaces in Lisbon, featuring the program of galleries, museums, foundations and other cultural venues.

The map displays, at the moment, 90 spaces throughout the city particularly in areas such as Baixa, Bairro Alto and Chiado.

With the main objective of being as complete as possible and attracting more public, the Art Map presents all the information in a simple and practical way, making it more accessible for different audiences and bringing them closer to Lisbon’s cultural offer.

Discover here the Art Map.