City Information                                   Biljett                     Queensway Travel
Airport  
Lisbon Portela Airport is situated 7 km north of the city. One terminal handles all flights, but it is modern, spacious and civilised. Several bureaux de change and two post offices (open 24 hrs - ring the bell late at night) are situated along the exit corridor for international arrivals. There are also cash machines in the arrivals terminal, a short walk away. Portela Airport has two information desks. Luggage can be left in the international arrivals area on the lower level, open 24 hrs. There are no lockers, and no hotels or facilities for conferences in the immediate vicinity but the Radisson SAS and Lisbon Marriott are a short taxi ride away. 

Transport from Airport to City Centre 
Taxis wait outside the international arrivals area, but you may have to join a lengthy queue. It is easier to get one by walking through the airport to the departures car park, where they are plentiful and for some reason cost less. The journey takes about 30 mins, depending on traffic. The minimum fare is approximately €2, with a €1.85 charge for luggage and a supplement after 2200. The trip into town should cost about €8.50, plus a 5% tip. The Aerobus Shuttle service between the airport and the city centre runs daily from 0700 to 2100, departing every 20 mins. The fare is €2.35. Local bus routes 44 and 45 offer regular, slower services into town. 

Orientation 
Lisbon is built on seven hills and traversed by slippery, cobbled pavements which can make sightseeing on foot both tiring and perilous. Make sure you wear tough, flexible-soled flat shoes however and the walk will be rewarding. The downtown Baixa district, built in a grid formation by the Marquis of Pombal after the devastating 1755 earthquake, slopes gently down to the Tagus river. It is a popular shopping area and, like most of the city, has plenty of café esplanades. The old part of the city, the Alfama, is a maze of narrow, cobbled alleys leading up to St George's Castle. The city grew outwards from the Castle, the first walls of which were built by Visigoths before the site was conquered by Romans, Moors, and finally English Crusaders in alliance with local Portuguese forces. 
On the opposite side of the Baixa is the smart fin-de-siècle Chiado quarter, the traditional haunt of artists and writers. The Avenida da Liberdade, the city's main avenue, leads north from Baixa into the commercial districts known as the New Avenues. 

Excursions                                                    Lågpris flygbiljett             Queensway Travel
Sintra, 28km north-west of Lisbon, was described by Byron as 'a Glorious Eden'. The National and Pena palaces and the tropical gardens are memorably beautiful. The picturesque hilltop town can be reached by train from the Rossio station in the Baixa. Cascais and Estoril are seaside resorts 25km west of the capital. Estoril boasts Europe's largest casinos, where cabarets are held nightly, while Cascais is a former fishing village with some fine beaches and a relaxed atmosphere, though beware strong currents. Take the train from Lisbon's Cais do Sodre station. 

Getting Around 
Taxis are black with either pale green or cream-coloured roofs. Taxis will usually show a green light behind the windshield if they are available. One or two green lights on the rooftop tell you the fare at which they are running, which depends on the distances or the day/night periods (two green lights indicate the more expensive night-time fare). Make sure that you see the driver turn on the meter, and always ask for a receipt. Taxi drivers usually know their way around, but it may help to have your destination address written down to avoid any difficulties of pronunciation. Information on fares is available from every taxi and should be visible. 

What to see                                           Flyg och bil                Queensway Travel
Castelo de Sao Jorge (St George's Castle): Lisbon spreads outwards from this strategic site, where you can follow exploration with a relaxing coffee. Evidence of civilisation going back to the Visigoths and the Vandals has been discovered in the grounds. You can now walk along the walls of the 12c castle, reconstructed as part of Lisbon's Expo facelift. An excellent place for stunning 360-degree views of the city. 

Gulbenkian Foundation: A superb cultural centre set in its own park. The museum's collections include Western and Oriental art treasures from Ancient Egyptian scarabs to art nouveau jewellery, Islamic textiles to French Impressionists, all acquired by the Armenian oil magnate, Calouste Gulbenkian. There is also a modern Portuguese art collection that spills into the pretty gardens outside. The foundation runs an orchestra and three concert halls and also sponsors ballet performances and symphony concerts. 

Belém: The stunning 16c Jeronimos monastery and cloisters, with the famous Belém tower, is the symbol of the city and the spot from where Portuguese navigators like Vasco da Gama launched their voyages of discovery to India and America. Also here is the Coach Museum and the Monument to the Discoveries. 

Where to walk 
Lisbon's scruffy charm is best appreciated in the old part of town, the Alfama district around St George's Castle, though it is easy to get lost in the narrow, winding streets. Ramble around before restoration clears away all their sleazy charm. The Baixa downtown district is best for shopping and sitting outside cafés watching the locals bustle by. Lisbon has unexpectedly avant-garde taste, rivalling Barcelona as a designer paradise. The Bairro Alto, adjacent to the downtown area, is crammed with bars and nightclubs. The riverside area between Santos and Alcantara, heading west out of the city, has been renovated and offers numerous sophisticated bars in old converted warehouses. The smart fin-de-siècle Chiado quarter, for years blighted by scaffolding during repairs following the devastating fire of 1988, is triumphantly re-emerging in a blaze of restored glory. 

At a glance 
The squeamish will be relieved that in Portugal, unlike Spain, bulls are not killed in bullfights. Tickets are sold for either the sol (sunny) or sombra (shady) parts of the arena. If you go it's well worth paying the extra for a sombra seat, or else you might find yourself blinded by the low, early evening sun. A great post-war bullfighting figure was Mario Coelho, who retired in 1990. 

Goa, the Indian state now so beloved of European sun-seekers, was a Portuguese colony until 1961. 

The greatest of all Portuguese influences is the sea. The Portuguese are very conscious of themselves as a seafaring race; mariners like Vasco da Gama led the way in the exploration of Africa and the Americas. 

Like the Brazilians, the Portuguese are big motor racing fans. The Portuguese Grand Prix is held at Estoril, about thirty miles from Lisbon.