Lisbon Short Breaks Guide

Lisbon, the westernmost city in Europe is the largest city in Portugal and is its capital. It has a municipal population of about 600,000 and a metropolitan population of over 2m. It is the political and economic centre of Portugal and the region is by far the wealthiest in the country.

It is believed that Lisbon is over 3000 years old and was occupied by Julius Caesar in 240BC when it was already 1000 years old. Since then it has been ruled by Germanic tribes, and later the Moors, who ruled it for three hundred years or so, until it was recaptured by the Crusaders in the year 1147.

Getting to Lisbon
We have a guide to airlines and flights to Portugal on this site, as well as a guide to travelling to Portugal by train. Many cruise ships stop at Lisbon due its location and on a visit there you are likely to see some of the largest cruise ships in the world.

Getting around Lisbon
A must-have for any visitor to Lisbon is the Lisbon Card. It offers free or discounted entrance to most of the museums of Lisbon as well as free public transport. Available in 24 (16 Euros), 48 (27 Euros), or 72 hour (33.50) versions, it provides visitors to Lisbon with an easy, organised and useful way to get to know the city. Children aged 5-11 are half-price. They can be bought at the “Ask Me” Tourism kiosk at the airport arrivals or at several locations around the city. www.askmelisboa.com

At the same time you can get a restaurant card which offers 10-20% discount at up to 40 restaurants around town.

The Metro and Buses and run every day from 06:30 to 24:00

Currency
The local currency is the Euro.

Health
If you need the hospital in Lisbon make sure you have an EHIC card. If you don’t, get one from www.ehic.org – it will save you a lot of bother if the worst happens.