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A new clutch of stylish hotels and restaurants has revitalized the city's oldest neighborhoods, turning Portugal's port capital into one of Europe's most vibrant destinations. http://tandl.me/13VDGHT
R. da Oliveira ao Carmo, 1-2-3 (Largo do Carmo), Lisboa, Lisboa
Hotel · Centro Histórico · 17 tips and reviews
Travel + Leisure: This smartly designed property near Praça dos Restauradores features textural touches such as blond-wood furnishings and leather headboards. No. 503 has views of the Gothic Convento do Carmo’s ruins.
R. de João Pena, 13 (Travessa da Fábrica das Sedas), Lisboa, Lisboa
Bed and Breakfast · São Mamede · 6 tips and reviews
Travel + Leisure: Lisbon does quaint B&B’s brilliantly. Case in point: the sophisticated Casa Amora. Expect centuries-old antiques throughout, and spacious suites with deep beds draped in soft white duvets.
Travel + Leisure: You’ll find a host of heritage house-hotels along Rua Janelas Verdes in Santos; this one has a light-filled lobby and the standout Old Oak Room Suite (oak walls; crown moldings).
Travel + Leisure: This refurbished landmark Alfama building draws the city's creative set with its Belle Époque–style common areas and six colorful suites, some with crystal chandeliers and views of the Tagus River.
Travel + Leisure: It’s not a national monument for nothing. The four spacious Royal suites (with elaborate wainscoting) are aptly named; stained-glass windows and a lavish garden celebrate the turn of the 20th century.
R. Rodrigo da Fonseca, 88 (Av. Brancaamp), Lisboa, Lisboa
Hotel · São Sebastião da Pedreira · 38 tips and reviews
Travel + Leisure: The glamour of the 1950’s is beautifully enshrined in this yellow-and-gray palace chock-full of Midcentury pieces. Bonus: the hotel has some of the largest standard rooms in the city.
Portuguese Restaurant · Alcântara · 39 tips and reviews
Travel + Leisure: This industrial-style dining room specializes in updated Portuguese comfort dishes. Order the hearty caldo verde (potato and kale soup), followed by the grilled sea bass with crab rice.
Travessa do Convento das Bernardas 12, Lisboa, Lisboa
Portuguese Restaurant · Centro Histórico · 34 tips and reviews
Travel + Leisure: Locals love this 34-year-old Portuguese standby, in the arcade of a 17th-century convent in Lapa. The appetizers (try the fluffy scrambled eggs mixed with wild mushrooms) are meals unto themselves.
Portuguese Restaurant · Centro Histórico · 45 tips and reviews
Travel + Leisure: Chef José Avillez has made his culinary flagship the finest restaurant in town. The inventive menu has hints of molecular gastronomy: goose barnacle; suckling pig topped with orange-peel purée.
Seafood Restaurant · Centro Histórico · 351 tips and reviews
Travel + Leisure: You can’t go wrong with the tender roasted-sardine sushi at Sea Me, a laid-back seafood joint in Chiado. Check the sign at the in-house market near the open kitchen for the list of catches of the day.
Travel + Leisure: Sausage, potatoes, and grilled black pork (the cuts poetically named “secretos” and “plumas” are the best) pair with regional reds at Zé Varunca, an unassuming tavern off Avenida da Liberdade.
Arts and Crafts Store · Centro Histórico · 45 tips and reviews
Travel + Leisure: Come here for a well-curated selection of homegrown goods (Confiança soaps; Tricana conserves), handicrafts (hand-loomed blankets), and bric-a-brac.
Travel + Leisure: This impressive 10th-century crenellated castle and citadel where Celts, Romans, Visigoths, and Moors successively held sway has knockout views of the Alfama.
Travel + Leisure: This impressive 10th-century crenellated castle and citadel where Celts, Romans, Visigoths, and Moors successively held sway has knockout views of the Alfama.
Art Museum · Centro Histórico · 45 tips and reviews
Travel + Leisure: In a former bank in Baixa, you’ll find an exhaustive collection of contemporary furniture (Ponti; Studio 65) and vintage couture (Dior; Westwood).
Travel + Leisure: At the homey Wine Bar do Castelo, you’ll get a deeper immersion into Portugal’s table wine: servers will walk you through more than 100 choices.
Travel + Leisure: What frescoes are to Italy, tiles, or azulejos, are to Portugal. East of Praça do Comercio, this museum is housed in a convent dating back to 1509. Don’t miss the tile panel of the city made in 1738.
Gourmet Store · Centro Histórico · 19 tips and reviews
Travel + Leisure: A traditional food store where you can find row upon row of canned specialties. Get the Tricana-brand atum ventresca (tuna belly) in olive oil or the Portuguese sardines.
Travel + Leisure: If you’re looking for great one-off pieces, head to this avant-garde clothing boutique for couture designs; it carries incredible corsets and layered tulle dresses.
Portuguese Restaurant · Centro Histórico · 3 tips and reviews
Travel + Leisure: At this low-key restaurant in Cais do Sodré, an old lady cooks delicious regional dishes. Order the cozido portuguesa, a meat-and-vegetable stew served with rice.
Largo São Domingos de Benfica, 1 (Av. 24 de Janeiro), Lisboa, Lisboa
Historic and Protected Site · São Domingos de Benfica · 11 tips and reviews
Travel + Leisure: The private residence of the current Marquis of Lisbon has some of the world’s most detailed antique pieces; private tours are offered in the morning.
Portuguese Restaurant · Centro Histórico · 9 tips and reviews
Travel + Leisure: Don’t leave town without going to a live concert of Portugal’s signature fado music. Most clubs are tourist traps, but this 22-year-old tavern in Graça is the real thing.
Travel + Leisure: Undyed Portuguese virgin wool has long found its way into traditional blankets and rugs. But this stylish spot makes those fibers into chic capes, coats, sweaters, and shawls.
Travel + Leisure: The Italian/São Tomense chocolate maker has revived the cacao trade in the former Portuguese colony of São Tomé and Príncipe. Locals line up to buy the sweet stuff at his shop in Príncipe Real.
Arts and Crafts Store · Centro Histórico · 3 tips and reviews
Travel + Leisure: A family-run candlemaker since the 18th century, the jewel-box shop west of Chiado sells a vast array of colorful candles. There are tapers, novelty sculptures, and scented varieties.
Portuguese Restaurant · Centro Histórico · 11 tips and reviews
Travel + Leisure: The food at the sleek, white-on-white Alma is light and sophisticated. Choose from traditional plates, such as fish stew with lemongrass and ginger, or French classics with a twist.
Travel + Leisure: In this 143-year-old former villa, a shady, palm-ringed pool feels straight out of Old Hollywood. Take a stroll through the hotel’s beautifully manicured gardens.
Travel + Leisure: Kilim rugs and 17th-century artifacts are juxtaposed with contemporary art and slick marble bathrooms at the renovated Palacio Belmonte, a palace built in the 1400’s off Castelo de São Jorge.