LISBON
Lisbon is the capital and largest city of Portugal, and it is the most populous municipality with an estimated population of 575,739 in 2024. The larger Lisbon metropolitan area includes about 3.01 million people, making it the third largest in the Iberian Peninsula and among the 10 most populous urban areas in the European Union.
Lisbon is recognized as a global city with importance in finance, commerce, media, entertainment, arts, international trade, education, and tourism. It houses the PSI-20, part of Euronext, the largest center for debt and funds listings worldwide.
Lisbon is home to several major sporting events and sports teams, including three top-tier football clubs: S.L. Benfica, Sporting CP, and C.F. Os Belenenses. The city also hosted the UEFA Euro 2004 and the 2014 and 2020 UEFA Champions League finals.
Lisbon's culture is rich in architecture from various periods such as Romanesque, Gothic, Manueline, Baroque, and Modern. The city offers a variety of museums, such as the National Museum of Ancient Art and the National Coach Museum, and hosts several cultural festivals.
Lisbon is a major center for higher education, hosting three public universities including the University of Lisbon, which is the largest in Portugal. It also has several prominent private institutions.
There are several websites that would be very useful for getting to know Lisbon if you are a potential short-term visitor. The best, in our opinion, is
https://lisbontravelplanner.com/welcome-to-lisbon/
and the others are:
https://www.duquesapartments.com/en/welcome-to-lisbon
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Tourism-g189158-Lisbon_Lisbon_District_Central_Portugal-Vacations.html
More facts about Lisbon:
Lisbon won last year's World Travel Awards as Europe's Best City Break Destination. But it's more than just a super-Instagrammable city, but it's also a thriving hub for digital entrepreneurs, online businesses and creative nomads, giving the city this incredible buzz.
Lisbon's nicknames include The City of Light, The City of Seven Hills, Queen of the Sea, and Alfacinha, the last of which is used to refer to the city's people and means "little lettuce". The city is also called the White City due to the luminosity of its buildings.
The primary reason why Lisbon is a difficult city for walkers is due to the fact that Lisbon is very hilly, and its hills are steep.
In most regions, including urban areas like Lisbon and Porto, tap water is considered safe to drink. Portugal water quality is closely monitored and regulated to comply with European Union (EU) standards, which are some of the strictest in the world. Generally, tap water in Lisbon may not be to everyone's liking, as it is considered 'hard' due to its calcium and magnesium content. While hard water is safe to drink, its downside is that it makes soap, shampoo, and detergent harder to foam.
In a lot of private homes, restaurants and even small hotels in Portugal, it is common to see a sign asking you not to put any paper or other products into the toilet. In private homes it's because they have a septic system that can't handle large volumes of toilet paper.
The couvert (cover charge) is a Portuguese dining tradition where restaurants place various starters on your table without being asked. It's perfectly legal and deeply ingrained in Portuguese restaurant culture, but it catches countless tourists off guard. Here's what many tourists don't realise: you can refuse the couvert. The moment items are placed on your table, you have every right to say "Não, obrigado/a" and ask for them to be removed. The key is to do this immediately, before touching anything.
Portuguese cuisine is known for its fresh seafood and hearty meats like pork and beef, with key flavors from garlic, olive oil, and herbs. Famous food in Lisbon includes Pastel de Nata (custard tarts), Bacalhau (salted cod prepared in many ways), Bifana (pork sandwiches), and Sardinhas (grilled sardines). Other must-try dishes and treats are Caldo Verde (green soup), Alheira (a non-pork sausage), Pastéis de Bacalhau (cod cakes), and seafood like clams and octopus.
The famous drink in Lisbon is Ginjinha (or Ginja), a sweet, sour cherry liqueur made by infusing sour cherries with aguardente (a Portuguese brandy), sugar, and sometimes cinnamon. It's served as a shot, either with or without a cherry at the bottom, and can even be offered in a chocolate cup.
Super Bock is a Portuguese beer brand from the Super Bock Group brewery which produces a range of beers under the same name. Established in 1927, Super Bock maintains a leading position in the Portuguese market. It is also the best-selling Portuguese beer in the world.
Lisbon holds the Guinness World Record for the largest bean stew (feijoada, which is also the national dish of Brazil) ever served, which was served to 15,000 people on a 5km-long table on the Vasco da Gama bridge (the longest bridge in Europe) during its inauguration.