Lisbon - what neighbourhood to stay in?

We are just in the 'dreaming' early planning stage of our trip and are looking at apartment rentals for Lisbon. We are travelling as a group of six so we know we want an apartment instead of hotel. What neighbourhood do you recommend to stay in Lisbon, likely for a 5 night stay? We range in age from early 40s to late 50s, enjoy walking/wondering the city, casual restaurants and people watching from cafes. We do not necessarily need to be in the centre of the night life area....but wouldn't mind being 10-15 minute walk away. Thank you for any suggestions.

We are just in the 'dreaming' early planning stage of our trip and are looking at apartment rentals for Lisbon. We are travelling as a group of six so we know we want an apartment instead of hotel. What neighbourhood do you recommend to stay in Lisbon, likely for a 5 night stay? We range in age from early 40s to late 50s, enjoy walking/wondering the city, casual restaurants and people watching from cafes. We do not necessarily need to be in the centre of the night life area....but wouldn't mind being 10-15 minute walk away. Thank you for any suggestions.

We have just returned from a two night stay in Lisbon. We had a hotel on Avenida da Liberdade (Turim) we walked back at night and did not feel it was too far. Nearer the bottom end - look for the Hard Rock Cafe on a map would be better. We loved Lisbon, lots of walking up hills. You have to be very good at clutch control to drive there. We never used them but there appeared to be a great set of HoHo buses that took you as far out as Cascais.

The highlight of the trip for me was not Lisbon it was Sintra where we visited the Pena Palace. If you like buildings it is a real treat.

We have some American friends who have been vacationing in Portugal for over thirty years. They have never stayed in Lisbon (and according to them they never will). Why? When they are near Lisbon they always stay in Sintra. As my friend (Bill) says..."why would we stay in Lisbon when Sintra is nearby?" Personally, we disagree and are happy to spend a few nights in Lisbon. Our proximity to public transit (Metro or Tram) is a more important then the specific neighborhood.

Hank

Whiļe some say Lisbon has no 'centre' as such, the Alfama and Baixa/Chiado areas seem to be the 'older' part and more touristy. However, transport is good and cheap, look into day passes and the Zapping card, so area may not be so important. There is loads of information on Tripadvisor Lisbon forum https://www.tripadvisor.ie/ShowForum-g189158-i203-Lisbon_Lisbon_District_Central_Portugal.html

We have just returned from a two night stay in Lisbon. We had a hotel on Avenida da Liberdade (Turim) we walked back at night and did not feel it was too far. Nearer the bottom end - look for the Hard Rock Cafe on a map would be better. We loved Lisbon, lots of walking up hills. You have to be very good at clutch control to drive there. We never used them but there appeared to be a great set of HoHo buses that took you as far out as Cascais.

 

The highlight of the trip for me was not Lisbon it was Sintra where we visited the Pena Palace. If you like buildings it is a real treat.

Thank you for your reply. We do have Sintra on our list of day trips...looking forward to exploring there.

Happy travels!

We have some American friends who have been vacationing in Portugal for over thirty years. They have never stayed in Lisbon (and according to them they never will). Why? When they are near Lisbon they always stay in Sintra. As my friend (Bill) says..."why would we stay in Lisbon when Sintra is nearby?" Personally, we disagree and are happy to spend a few nights in Lisbon. Our proximity to public transit (Metro or Tram) is a more important then the specific neighborhood.

Hank

Hi Hank,

Thank you for the info. We are really just looking for some suggestions at this point and your info will help. We went to Brcelona last year and had such a fantastic experience with our vacation apartment rental, that I am just hoping to find a location as favourable in Lisbon. I totally agree that proximity to transit is important.

Thanks again,

Nadine

Whiļe some say Lisbon has no 'centre' as such, the Alfama and Baixa/Chiado areas seem to be the 'older' part and more touristy. However, transport is good and cheap, look into day passes and the Zapping card, so area may not be so important. There is loads of information on Tripadvisor Lisbon forum https://www.tripadvisor.ie/ShowForum-g189158-i203-Lisbon_Lisbon_District_Central_Portugal.html

Thank you for the info about the zapping card.....will definitely look into that.

Cheers,

Nadine