When you are in Lisbon don’t miss Noobai Café. The café has a relaxed beach-style bar and even better – it has a rooftop terrace with stunning views of the Tejo-river and the statue of Christ that stands 100 meters tall on the opposite bank.

Watch the sunset from Noobai’s terrace while you enjoy a glass of port or the café’s famous watermelon juice. It doesn’t get more relaxed and romantic than this!

Noobai also serves delicious Mediterranean food.

Noobai Café, Miradouro do Adamastor
www.noobaicafe.com

Author David Rich Momondo

Getting to and from the airport

 By Katrine Salomon

York House Hotel  

From the outside, the little hotel with the dark pink facade doesn’t look like much. But behind the walls a little treasure is hidden: An old nicely restored monastery and its courtyard paved with black and white tiles. This is where you eat your breakfast in a restaurant so good that the hotel asks you to book a table if you want to have dinner here at night.
Room 404 has a window to the courtyard so you can fall asleep in the big white bed to the sound of mumbling voices from behind the white curtain. The tub is nice and big and the cream colored bathroom is ornamented by the famous blue and white Azulejoss tiles. The hotel has many lovely places where you can hang out, the atmosphere is nice and homely, the courtyard is wonderful and the location is perfect, right by the ocean and a ten-minute walk from Praca do Comercio.

130 € 

York House Hotel, Rua das Janelas Verdes, 32
www.yorkhouselisboa.com

Bairro Alto Hotel

This posh five-star hotel is located in a restored building from the 19th century and was formerly Hotel de l’Europe. The hotel reopened in 2005 and the owners have tried to recreate the elegance of days gone by. The rooms are large and spacious. Try to get one on the top floor, where they have balconies with a view of the city. Bairro Alto Hotel is a member of ”The Leading Hotels of the World”.

250 €

Bairro Alto Hotel
Praca Luis de Camoes, 8
www.bairroaltohotel.com

Lisboa Regency Chiado

A lovely four-star hotel with a great location in Chiado. The interior design is a mish-mash of new and old stuff and different styles, creating a nice and comfortable atmosphere.

105 €

Lisboa Regency Chiado
Rua Nova da Almada, 114
www.lisboaregencychiado.com

Lisbon Poets Hostel

A pleasant hostel that makes a cheap trip to Lisbon a reality. The charming four-storey building is characteristically 17th century. The rooms are clean and the English-speaking staff very kind. Poets Hostel also has a new branch in Porto with the same virtues. Good quality at a reasonable price.

Lisbon Poets Hostel,
Rua do Duque 41
www.lisbonpoetshostel.com

By Katrine Salomon 

The Portuguese go out dancing late – the clubs don’t get in full swing until three in the morning. So you are strongly advised to start your night out in Lisbon, bar hopping in Bairro Alto.
The bars are lining the streets Rua da Rosa, Rua da Barroca and Travessa do Poco da Cidade. That is an excellent place to down some booze and get in touch with partying Portuguese before you continue out on the town.

Lux

The night club Lux has almost become an institution in Lisbon’s nightlife. Lux is located in an old hangar by the river Tejo. The interior design is carried through with large chandeliers and plastic sun beds. Upstairs there’s a lounge and downstairs you can find the huge dance floors that DJ’s fire up with different kinds of electronic music.But be prepared; you will not hear any cozy house music here! If you get too hot you can cool off on the roof terrace of the club, from where you have a fabulous view of the Tejo.

Lux,
Avenida Infante Dom Henrique
www.luxfragil.com

Paradise Garage

Paradise Garage is a lively musical venue for most of the week. You can hear some of Lisbon’s most sought-after DJs here, as well as local and foreign bands. The weekends are mainly appealing to young people who want to dance all night long. 

Paradise Garage,
Rua Joao de Oliveira Miguens 38-48
www.paradisegarage.com

By Katrine Salomon

In Baixa you will find a lot of cheap shops selling shoes, t-shirts and children’s clothes.
Luxury brands are all found in Avenida da Liberdade.
Concentrate on the area Chiado. The easiest way to get there is from the central square, Rossio, which is located in Baixa.

From Rossio you walk up Rua do Carmo, a good shopping street.
The street is up hill, and on your right you will soon find an amazing little glove store, which looks like something from another era, when ladies had their leather gloves custom made.

Luvaria Ulisses

I am a perfect 7 and a half! It almost looks like a small peach colored phone booth with golden edges. At no more than 25 square feet, Luvaria Ulisses must be Europe’s tiniest glove stores.  The exhibition cases on the walls display gloves in soft pastel colors like pink, peach, mint green and light blue. You can find gloves in bright colors; red, orange, purple and turquoise. Laced gloves, leather gloves and driving gloves. Funky black gloves with narrow white stripes, black gloves with multi colored buttons, gloves with small bows or windings. The details make the gloves pure little masterpieces.

The sales person asks me to show him my hand and affirms with a serious expression that I am a size 7.5. I pick a pair of beautiful red gloves, which will light up my winter wardrobe. A pair of gloves in the softest leather are fetched from a box in the back, and he takes out a pair of tongs. The gloves have to be prepared before you try them on.

With the tongs he expands the fingers of the glove one by one. He holds the palm of the glove and gently massages it with his fingers. He blows talc into the glove with a little round pump. Now the glove is ready, but I’m not. He asks me to rest my elbow on a little red tapestry cushion on the counter. Gently, he pulls the glove on and the beautiful red leather glove sits on my hand, fitting like a glove! Then he brushes off the talc with a beautiful little antique brush. The gloves are wrapped in tissue paper and besides walking away with the gloves, I have experienced feinschmeckerei at its best. You rarely get to be taken this much by the hand while shopping.

Luvaria Ulisses,
Rua do Carmo, 87 A

Ana Salazar

On the same side of Rua do Carmo you will find a store that carries one of the leading Portuguese designers Ana Salazar.
In Portugal, she is considered very avant-garde.

Ana Salazar,
Rua do Carmo, 87
www.anasalazar.pt

Almost at the top of the street is Osklen; a Brazilian shop that you will find in few European cities – a fusion between quality beach wear, street wear and sports wear. They have a fun selection.

Rua do Carmo 9 - 11,
www.osklen.com

Ouriversaria Alianca

Turn the corner of Rua Garret. At number 50 is one of the most beautifully decorated jewelers in Europe. You have to know what you’re looking for, since they don’t make a show of their goods. Ask for Art Deco silver and see their beautiful hairbrushes and hand mirrors.

Ouriversaria Alianca,
Rua Garret, 50

A Brasileira do Chiado

If you need a rest and a cup of coffee, sit down in the café A Brasileira do Chiado. It’s a must. Outside in the terrace you can share a table with one of the greatest Portuguese poets – there is an entire museum in the city dedicated to him -  Fernando Pessoa. He is cast in bronze, but he is there nonetheless – and the view over Praca Largo de Camoes is lovely. The interior decoration is pure art nouveau.

A Brasileira do Chiado,
Rua Garret, 120.

Mousse

Close to Praca Largo de Camoes is the concept store Mousse. Orange glasses, beautiful dresses in particular styles and great interior design make up this trendy store.

Mousse,
Rua das Flores 41-43
www.mousse.com.pt

Conserveira de Lisboa

Walking from Baixa towards Alfama, go by Rua dos Bacalhoeiros. At the corner of Rua da Madalene is the most wonderful and almost grotesque shop selling canned sardines. A very old store with stacks of the Portuguese favorite fish in different beautiful cans. You will feel like buying all of them – even if you don’t like sardines.

Conserveira de Lisboa,
Rua dos Bacalhoeiros, 34

Eastpak Store

Eastpak backpacks sold in an amazingly decorated store. The walls are hundreds of years old.

Rua do Norte, 12

Feira da Ladra

Feira da Ladra,  ”The pickpockets’ market” is Lissabon’s famous flea market. You can make a bargain or be ripped off! Since 1882 the market has been held on Campo da Santa Clara and it’s open on Tuesdays and Saturdays.

Feira da Ladra,
Campo da Santa Clara

Best on Saturday mornings.

Af Katrine Salomon Momondo