GRAND OPENINGS
Vincci Baixa Hotel
The opening of this hotel brought a breath of fresh air to the grid of streets of Lisbon’s downtown. The city’s most interesting hotels are found in the old historical quarters of the city, but those streets of Baixa so close to the river house mostly charmless budget hotels. Vincci Baixa brought modern design and a better 4-star service to the neighborhood, and the good news is that others are scheduled to follow it in the next couple of years.

VIP Grand Lisboa
Finally a good 5-star hotel within walking distance to the Gulbenkian Museum! Lisbon’s culture vulture tourists never miss the Gulbenkian, and in fact I have known a few who’ve visited the Portuguese capital just with that museum in mind. Those wishing to stay at a hotel close to it always had many good options, but they were the standard business hotels with good but not exceptional service to make your Lisbon stay more memorable. VIP Grand also caters to business travelers (it’s located in the heart of uptown’s financial district), but adds 5-star services also sought by leisure travelers such as a spa and a good restaurant.

Silk
Lisbon’s most exclusive hotspot opened early in the year and in less than 12 months is already the talk of the town, especially among those curious to check what it’s all about but can’t get on the restrictive guestlist. If you’re staying at an upmarket hotel, you may very well be one of the lucky few. You’ll find an elegant space, a sophisticated ambience, high-priced drinks, and views of every corner of Lisbon.

Kaffeehaus
Lisbon has been conquered by Vienna. Sure there are only two Austrian cafes in the city, but they have become two of the favorites. Pois Café in Alfama was a mandatory stop in the neighborhood when a second Vienna-inspired café opened in the city, but in the Chiado district. It now competes with the hip Deli Delux as Lisbon’s favorite Sunday brunch destination.

Orient Museum
Lisbon finally offers a major attraction that it was lacking. As the European capital that most contributed to the cultural ties between the Far East and the West, Lisbon had to have a space dedicated to showing the best of the Orient, and that happened in 2008. With the opening of the Orient Museum, visitors can now learn about traditional art from all over Asia, and see how Portugal influenced and was influenced by that part of the world.

Blindness in theatres
This was not only an opening in Lisbon. It was an opening around the world, but it had more relevance in Lisbon. Critics didn’t seem to like the Hollywood version of Portugal’s Nobel Prize author Jose Saramago’s novel “Blindness,” but as the first novel that the author allowed to make it to the big screen, it was an event Lisbon looked forward to see. Some were pleased, others were disappointed, but everyone enjoyed seeing Saramago’s work come to life. And this year it was also announced that the writer will have his own foundation housed in the city’s landmark Casa dos Bicos soon.

GRAND RE-OPENINGS
Fado Museum
The museum dedicated to showcasing Lisbon’s special music went through major renovation works and reopened later in the year. It got rid of attractions it felt it didn’t need, and added new features such as new sample audio tracks. Also of note is its new restaurant, given a surprisingly minimalist and completely contemporary look, further showing that Fado is very much a traditional sound of the past, but also with a very strong present.

Cravo e Canela
It’s one of the best restaurants in Bairro Alto, but remains underrated perhaps because it was closed for a few months. It’s now reopen and remains an excellent choice for those looking for a different gastronomic experience made up of contemporary international dishes with a small dose of exotic flavors. It’s served in a low-lit and very comfortable space, which you’ll only want to leave after a few hours, and to move on to the bar by the entrance.

Kubo
This got our vote as the best place for late-afternoon/after-work drinks. It’s been a summer hotspot for the last couple of years, and we welcomed it again in 2008. And this year it was even better because it was also transformed into an autumn destination, and although it’s closing on the last day of the year, we look forward to it next summer again.

Rossio Station
Major works were needed to renovate the tunnel that connects Lisbon’s central Rossio Station to the suburbs that lead to Sintra, the country’s most beautiful town. So the station closed in 2004 and only opened this year with a cleaned-up façade and with a new terrace on its left side featuring cafes offering outdoor seating.

Miradouro São Pedro de Alcantara
Only when it was closed for so many months did the people of Lisbon realize how much they love this garden-terrace outside Bairro Alto offering a panoramic view of the city. It was so spotlessly clean when it opened, that some have said it lost a little of its charm, but there’s no denying that it’s much more welcoming, and the new kiosk-café only invites you to go and stay longer even more.

ATTRACTION OF THE YEAR
Berardo Museum
This museum could also have very well been the attraction of 2007 as it was the year when it was opened and so talked about, but in 2008 it remained the city’s there’s-no-excuse-to-miss attraction, as it prolonged its free entrance for one more year. Throughout the year it also hosted a couple of major temporary exhibitions, and renovated the permanent one. So it was free, there was always something new, and you got to see Warhol, Picasso, Dali, Magritte, and Bacon under the same roof. No other attraction in the city could beat that, and 550,000 visitors took advantage of that this year.

MILESTONES
2008 was a special year for:
Lux: Lisbon’s most famous club turned 10

Downtown Lisbon: Baixa’s Renaissance is 250 years old, and there’s much debate over where it goes from here.

Botanical Garden: It’s charmingly decadent and it was remembered when it turned 130.

Manoel de Oliveira: The world’s oldest film director turned 100 years young.

Incognito: It celebrated two decades this year, but in true Incognito fashion, it did it without much fanfare and to the sound of the 80s.

THE WORST
Party Poopers
Some people are trying to silence Bairro Alto. That neighborhood of multiple personalities; the quiet old lady in the morning, but a partying 20-something at night, likes to stay awake until very late/early. As a result, the people who can’t deal with the noise she makes at night as everyone joins her for drinks outside, have succeeded in making city hall close the bars’ doors earlier, at 2AM. In Lisbon time, that’s when you’re still leaving your house or a restaurant after dinner. Old habits just don’t die like that, and the battle between the below-40 generation and city hall is still not over.

Where’s the Design Museum?
First it was supposed to reopen in 2007 in a mansion to be renovated by the Santa Catarina Viewpoint. Then it was postponed for the end of 2008, and then for early 2009. Another change in plans moved the location to a building downtown, to be reconverted in time for a reopening in late 2010. Lisbon’s Design and Fashion Museum still seems to have an uncertain future, and in the meantime, the city and its visitors are without one of its major cultural attractions.

So this is Christmas?
Could Lisbon’s 2008 Christmas decorations have been in any poorer taste? The ones around Chiado do their job of bringing the season’s spirit to its shoppers, but what was everyone, anyone, someone thinking when they approved the advertisements masked as decorations in Rossio and Comercio Square? The central monument of Rossio was given a kitsch décor by a national charity house (which also oversees the national lottery), while the central space of Comercio Square was taken over by gigantic “lightbulbs” serving as advertisement for a national cell phone company. Sure it’s time for cutbacks in this financial crisis, but it’s better to not have any decorations than to see your emblematic public spaces invaded by shameless advertisements.

Lisbon’s deceivingly rich São Roque Church houses a museum of sacred art that reopened last week after about two years of renovation works. If you’re in Lisbon between now and January 10th, be sure to take advantage of the free entrance, as from then on you will have to pay €2,50 (the church itself will continue to be free).

It now displays more than double of the pieces that it showed the past, for a total of around 350 works of art. The museum was created by the Jesuits in the 17th century, although it was only officially open to the public in 1905. Its collection is particularly strong on precious jewelry, and includes 17th century Flemish tapestry and various religious sculptures and paintings. Another highlight are the relics that are unique in the world, rivalled only by the massive collection in Spain’s El Escorial.

The investment of 2-million euros in the renovation allowed to add a second floor and now includes a gift shop and a cafeteria. You’ll also now be able to see a cloister with bamboos recalling the influence the Orient had on the Jesuits.

Lisbon’s Botanical Garden is 130 years old today. Actually it its 150 years old, since it was originally planned in 1858 and the first trees planted in 1873. Its opening to the public however, was only on November 11, 1878.

With beaches so close by, people in Lisbon spend little time in the city’s parks and gardens when compared to other Europeans. That’s too bad for them because the city does hide some wonderful green oases, and the botanical garden is just one of them. It is found right in the center of the city, although a reason why it doesn’t get many visitors may be that most people don’t know where it is. Although its entrance is in the Principe Real neighborhood right outside Bairro Alto, it’s easy to overlook its gate surrounded by buildings facing a busy street. But once inside, they’ll step into what is Lisbon’s most enchanting garden.

Unlike the city’s Tropical Garden, or even the greenhouse of Edward VII Park, this botanical garden shows some clear signs of neglect. Somehow, though, that gives it a rather special atmosphere, as of an enchanted forest in a fairytale. Trees branch out and twist is all sorts of directions as if straight out of “The Lord of the Rings,” shading a wonderful collection of subtropical vegetation from all over the world.

To commemorate the 130th anniversary, a number of sculptures will be placed around the garden and there will be workshops to discuss biodiversity and conservation of plants. There are plans to bring new life to the garden, so while you may not be in Lisbon for the 130th anniversary, there could be something special going on during your visit as well. But if not, you can always simply enjoy what you could likely see as your own personal little garden of Eden in Lisbon.

Lisbon is known as the city of saudade, that untranslatable feeling of melancholy and nostalgia. If for some reason during your stay in the city you long for the days when New Order or Depeche Mode were the biggest hits on your cassette player, there’s a place for you — Incognito.

At that now almost legendary club just outside Bairro Alto, that colorful decade is not over. It’s a decade that so far has lasted for 20 years and is still going strong. Incognito is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, but while its décor has changed, the soundtrack remains those good-old synthpop hits mixed with similar but more recent sounds.

But don’t expect a tacky retro place decorated with pictures of 80s icons on the walls. The music may be a flashback to the past, but everything else is very much 2008. A recent addition of a screen showing alternative videos, and the walls flooded in red light add to its singular atmosphere, much loved by those who show up every week for their dose of New Wave/Electronica/Indie/AlternativePop.

You’ll understand how it got its name when you finally find it. It’s located on a mostly residential street and there’s no sign outside. Just ring the bell and get ready to enjoy a night going up and down the stairs between the bar and the usually-packed dancefloor. Remember everyone’s there for the music, which is why you’ll sense they’re all enjoying their night singing along in their mind, and you will too.

As you recall the lyrics you grew up with, you’ll also understand how this place has lasted for so long and how the 80s just may be the longest decade ever.

Website: www.incognitobar.com

Practically all of the restaurants that have opened in Lisbon’s Bairro Alto in the last couple of years offer international or fusion cuisines. For authentic Portuguese food, you have to look for the older, more established restaurants. Many of them maintain their recipe for success, while others have looked to reinvent themselves amid the new competition. One that has stood the test of time is “O Barrigas.” It is one of the longest-running Portuguese restaurants in the neighborhood, and remains quite popular, especially on weekends.

That’s when I visited it, a Saturday when all of the tables were taken by both locals and tourists. Still, I managed to get a table in its small space, and waited to experience it for the first time.  While the proliferation of new cuisines in the neighborhood keeps the gastronomic choices in the city exciting with their often surprising and unusual menus, sometimes all you want is a good old traditional Portuguese meal, and that’s what I had at “O Barrigas.”

A list of Portuguese wines is written in chalk on a blackboard, while the bottles are displayed on another wall. I ordered the house wine, from the western region of the country. On the walls without the wine displays are a number of black and white photos of what look like family memories, while the background music is all Portuguese (this time it was a “Madredeus” compilation).

Three different dishes were brought to my table, all of them of bacalhau (cod). For those familiar with Portuguese cuisine, the menu only lists traditional dishes you already heard of and probably already had somewhere else. This restaurant does not make its own creations, but does what has already been invented quite well. Everyone at the table was pleased with their choices.

The only disappointment came at dessert time, when the only choices were fruit and four traditional desserts, including the always popular chocolate mousse and flan. That’s what we all went for.

“O Barrigas” is one of those options that always feel like a good choice when you’re wondering where to go for dinner. You won’t have any surprises (negative or positive), yet you’ll find yourself at one of the cosiest restaurant spaces in Bairro Alto. That atmosphere is its strongest point, together with its friendly service, the unpretentious menu mixed with a more personal and refined decor. It’s also reasonably-priced, another reason why it’s recommended for a good Portuguese meal in Bairro Alto to both the Lisbon resident or the curious tourist.

Address: Travessa da Queimada, 21 (Bairro Alto)
Phone: (+351) 21 347 1220

You’ve probably already read that Lisbon is Europe’s sunniest capital (and this weekend’s weather forecast sure does prove that, as illustrated above). But even during those darker, rainy weekends, Lisbon is the best choice in Europe for a quick city break. Not only do most of the low-cost airlines connect the Portuguese capital to most other major European cities, but as it was revealed earlier this year, Lisbon has the cheapest average hotel rates in Western Europe and its hostels rank among the best reviewed by guests. Also, where else can you see Picasso, Warhol, Bosch, or Rembrandt for free?

Until the end of this year the Berardo Museum’s acclaimed modern art collection is free to see every day of the week, while every Sunday morning (until 2PM), most of Lisbon’s museums (including the Gulbenkian and the Ancient Art Museum) offer free entrance to their permanent exhibitions.

If you’re also looking to party, you won’t find a bigger bar hop than in Lisbon’s Bairro Alto neighborhood, where every Friday and Saturday night there is a street party with all kinds of tribes going from bar to bar and standing outside their doors with a caipirinha or a beer in hand. From there most move on to a riverside club, until the sun rises and it’s time for brunch at one of more recent cafes in the city, be it Deli Delux, Pois Café, Kaffeehaus, or Royale Café (see our cafes page for more details about them).

We don’t recommend it for these autumn and winter months, but from about late April until October you can always sleep for the rest of the day at the beach before returning to your hotel to shower, pack, and head back to the airport.

Really, do you know of any other European capital that offers free culture, such affordable accommodation, a contagiously vibrant nightlife, has a better climate, such a beautiful riverside setting, vast sandy beaches so close by, and such a variety of attractions to be enjoyed over one weekend?

When you step into Lisbon’s Bairro Alto neighborhood your first impression will be of shock. You’ll be shocked to see every single building covered in graffiti and wonder how one of the city’s most central districts could have been neglected or vandalized that way.

What you and many others see as neglect and urban decay, others see as art. That debate is now open more than ever, with the creation of an open-air “gallery” that the group behind it calls “the world’s first ephemeral museum.”

That group named it just that — “The Ephemeral Museum” — and launched it in July along with much-discussed controversy around it (even earning a mention in The New York Times). Each work of “art” is numbered and labelled with the details of the artist and the method used, and a map and audio guide previously downloaded onto an MP3 player take you through the around three dozen “works” down the neighborhood’s cobbled streets.

The idea is to inform or provide a new perspective of graffiti by showing the creative energy of the Portuguese and international artists behind those works. But even with Bairro Alto being Lisbon’s counter-culture center, the area’s residents and business owners are determined to clean it up and the city’s mayor has scheduled a clean-up to start this month.

The group behind the “museum” insists that its goal is not to encourage graffiti, but to stress the quality of certain works so that they won’t be covered over by posters or tags (and maybe even the scheduled clean-up?)…

You’ll be able to form your own opinion on the controversy when you visit Lisbon, and if you’d like to take a tour of this “street art museum” consult its website before you go: www.museuefemero-eng.blogspot.com

For examples of Lisbon’s graffiti, see GoLisbon’s Street Art(?) photo gallery.

Starting this Thursday, October 9th, the best of Lisbon fashion will be presented down the runway in Cascais’ citadel. It’s the 31st Lisbon Fashion Week, showing Portugal’s designers’ Spring-Summer collections for 2009 until October 12th.

This is a by-invitation-only event, so even if you’re in Lisbon this week, it’s highly unlikely that you’ll make it there, although you can always see some of the highlights later on Fashion TV. So what to do if you’re interested in fashion and want to see some of Lisbon’s creations?

The epicenter of Lisbon fashion is the Chiado district, extending into Bairro Alto next door. You may visit the boutiques of Ana Salazar and Fatima Lopes, the two most international Portuguese designers, or check out the new talent receiving all the latest buzz.

A name you should not miss is Storytailors, a team of two designers that opened up their space in Chiado that was described by the New York Times as “certainly the most brilliantly strange new store to set up in Lisbon.” Their inspirations are fairytales and fantastic stories, giving their creations a very original look that has even caught the attention of the fashion chameleon Madonna.

Also in Chiado is the Alves/Golçalves boutique, with both men’s and womenswear known for their classic-chic looks, while up the hill in the same neighborhood is the shop of Jose Antonio Tenente, who although based in Cascais has his shop in Lisbon.

Obviously these are not the only names in Lisbon fashion, but they’re the ones you should not miss. Other designers to investigate include Aleksandar Protich (born in Belgrade but Lisbon-based), Dino Alves, and Miguel Vieira.

If you’re in Lisbon for the weekend (and many Europeans do that), you’ll surely be going out at night and staying out until morning. Even if you don’t plan on doing that, you won’t be able to avoid it, as dinners start late, and a bar hop in Bairro Alto is one of the city’s most popular activities.

You don’t have to worry about how you’ll be getting back to your hotel or apartment so late at night (or early in the day), because two new free bus services have just been introduced in the city.
They cover the Bairro Alto and Avenida 24 de Julho areas, the two main nightlife districts in Lisbon every Friday and Saturday night, and on the evenings before holidays.

Running between 10PM and 5AM, the “Night Bus” shuttle starts in Marquês de Pombal Square and ends in the Belem district’s waterfront. The second bus service is a circular route starting and ending in Cais do Sodré, passing through Santos’ bars and Avenida 24 de Julho’s clubs. Both of these services depart every 20 minutes.

In addition to these two routes, the Gloria Elevator that connects Restauradores Square with Bairro Alto will now operate until 4:30AM.

With these new services, Lisbon City Hall hopes for less traffic in the center of the city and prevent people from driving home after a few drinks. In your case, you’ll save a few euros that you’d otherwise have to spend on a taxi, and don’t have to look for one at a time when they’re pretty much all taken.

After being closed for a few months, restaurant Cravo e Canela (”Clove and Cinnamon”) in Bairro Alto has reopened, refreshed with a new menu. The dishes have changed, but the fusion of Portuguese and international flavors remains the same, as does the intimate ambience. The décor is made up of candelabra, oriental sculptures, and mirrors surrounding the dark furnishings, where you sit as you listen to a soundtrack of chill-out, jazz, or fado tunes. That’s the perfect setting for a long, relaxed dinner that’s guaranteed to be one of the most memorable among Bairro Alto restaurant experiences. 

Start with the octopus carpaccio as an appetizer as I did, and let the knowledgeable staff suggest the perfect wine to go along with your meal. I was recommended a Callabriga Douro, a red wine from the north of Portugal. It went well with the main entrées that later arrived at my table, a vegetable risotto and a shrimp açorda (the traditional Portuguese bread stew).

The menu had other tempting options, under meat, fish, and risotto listings, and for lovers of the more exotic (and spicier) flavors, the Thai curry shrimps will sound tempting and is perhaps my likely choice on a return visit. But next time we’ll have to repeat one of the desserts that completed our meal, the chocolate chiffon. That generous slice of cake was shared at the table, but I was also curious about the rice pudding and ice cream combination, and ordered that. The pudding comes in a thin cup, with strips of lemon providing a little extra flavor mixed in. The ball of ice cream that stands next to it on a plate is usually vanilla, but I requested it be lemon-flavor instead. It was a wise choice, and one that matched the chocolate chiffon in satisfying the taste buds. The apple lasagne also sounded interesting, but that was also left for next time.

The owners seem to have made comfort and customer satisfaction a top priority, and those who don’t want to leave after dinner may choose to move on to the bar. They may stand or sit there with a drink, as they watch the streets of Bairro Alto become filled for the usual bar hop through the night.

The bar, the inviting and comfortable ambience, the inventive flavors on the menu, and the attentive service is just the right fusion to make Cravo e Canela one of the sure bets for a night in Bairro Alto.