After having told you which hotels and hostels got the most bookings through GoLisbon.com last year, we must also tell you that almost as many visitors book apartments as they do hotels. Although the majority of Lisbon’s hotels are located uptown in the business districts, most of the apartments rented to tourists are found in the very center of the city. GoLisbon.com offers a variety of apartments in the downtown (Baixa) and Chiado districts, but also in the picturesque Alfama neighborhood just a short walk or tram ride away.
They accommodate between 2 and 8 people, and are the ideal choice for families, groups of friends, or simply someone wishing to stay in a cosier, more private space.

The neighborhood you choose to stay in depends on what you’re looking to do in the city. Young travelers wishing to be close to Lisbon’s nightlife should look for an apartment in Bairro Alto or Chiado. Those looking to experience the city as a local, often choose Alfama. For easy access to sightseeing, the choice is any of the apartments in Baixa.

With many of the city’s decaying buildings in these areas finally being renovated and often bought by foreigners, there’s an increasing number of modern, fully-furnished apartments being rented to tourists in Lisbon. And everyone wins with this situation — the city has its buildings cleaned up, people make money out of their investments, and tourists can have the advantage of having a home away from home at a lower price than they’d pay at a standard hotel.

For all the apartments available for bookings, see our Lisbon apartments section.

Yesterday we told you which were the top 5 hotels booked through GoLisbon.com in 2008. Today we can tell you which 5 hostels were the favorites among GoLisbon clients last year.

Young independent travelers and backpackers may have heard that Lisbon’s Travellers House has been distinguished as one of the best hostels in the world, and perhaps for that reason it’s become the most popular choice on this website.

In second place was a relative newcomer, Lisbon Story Guesthouse, probably due to its excellent location by Rossio Square and its rooms telling the story of Lisbon.

Coming in third was the Lisbon Poets Hostel, perhaps because of its average 93.3% rating from past guests or its location just steps away from Chiado.

Not too far away is the Oasis Backpackers Mansion, and that was the fourth most popular choice among GoLisbon visitors. Its current 96.8% rating, not to mention its wonderful atmosphere, will surely continue to attract more bookings throughout this new year.

Oasis Backpackers was closely followed by Black and White Hostel, the fifth best-selling choice. Featuring one of the most attractive and colorful interiors in Lisbon, it also has a 90.5% average rating to convince potential guests to go ahead with their bookings.

Tying it with the exact same number of bookings to also make it the 5th most popular hostel was Lisbon Vintage, located uptown but with very easy access from the airport and to the center of the city.

See all of GoLisbon’s hostels, or perhaps you’d rather stay in the privacy of your own apartment. You may also prefer a hotel, and as you may have seen by now, GoLisbon.com offers all types of accommodation in Lisbon and all of Portugal, including the romantic pousadas.

The American/Texan newspaper Dallas Daily News has published an article about Lisbon written by the famous travel writer Rick Steves. Famous for his TV series “Rick Steves’ Europe” and his guidebooks, Steves returns to Europe every year looking for all that’s changed, all that’s new, and all that remains the same in the Old Continent.

On his most recent trip to Lisbon, he decided to experience Fado as the locals do. Although that’s nearly impossible (Fado these days is more of a tourist trap than an authentic experience), and the article itself is a little romanticized, GoLisbon recommends it because Rick Steves also recommends GoLisbon.com at the end of the article

If you’re interested in knowing more about Fado and where to hear it in Lisbon, see our fado section.

To read the full Rick Steves article, click here.

Based on the top hotels booked through GoLisbon.com, it seems that most Lisbon visitors (or at least GoLisbon clients) choose value for money first, followed by location, and easy access from and to the airport. By far the most booked hotel through the website was Golden Tulip Altis, located not far from downtown by public transportation, and with a 4-star service at very reasonable (even cheap) prices. Another factor that may lead to so many bookings is its average rating of previous guests, at 8.3 out of 10 at this moment. That’s exactly the same rating as the second most-popular choice, Radisson SAS Lisboa Hotel. It is another inexpensive 4-star hotel, and although located farther from the center of the city, it offers an airport shuttle service.

Coming in third was the Olissipo Castelo Hotel, a more romantic place around the corner from the castle. This was obviously the choice for those on a more romantic trip, looking for a cosy atmosphere in a central but quiet area. The current 9.2 rating after 206 reviews of past guests and the great price may also contribute to convincing visitors to book it.

The fourth most-booked hotel in 2008 was Hotel Veneza, located in a 19th century building in Avenida da Liberdade. This was a smart choice of those travelers who’ve done their homework and know that its location in the city’s main avenue will give them easy access to most of Lisbon’s attractions.

Concluding the top 5 is Hotel Botanico, also not far from Avenida da Liberdade and named after the city’s botanical garden nearby. It is an incredibly good value, with almost 200 reviews of guests giving it a rating of 8.6.

GoLisbon.com offers the most Lisbon accommodation choices on the web, listing not only hotels but also hostels, apartments, and pousadas.

Our top 20 posts in the past year:

1. Lisbon’s Top 10 Underrated Attractions
2. Lisbon Exceeds Visitors’ Expectations
3. Queens, Lisbon
4. Sleeping with the World’s Celebrities in Lisbon
5. I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream for Lisbon Ice Cream
6. Is the World’s Best Chocolate Cake in Lisbon?
7. Lisbon’s Best Pastries
8. Visiting James Bond’s Birthplace in Lisbon
9. Lisbon in New York
10. Vienna in Lisbon
11. Luxury in Lisbon
12. Lisbon for Free
13. Lesbian, Portugal
14. A Streetcar Named Electrico
15. It’s Great to Live in Lisbon
16. The Perfectly Wrong Souvenirs from Lisbon
17. Chiado Rises from the Ashes
18. Europe’s First 6-Star Hotel Opening in Portugal
19. 7 Portuguese Wonders of the World
20. Beauty and the Beach

GoLisbon has for last few years followed the openings and closings of new and old restaurants in Lisbon. We’ve told you about the most outstanding ones and offer you an extensive list with those you should consider trying during your visit to the city. Those lists are divided by cuisine, so whether you’re in the mood for some Italian pastas or pizzas, wish to sample the local gastronomy at a Portuguese restaurant, feel like experiencing some creative international fusion cuisine, or are looking for vegetarian restaurants for some meat-free dishes, we tell you where to go.

GoLisbon will continue to tell you about all the places worth considering in Lisbon, but we now also want to hear from you. Have you had a memorable experience at a restaurant in Lisbon? How about such a bad time that others need to be warned about? Visit GoLisbon’s restaurants guide and click on the name of the restaurant you’d like to comment on. A box has been placed at the bottom of each restaurant’s page just for you to contribute to our mission of providing the most complete information about Lisbon. Help us help those visiting Lisbon by clicking here.

GoLisbon.com just added another major hotel to its already unbeateable list of accommodation offers. No other Lisbon or Portugal website offers more places to stay (hotels, hostels, apartments, and pousadas), and all that was missing in the luxury category was Lapa Palace. This is one of the best hotels in Lisbon, and with a priviledged location. Once the private home of a noble family, it now welcomes the rich, the famous, and others who aspire for the same. Despite that, prices remain only a fraction of what you’d pay for such a caliber of service elsewhere in Europe.

If for some reason you are not able to book a room at Lapa Palace, there are other hotels in Lisbon where you should not be surprised to run into a familiar face in the elevator or breakfast room:

TIARA PARK ATLANTIC
Located at the top of Edward VII Park and overlooking the center of the city down to the Tagus, this has been the Lisbon home of famous names such as Bruce Springsteen. Rooms are decorated according to the four elements, and the restaurant offers traditional Portuguese cuisine.

LAPA PALACE
GoLisbon’s latest addition has welcomed Sting, Cher, Tina Turner, and a number of heads of state and members of royalty. The garden is a piece of heaven in the city, and the wellness center (which includes a sauna, massages, and beauty treatments) provides further relaxation before dinner at its Cipriani Restaurant, which is also open to non-guests and is one of Lisbon’s most refined places for an Italian or Mediterranean meal.

PESTANA PALACE
Madonna is this hotel’s most famous guest, although Diana Krall is another well-known name that has enjoyed its luxury and even offered a private performance during her stay. It’s a 19th century palace that is now part of “The Leading Hotels of the World”, surrounded by lovely gardens and with a swimming pool and spa to guarantee a refreshing stay in Lisbon.

DOM PEDRO PALACE
Located in a business district, this hotel accommodates mostly business travellers, and there are several special rooms for conferences. But that doesn’t mean that leisure travelers won’t feel welcomed, as former guests Bill Clinton, Claudia Schiffer, or Hillary Swank will tell you. Its restaurant Il Gattopardo is recognized as having one of the best Italian menus in the city, and from the presidential suite there’s a view over practically all of Lisbon.

For all other Lisbon hotels, click here.

Portugal is now the world’s 14th most popular tourist destination and by 2020 it expects to be in the top 10. While that’s good news for the country’s economy, it may sound like bad news for you as a tourist. But before you imagine your Portugal visit to be rubbing shoulders with crowds of old folks rushing out of tour buses, be assured that most of the country is actually still tourist free. Despite the increased number of visitors, Portugal remains an undiscovered country because most tourists don’t leave their resorts in Algarve or the luxury hotels of Madeira. Even Lisbon is really only overrun with tourists in August and Easter weekend when most of Spain seems to have crossed the border.

Most of Portugal’s tourists are also mostly coming from only a handful of countries, mainly from Spain, UK, Germany, and France. The main reasons to visit the country as reported by tourists is the geographical proximity and culture, good weather, and low prices. That means you just may have many of the country’s most charming towns all for yourself, especially if you go off the beaten path.

While Sintra, Obidos, and Evora are top choices after Algarve and Lisbon, you should not overlook the north, especially Portugal’s second city, Porto (or Oporto in English). From there it is easy to reach some of the most elegantly-preserved old cities in the country such as Braga, Guimarães, and Viana do Castelo, or visit the World Heritage Douro Valley.

As you must have already seen, GoLisbon is not just a guide to the Portuguese capital, but also a complete guide to Portugal, and you should visit the Portugal section for information about all that the country has waiting for you — still without the crowds.

If you want to know what’s happening in Lisbon while you’re visiting the city, all you need to do is look at the walls around Bairro Alto’s bars. They’re wallpapered with posters advertising the city’s upcoming concerts, festivals, and special events, and if you want ticket information, a friendly local will help you out with that…

Of course they’re always GoLisbon’s Calendar of Events as well, which lists the city’s upcoming attractions and provides ticket information. At the moment for example, tickets for Madonna’s concert in Lisbon are sold out everywhere, but not if you follow the link in our Calendar of Events… Do you love a good football (soccer) match? We got ticket information for the upcoming season there too. Enjoy the shows!

As Roger and I create this site, we not only hope to provide you with the most complete and up-to-date information about Lisbon, but also wish to present you a virtual tour of the city through images. That’s why you’ll find photos of just about every single sight in the city (and the country), and why we’ve also recently added a video. We plan to add more in the future, although we think that this first one is already a great overview of what you can expect to find in this beautiful city.

The footage was shot in two days as my role as a Lisbon resident was replaced by that of a tourist strolling through its main squares, resting at the miradouros along the way, and admiring the most impressive monuments. I also visited two of the most important museums, the popular Coaches Museum, and the outstanding Ancient Art Museum.

As I admired Lisbon from the terrace of St. George’s Castle and the top of the Discoveries Monument, and revisited the extraordinary cloisters of Jeronimos Monastery and the treasures inside the Ancient Art Museum, I was reminded of how much Lisbon has to offer and how it captivates visitors. I hope to share similar experiences in future videos, and for my next one I hope to capture the contagious energy of the city by focusing on its street life both day and night. In the meantime, enjoy this first video, and make sure to share it with those who may be interested in getting to know one of the most beautiful cities in the world