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.

Celebrating Midnight in Comercio Square
Thousands of people choose to be in Lisbon’s largest square at midnight, when the new year is welcomed in a festive atmosphere. That’s where you’ll be able to see the city’s fireworks show more closely, with the square and the river being flooded with a variety of colors and lights.

A Michelin-Star Welcome to 2009
198 euros (per person and without drinks) gets you a Michelin-star ending to 2008 and start of 2009. Overlook Lisbon from Eleven, the restaurant standing at the top of Edward VII Park.  If you get the right table, its special menu (at that special price) will also get you views of the fireworks at midnight taking place down by the river. On the menu you’ll have both meat and fish courses and a varied selection of desserts.

Special Dinner by the Tagus
A cheaper but equally worthy alternative to Eleven is moving closer to the river and going for Virgula’s special New Year’s menu. It’s only 95 euros (without wine) and includes a special selection of two fish or meat dishes, ending with a chocolate pyramid for dessert.

Saying Good-Bye and Welcoming 2009
Last August, GoLisbon told you that the lounge-bar-restaurant-club Kubo was the place to be in the summer. Turns out it stayed open for the fall and it will only be closing its doors until the summer of 2009 on New Year’s Day. It made a few changes in its autumn season, and was no longer an open-air space, although it did it with glass, so the Tagus views are still there. The best way to guarantee a spot when midnight arrives is to go for dinner after 7PM and get ready for the New Year’s cheers which start at 10.

Where the Party is Always at
If you’ve been reading GoLisbon (and its blog), you already know that Lux is Lisbon’s party house, and even after a decade since it opened, it still is the club with the most happening New Year’s celebrations. Do note that it’s “New Year’s,” and not “New Years’s Eve,” as it opens its doors when it’s already 2009, at 1 in the morning.

An Alternative New Year’s Party
Lisbon’s Lesboa parties originally had the city’s lesbian community in mind when they first took place, but they’re now special events (taking place every couple of months or so) for every lifestyle and gender. Those looking for a more casual and cheaper (45 euros) alternative to the traditional New Year’s Eve parties, this is the one to choose, with an open bar (champagne will be served at midnight) and city views from its hilltop location (Tapada da Ajuda). DJ Ivan Pica (ranked in a magazine as Spain’s #1 house music DJ) and Miss Jools (from Berlin) will mix the music, and those staying until the morning will have breakfast available (hot chocolate and cake). See the Lesboa website for more.

Exactly three years ago a Lisbon neighborhood was reborn. On December 6, 2005 the neighborhood of Santos was distinguished for its cluster of shops dedicated to design and was branded “Santos Design District.” Since that day other shops (and restaurants) have opened (and closed), but after three years, the group behind the initiative is celebrating the positive feedback from shop owners and discerning Lisbon shoppers with special events.

To mark the anniversary, the shops are staying open for a longer period of time from today to Monday, and there are special sales and special (exclusive) products on display, among other promised “surprises.”

The best known name in the neighborhood is Armani Casa, but if you’re interested in remodelling your home, just looking for something new, or simply browsing with an interest in design, you’ll find Lisbon’s (and Portugal’s) very own shops competing for shoppers with good taste. One you should check out if you’re in Lisbon today is Domo (some of its ideas are illustrated above), offering tea, cappuccino, hot chocolate, and pastries to its customers starting at 4:30PM.

Once you’re done with your shopping (stores will close at 10PM), you can try one of the restaurants in the area. Following the new theme of the neighborhood, you’ll find places where the décor is just as interesting as the food. A favorite is Estado Liquido. Better known for it sushi, it also features a sleek minimalist space with some Asian touches, and it also doubles as a bar/lounge. If you’re not a fan of sushi and want to try something more local, head to Cop’3. It’s another tastefully designed space serving innovative versions of traditional Portuguese dishes. You’ll find it in Largo Vitorino Damasio, the same square where the bar Left is located. It’s a hip hangout that Wallpaper* magazine singled out for being “stylish and relaxed,” that’s also a great place for drinks to the sounds of the guest DJs.

Even if you’re not in Lisbon this weekend for Santos’ special events, remember that you can spend a day here when you’re in town, taking a look at the shops, eating at the restaurants, and ending the night drinking at a bar. In the future you’ll also be able to bring your laptop and sit on a bench in the streets of the neighborhood and browse the internet, with the planned wi-fi service.

In a city so stunningly sited down a number of hills towards a river, you know there have to be some fantastic views here and here. That’s true in Lisbon, with its number of terraces and gardens created as viewpoints to admire the city. But there are also buildings lucky enough to have been built in a place with an unobstructed view over the city, and they make good use of it.  Some of them are luxury apartments, others are hotels, others are restaurants. Others, following a worldwide trend, are rooftop bars. These are the best ones in Lisbon:

SILK
Opened only a few months ago, this bar has a 360º view of Lisbon from its 6th floor penthouse location in Chiado (Rua da Misericordia, 14). The views can be admired from the interior through its glass windows, or in the open air on the terrace. Take a look at the illuminated castle at night as you enjoy a bottle of champagne or a cocktail. This bar aims to be Lisbon’s most exclusive night spot, so getting in is the hard part. You either have to wait your turn in the already long guestlist, or if you’re a guest in one of the city’s top-end hotels, they can squeeze you in for one night.

ENTRETANTO at Regency Chiado
Open to everyone down the street around the corner from Silk is the Entretanto Bar, found at the top of the Regency Chiado Hotel. You can sit inside in the comfortable living room-style space, or step into the terrace that overlooks all of Baixa with the castle standing directly in front of you. You may order a drink or a light meal, or simply come for coffee or tea in the afternoon.

THE TERRACE at Bairro Alto Hotel
Go up Rua Garrett from outside Regency Chiado and you’ll arrive in Camões Square. It’s overlooked by the Bairro Alto Hotel, one of the most talked-about in Lisbon. Not only does it serve some fine cuisine at its “Flores” restaurant on the lower level, but its bar on the 6th floor has a beautiful panoramic view of the city. You’ll be standing parallel to the river, seeing the multitude of colors of the buildings descending the hill towards it as you have a light meal (the salads are excellent) or a refreshing drink. It’s also a great place for a drink after dinner, with the moon reflecting on the river and 25 de Abril Bridge.

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

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?

Ask anyone in Lisbon to recommend a club for a night of drinking and dancing, and you’ll be told to go to Lux. In a city with so many clubs and nightlife options, Lux is everyone’s undisputed favorite. And there are good reasons why. It celebrates its 10th anniversary today, and for the last decade no other club has come close to offering such a variety of theme nights, big name DJs, or a reinvented ambience week after week.

It is owned by actor John Malkovich and Lisbon’s nightlife king Manuel Reis (who opened the landmark “Fragil” in Bairro Alto in the 80s), and has seen a number of celebrities and now-legendary parties walk through its doors. After a concert in Lisbon, Prince (or “The Artist” formerly known as…) decided to spend the rest of his night at Lux, and ended up giving an unscheduled mini-concert at the club.  Years later Madonna reserved the club for her private after-concert party, but although her entire staff showed up, she prefered to stay at her hotel (Pestana Palace).

Manuel Reis refuses to define Lux simply as a club, and instead sees it as a musical, artistic, and design showcase. The stylish (and often unconventional) décor is by contemporary artists (a huge chandelier completely made of tampons remains the most talked about), and the terrace with views over the river and to Alfama is the city’s best spot for a drink.

For many, getting into Lux is a strike of good luck. The club has a highly selective door staff that likes to maintain a good male-female ratio inside, and uses a subjective selection process entirely based on looks. It helps if you’re well dressed and beautiful, and if you’re not, be sure to be going with someone who is.  Sure you’ll find plenty of tacky or just plain ugly people being let it, but when that happens you know he or she is a well-known friend of the bouncer. No one is told they can’t get in — they’re just asked something like 180 euros as the cover charge (it’s really €12 for everyone else; free for the friends).

Several publications have ranked Lux among Europe’s top clubs, and “Resident Advisor” even ranked it among the best in the world, at number 35 in the world’s top 100.  If you want to judge it yourself, start your night at the Bica do Sapato restaurant in the row of former warehouses next to the club (and owned by the same team), and end up at one of the bars or dance floor at Lux.  While Fridays and Saturdays are obviously the nights with the best music and ambience, a visit during a weekday will often be a more enjoyable experience. That’s when it becomes more of a lounge without the crowds, but in any case, you’ll know there is no better place to be in Lisbon at night.

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.

Are you coming to Lisbon on a family holiday? That doesn’t mean you have to go to bed as early as your kids, preventing you from enjoying a long, relaxed dinner and a night out in the city! Simply throw your kids in the ocean and have a great evening alone with your spouse!  

The Lisbon Oceanarium has a program where children are left sleeping with sharks as parents do whatever they want elsewhere. Kids are first introduced to the deep end of the ocean and its creatures, learning about underwater life and sharks. During this experience they even have the opportunity to touch samples of sharp teeth and shark skin, and understand why it’s important to preserve these animals and sea life.

After that it’s time for them to get inside their sleeping bags and sleep in the company of the creatures they just learned about, only to get up early in the morning for a tour of the entire Oceanarium.

In the meantime you’ll be checking out the restaurants in Bairro Alto, going to a concert at the Gulbenkian or CCB, perhaps to the opera in São Carlos Theater, or even go for a night of cocktails at Cinco Lounge. You may even choose not to sleep that night, but by 10AM you should be at the Oceanarium to pick up your child, who will have lots of stories to tell you about.

For details about the “Sleeping with the Sharks” workshop click here (then click on the British flag for the English version), and for information about the aquarium, see GoLisbon’s Oceanarium page.