When to Visit - Arts and Events

Shops close for approximately two hours at midday for lunch. Banks are open until mid afternoon. Larger museums remain open all day. Year round, there are religious festivals or romarias. The patron saint of Lisbon, St Anthony, is honoured in local celebrations during June. Traditional markets are held twice weekly behind the Church of São Vincente de Fora.

Lisbon Dining

Scrumptious, handmade pastries, simple fresh fish and famous Portuguese specialities are waiting in every nook and cranny of Lisbon - from the alfresco charm of the Baixa to the snug cafes of medieval Alfama. Synonymous with excellent food, Lisbon restaurants tempt their guests to taste the true flavours of Portugal: charcoal-grilled sardines, bacalhau, caldereida and acorda, the national dish (a bread-based stew rich in seafood and flavoured with coriander). These are just a soupçon of the authentic local dishes prepared with the freshest home-grown ingredients. Vegetarian, macrobiotic and international cuisine are as readily available as seafood in a kaleidoscope of colourful restaurants from American to Vietnamese. Take note, however, many restaurants are closed on Sundays.

Lisbon Tipping Advice

Service is generally included in restaurant and hotel bills. Where this is not so, 10% to 15% is adequate. Other service staff should be tipped; EUR 1.00 to hotel porters for carrying luggage and EUR 1.00 per day to chambermaids is reasonable.