Lisbon

Welcome to Lisbon !
Lisbon is a historical capital city with 800 years of cultural influences that mingle with modern trends and lifestyles creating intricate and spectacular contrasts which are spread across its seven hills, which give it a view over the majestic Tagus River.

Over the years, Lisbon has grown into a cosmopolitan destination, due to the quality and variety of new and renovated hotels, an increasing number of conference centres, multi-functional venues, excellent international flight connections, trendy restaurants, varied cultural agenda, and a lively nightlife. Lisbon has positioned itself strategically, over the past decade, as the Atlantic capital of Europe and is endowed with the modern equipment, infrastructure and logistical facilities to host large events and international congresses.

Moreover, it is the only European capital with sandy beaches, which are within 20 minutes from the cobbled streets of Lisbon's city centre. There are also the luxuriant hills of nearby Sintra, an oasis of lush parks dotted with fairytale palaces, and Estoril, a cosmopolitan resort with Victorian-era charm. Lisbon is highly regarded among Europe's major cities with quality accommodation at competitive rates and is an open-minded city thanks to centuries of cross-cultural influences from across the oceans. It is a city where everyone can feel at home.

Facts & Figures Population:
Approx. 550,000 within its administrative limits and 2,800,000 within the greater Lisbon region.

Location:
The westernmost capital in Continental Europe.
Distance to Porto: 320 km
Distance to Algarve: 290 km
Distance to Madrid: 630 km

Travel:
By air: Lisbon Portela International Airport (LIS)
By road: Lisbon is connected with the highways A1, A3 and A25
By rail: From Europe, TGV routes to France/Spanish border and Sud Express route to Lisbon

Time:
Greenwich Mean Time (GMT).

Climate:
Lisbon has a subtropical-Mediterranean climate – at the beginning of October average daytime temperatures are ~24ºC (75ºF) and the sea ~16°C (60°F)

Dialing code:
+ 351

Currency:
Euro (€)

Weather:
Due to the influence of the Atlantic Ocean, Lisbon has a pleasant climate throughout the year: comfortable summers and lots of warm sunshine in the winter.
For the first week of October the actual maximum temperature has been on average 24ºC and the minimum temperature on average 15ºC, and it can reach as high as 28ºC or 29ºC.

Cuisine
Portuguese cuisine is mainly made up of fish or meat. Of the soups, Sopa de Mariscos, a fish soup, and the Sopa de Legumes are particularly good. Cod, ‘bacalhau’ in Portuguese, is one of the most traditional ingredients of Portuguese cuisine, it can be served in hundred of ways: ‘assado’ (fried with potato), ‘cozido’ (boiled) or baked with potatoes and onions. Sardines are also popular, especially when grilled as ‘sardinhas assadas’.

Octopus, squid, crab, shrimp, lobster, hake, mackerel (scad), lamprey, sea bass, scabbard (especially in the islands) and a variety of shellfish are used in Portuguese cuisine. ‘Caldeirada’ is a stew consisting of a variety of fish and shellfish with potatoes, tomato, and onion.

Açorda de Mariscos is a very traditional dish made with bread and seafood. Of the meat dishes: ‘bife com batatas’ (steak with potatoes), ‘leitão assado’ (roast pork), roasted chicken or ‘cabrito’ (goat), and ‘carne de porco à Alentejana’, which is a combination of pork and seafood, are particularly good. There is a wide variety of Portuguese cheeses, especially those made from goat or sheep’s milk, like ‘Queijo de Azeitão’, ‘Queijo de Castelo Branco’ and ‘Queijo da Serra da Estrela’.

The portuguese desserts, especially those made with eggs, are very appreciated. The Pasteis de Belem are a world famous custard cream cake.

Transportation
Within the city, the major transportation companies – Carris and Metro – cover the entire city with regular buses, trams and subway services. Apart from these transportation companies, there are more than 3500 taxis operating in Lisbon.

• Subway Ticket 1,25 € www.metrolisboa.pt
• Bus Ticket 1,80 € www.carris.pt

The Carris network operates daily between 5:30am and 12:30pm, including a night time service (after 9:00pm).

Every day there is a special service named 'Aerobus', which operates four buses. This line connects the Airport to the city centre. It is a service with a special fare (only tickets sold onboard by the driver are valid) and runs every 20 minutes, between 7:40am and 8:45pm.

The Lisbon subway has four main lines (blue, yellow, green and red).

Banks
Portugal official currency is the Euro.

Portugal has a national network of cash machines (ATMs) identified by the symbol MB (Multibanco), from which it is possible to withdraw cash 24 hours a day.

In Portugal, the most commonly used credit cards are: Visa, American Express, Diners Club, Europay / MasterCard, JCB and Maestro. Banks are open from 8.30 a.m. to 3 p.m. five working days a week.