Where to stay in Lisbon – 4 PERFECT locations for first time visitors

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Are you planning a trip to Portugal and want to know where to stay in Lisbon?

Where you stay in Lisbon will largely depend on 3 things: the type of trip you would like; your budget and as Lisbon is very hilly, our mobility.

There isn’t necessarily one perfect area to stay in Lisbon, but there is a perfect area that best factors in each of these variables.

Lisbon is renowned for many things; great food; great nightlife…and lots of hills. So if you have poor mobility and would like a quiet trip away, we would recommend the Baixa area, rather than Bairre Alto for example.

In our breakdown of where to stay in Lisbon for first time visitors – we will provide you with the best locations for nightlife; shopping & ease of access; best for families and the best location for scenery.

In each area, we will cover suitable hotels in Lisbon for every budget to ensure you have a range of options depending on your needs.

How to get to Lisbon City Centre from Lisbon Airport

Public Transport

Lisbon airport is very easy to navigate – if you are staying in the city centre, the easiest way to get there is to follow the signs in the airport for the underground which is about a 5 minute walk from arrivals.

Once you get there, go to the ticket machines where you will have the option of purchasing a single ticket which is €1.80, or you can purchase a 24 hour pass for around €6.60, which can then be used throughout the day on the public transport network.

If you are staying in the city centre, take the red line towards Sao Sebastiao for 9 stops before changing to the Green line at Almaeda towards Baixa Chiado, for a further 6 stops. This will bring you to the Baixa area which is in the heart of the city. The total journey time from the airport using this method is around 35 minutes.

Taxi

You can also take a taxi from the airport, which is around a 25 minute journey. Taxis are much more affordable in Lisbon than many other cities in Western Europe. Download the Bolt app before you visit to get the best prices available from the airport. We were able to find options for less than €10 when we visited.

Car Rental

You can also rent a car in Lisbon to get around. We would recommend taking this option if you plan to explore Portugal more broadly but it isn’t a necessity otherwise. Lisbon has excellent public transport so you can easily rely on that throughout your trip.

If you would like to rent a car, we would recommend using Discover Cars to get the best rate for your rental.

How many days do you need in Lisbon?

From our experience, 3 days in Lisbon should be enough time to enjoy the best of the city without feeling like you are in too much of a rush. While certain locations like Belem Tower are a little bit outside of the city centre, everything in Lisbon is still quite easy to reach.

Ideally, we would suggest spending at least 3 days in Lisbon and using at least one of these days taking a day trip to Sintra or else Cascais depending on the time of year. If you visit during particularly good weather, we would recommend taking a trip to Cascais, a picturesque town around 30 minutes from the city.

Where to stay in Lisbon

Hotels in Baixa (Central Location)

This is the area we typically choose to stay in when we go to Lisbon. Baixa is the most central location in the city and it is very easy to reach from the airport so it is perfect for a short city break.

From Baixa, you will have easy access to every other part of the city so we would recommend staying here, particularly if you only have a few days in Lisbon.

When we stay in Baixa, we typically stay at the Eurostars Baixa Lisboa, a beautiful hotel just around the corner from Rua da Augusto, as well as being a short walk from many of the cities main shops along Avenida de Liberdade. You will also be able to easily walk to some of the cities main attractions here, such as Elevador de Santa Justa.

As an alternative option, we would also highly recommend the Lisboa Pessoa Hotel, which also has an onsite spa, indoor swimming pool and fitness centre.

As this is the most central location in Lisbon it naturally can tend to be one of the most expensive areas to stay in but for ease of access and less hills in the immediate area, Baixa is a great place to stay in Lisbon.

Alfama (Views & History)

Next up is probably our favourite neighbourhood in Lisbon, Alfama. Alfama is renowned for being

In this area you will find two of Lisbon’s best viewpoints, Miradoura da Santa Luzia and Miradouro da Graca. Regardless of where you choose to stay in Lisbon, we would highly recommend visiting each of these at sunset to experience some of Lisbon’s best views of the Tagus River below.

There are also some great food and drink options around Alfama. If you are visiting during the cooler months of the year, we would highly recommend visiting Casa Sao Miguel – a cute cafe serving hot chocolates and pasteis de nata.

Alfama is a great place to stay in Lisbon if you are looking for an area with character and scenery. In Alfama, you will also have easy access to Lisbon Cathedral, Sao Jorge Castle and the renowned Tram 28 also runs through Alfama too.

The drawback to Alfama is that it is a little bit removed from the rest of the city and can attract a lot of tourists, particularly during the evenings when people are looking for somewhere to watch the sunset.

Equally, Alfama is quite a hilly area so we wouldn’t recommend staying here if you have any mobility issues or if you are visiting with young kids and need to get around with a pram.

Bairro Alto (Nightlife)

Next up is an area for the nightlife lovers, Bairro Alto. This area is ideal for anyone visiting Lisbon for the first time who want to enjoy a wide variety of bars and restaurants in the evening.

In this area we would recommend trying out La Fiorentina for dinner, an Italian restaurant renowned for Cacio e Pepe made in a cheese wheel, Agave Cocktail Lab for a drink and Manteigaria for the local specialty – pasteis de nata. One other place in Lisbon we would recommend visiting for a photo is Rua da Vinha, a residential street lined with pastel buildings that really characterizes the city.

From here, you will also be a pretty short walk from some of Lisbon’s other popular areas such as Cais do Sodre, where you will find Pink Street and Time Out Market and Chiado, which has a great range of shops and restaurants.

Chiado is also a great alternative to staying in Baixa due to its central location and easy access to public transport. In Bairro Alto the best hotel to stay at is Bairro Alto Hotel, which has everything you need for a luxury stay in Lisbon.

Bairro Alto is high up in the city so again we would recommend avoiding this area if you have any difficulty with mobility and would prefer to have a quieter stay, particularly in the evenings.

Hotels in Belem (Best for families)

Our final recommendation for where to stay in Lisbon is the Belem area. This area is a little bit outside the city centre but is perfect for exploring some of Lisbon’s best attractions.

In Belem, you will be able to visit some of our favourite places in Lisbon, including Belem Tower, the Monument of the Discoveries and Jeronimos Monastery so you will easily find lots to do in the area to fill your days here.

As the evening approaches we would also highly recommend visiting the Maat Museum, where you will find some of the best views of the Ponte de 25 Abril (Main Bridge in Lisbon), a beautiful photo spot at sunset.

From Belem, you can also easily reach one of our favourite places in Lisbon, the LX factory, a trendy industrial area lined with local boutiques, shops and restaurants. Just around the corner you will also find one of Lisbon’s best views and a lesser known one at that – at Miradouro de Santo Amaro.

In this area we would highly recommend staying at Altis Belem for a luxury stay or the Famous Crows for a high quality location. The obvious disadvantage to staying in Belem is that you will be a bit more cut off from the main parts of the city centre.