Welcome to Lisbon
A roller-coaster city of seven hills, crowned by a Moorish castle and washed in an artists pure light, Lisbon is cinematically beautiful and historically compelling. This is a capital city of big skies and bigger vistas; of rumbling trams and Willy Wonkalike elevators; of melancholic fado song and live-to-party nightlife. Edge, charisma and postcard good looks Lisbon has the lot.
Largo das Portas do Sol Manfre Gottschalk/Getty Images
LisbonTop Sights
A love letter to the Age of Discovery and the nadir of Manueline style, Belms Unesco-listed monastery is upliftingly beautiful and unbelievably intricate.
Mosteiro dos Jernimos Calle Montes/Getty Images
Lisbon Top Sights
You havent been to Lisbon until youve scooted through the streets on this golden oldie, glimpsing the river, S (cathedral) and the pearly dome of Baslica da Estrela as you go.
Tram 28 Chiara Salvadori/Getty Images
Lisbon Top Sights
There are castles and then there are castles, and no one knew this better than the Moors, who built this fortress high and mighty. Enjoy wide-angle city and river views from the ramparts.
Castelo de So Jorge Manfred Gottschalk/Getty Images
Lisbon Top Sights
Think if youve seen one aquarium, youve seen them all? Dont bank on it. Sharks, penguins on ice and somersaulting sea otters are just the tip of the marine-life iceberg at the humongous Oceanrio.
Oceanrio Javier Larrea/Getty Images
Lisbon Top Sights
Arguably the heart of the Portuguese capital, this square, with its river views, palatial colonnaded buildings, triumphal arch and bee-yellow trams, is the Lisbon you've been dreaming about.
Praa do Comrcio Ken Welsh/Getty Images
Lisbon Top Sights
Vast and fascinating, this is an arts collection you can dip into time and again. Treasures reach from Dutch Master paintings to Egyptian reliefs, Monet originals to Ren Lalique jewellery.
Museu Calouste Gulbenkian Paul Bernhardt/Getty Images
Lisbon Top Sights
Neither time nor the ravages of natural disaster have been able to wipe away the spirit of this Gothic convent, founded for the Carmelite Order in 1389 and reduced to enigmatic ruins in the 1755 earthquake.
Convento do Carmo Alija/Getty Images
Lisbon Top Sights
Lisbons most remarkable ancient art collection takes shelter in a 17th-century palace. Albrecht Drers St Jerome, Nuno Gonalves magnum opus Panels of St Vincent and the gold monstrance of Belm are the stars of the show.
Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga Kevin Foy/Alamy
Lisbon Top Sights
What do you do if youre a billionaire art collector? If youre Jos Berardo, you build one of Lisbons foremost contemporary galleries, fill it with Warhol, Man Ray, Picasso and Mir masterpieces and, as a nice gesture, make it free to visit.
Museu Coleco Berardo Paolo Querci/Shutterstock
Lisbon Top Sights
Housed in a meticulously restored Manueline convent, this out-of-the-way museum is an ode to the azulejo (tile), with its peerless collection of geometric Hispano-Moorish tiles, Renaissance hunting scenes and a standout baroque panel of pre-1755 Lisbon.
Museu Nacional do Azulejo Brent Winebrenner/Getty Images
Lisbon Top Sights
Sintras Unesco World Heritage palace is pure fairy-tale stuff. Moorish, Manueline and Italian Renaissance styles mingle in halls flamboyantly adorned with azulejos (some of Portugals oldest), frescoes and intricately carved woodwork. Click here ( www.parquesdesintra.pt ; Largo Rainha Dona Amlia ; adult/child 8.50/7 ;