Port guide: Lisbon, Portugal

Lisbon is an Atlantic city but, thanks to a sparkling climate, orange trees and penchant for pastel paint and strong coffee, feels Mediterranean in its charms.

Lisbon, Portugal… no end of sights and good things to eat and drink.Credit: Getty Images

Who goes there Lisbon features on itineraries along western Europe’s seaboard, which often link Southampton or Amsterdam with Lisbon and ports in Spain or further into the Mediterranean. Azamara, Celebrity, Holland America, Oceania, Princess, Regent Seven Seas and Seabourn are among the wide range of cruise lines that visit.

Sail on in Few cities offer such a lovely arrival by ship. After all, this city was once the capital of a maritime empire, designed to be approached – and impress – from the sea. Cruise ships glide past a protective fortress into a long bay, then surge up the wide Tagus River, past Belem Tower and the Monument to the Discoveries that celebrates Portugal’s role in European exploration. Then they slip under a mighty suspension bridge, and grand old Lisbon spreads across hillsides in a tumble of baroque churches and pastel-coloured houses.

Berth rites Cruise ships dock at Doca Jardim do Tabaco in the city centre’s Alfama district, where the 2017 Lisbon Cruise Terminal, winner of Portugal’s premier architecture award, sits like a giant, out-of-place white box. It has a cafeteria, ATMs, duty-free shopping and free Wi-Fi. You’ll find good bus and subway connections, but the hearty can walk into the city centre.

Going ashore Start by exploring bohemian Bairro Alto and Alfama districts nearest the cruise terminal. The medieval town centre is topped by Sao Jorge Castle, whose terraces provide wonderful outlooks. Later Lisbon got a baroque remodelling of its stately mansions and churches thanks to Americas gold. The 16th-century Sao Roque Church is laden with gilt and glazed blue tiles. Further along the river, Belem district is associated with Portugal’s golden age of world discoveries and has fantastic monuments and Jeronimos Monastery, with ornate Gothic and Moorish architecture and the tomb of the great explorer Vasco da Gama.

Don’t miss Although they’re overlooked by visitors, Lisbon has two of the world’s best private collections of art. Calouste Gulbenkian Museum spans the ages and continents with everything from Monet paintings to Greek urns and Chinese jade statuettes. Museu Colecao Berardo is all about modern art. It runs from Picasso and Warhol to the most outrageous of contemporary art installations.

Get active Hilly Lisbon isn’t a great cycling city despite its many bike-hire stores, so stick to walking. You’ll have to get beyond the city centre for other activities. Ericeira, 45 minutes away, is internationally renowned for its surfing thanks to a predictable Atlantic swell. Sintra-Cascais Natural Park an hour west offers off-road driving, abseiling and caving.

Best bites Head to 900-year-old Mercado da Ribeira (now housed in a 140-year-old wrought-iron building) and you’ll find food stalls operated by some of Portugal’s most celebrated restaurants as a showcase of Portuguese cuisine. Among dishes you can try are bacalhau (salted cod) with chickpeas, roasted Alentajo black pork, fresh sardines, clams smoky with the flavour of paprika, and petiscos, Portugal’s answer to tapas. And it’s hard to resist a pause in any cafe for a bica (black coffee) accompanied by a custard tart or almond biscuit.

Further afield Lisbon has quite the variety of shore excursions, some to cellar doors or even a snail farm. Chief among the list is aristocratic seaside resort Estoril, fishing port turned holiday centre Cascais, and Queluz Palace, notable for its Versailles-inspired landscaping. Some cruise lines will also take you a 70-minute drive to Obidos, a whitewashed, hilltop town topped by fortifications from which you get splendid views over the countryside.