My wife and I will be visiting Lisbon in the middle of May. We would like to get an idea of what would be the best district of Lisbon to stay in. We are not particularly interested in the best hotels but rather smaller hotels that are clean and not cubicle tight. Whatever the choice, we would love the area to have some character and charm. We also don’t mind B&Bs at friendly places. We are both pretty fit in our mid 60s and have a good energy for walking and sightseeing. We would like to see all of the major sites of Lisbon and also have access to wonderful local restaurants. Of course we would like to do the typical tourist sites as well. We would love some input on which of the districts would be best suited and centrally located for all of the above. Thank you in advance.
Posted by
California 🦋
5298 posts
Stooman,
My daughter and I enjoyed our stay at My Story Charming Augusta Hotel, which is conveniently located near Praça do Comércio by the river.
You may refer to my trip report for more information, if you’re interested.
Wishing you a wonderful trip!
Posted by
Cascais, Portugal
1826 posts
Chiado or Baixa are the most central areas and both areas have lots of accommodation. Alfama is another good area but is very hilly - but also very charming.
Posted by
stevens point, wi, usa
1194 posts
Hi from Wisconsin,
If you are in one of the two areas provided in an earlier answer, then you are in the old town. Plus Alfama is where the castle is located. Trams can get you anywhere. And anywhere in old Lisbon will be great.
I twice used AIRBnB. One location was near the restaurant Sherpa Mo Mo not far northeast from Rossio Square. The other was in the Bairro Alto.
And remember, the city center is in a valley between two steep ridges. Steep, especially if you are dragging luggage over the cobble stones. So be aware that there are "magic" hidden locations where there are escalators. Free. One is inside a multilevel store. It might have been the H&M. Another is connected to the subway station, I think the Baixo Chaido, you get out of the train and either walk out at the lower level of town or take an ear popping escalator up to the Bairro Alto level.
wayne INWI
Posted by
Utah
455 posts
We stayed at Casa Balthazar which is well located near the Convento do Carmo, and a RS recommend. It's near one of the free elevators and we used it several times. It's right in the middle of the RS walks in the guide book as well. We took a tram to Belem one day and rode one back after walking to Alfama another day. It's near a transit hub for buses as well. They deliver a wonderful breakfast to your room each morning. Near several good restaurants. We caught a fado performance at Maria do Carmo on the nearby square for the price of a drink. We were in the garden suite which was huge and had a kitchenette and a private table outside.
Posted by
Tel Aviv
15794 posts
Like Priscilla, I stayed at My Story, in fact at the same time. I would have to say that "cubicle tight" is a pretty good description. I was solo and had a double bed (I think that's the only option). There was barely enough room to walk around the bed.There was a small, narrow tabletop that I had to use for clothes. There were two narrow cupboards flanking the bed headboard, neither had shelves, one had a coat rack that was so high I couldn't reach the hanger! The only place to store a suitcase was under the bed. If you look at the website you can see how small the rooms are.
The area was excellent.
Posted by
Brookline, MA
61 posts
We just got back. We stayed in My Story Hotel Tejo in Praca Figueira, loved it. Location is the key here and very helpful staff. Rooms are small but who will stay inside ?
Hope this helps.
Posted by
OP
2 posts
I want to thank everybody for their most helpful responses. I certainly agree that location is key and the room, even if small, is of not much consequence given that we will be spending most of the time outside of the room. I also chose My Story Tejo. Nice to hear a good commentary on it. Again thank you so much. We are looking forward to our trip.