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Two nights in Lisbon, where to stay

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We are two elders (early 70s), visiting Lisbon for the first time on a layover. One of us is a "walker", the other, not so much. Not disabled, but not too fit. This is our first trip since covid, and we are careful, but not obsessive.

I'd like to stay in an area that doesn't involve too much hill climbing, near restaurants and shops, and in a hotel with an elevator. We can take cabs to explore other neighborhoods. We live in an area with plenty of museums, so don't feel like we need to spend time indoors looking at art.

I love handicrafts, especially Portuguese ceramics. We'd like to see a Fado show, and we like visiting outdoor markets.

Thanks for any suggestions.

Posted by
401 posts

If you want to stay in the city center where all the tourist sights are, the only choice that isn't hilly is Baixa. Everything else around Baixa is hills. You should be pretty safe with walking if you stay between Rossio square and the Praca do Comercio, between Rua Aurea and Rua dos Fanqueiros. This is the flat part. Everything else starts going up either slowly or very dramatically. There are lots of restaurants and shops in this area. Most of the rest of the shopping/dining area is uphill in Chiado, which can be reached via paying for the Elevador de Santa Justa, or by using the free elevators in the Armazens mall. The Chiado district is hilly though, so keep that in mind. You can easily do a search on your favorite travel website and limit for hotels that have an elevator.

Posted by
11156 posts

Look at Sofitel Liberdade and Avenida Palace Hotel. A unique small museum I recommend is the Tile Museum as so many buildings are covered in beautiful tiles in Lisbon.
Pottery: We went to a wonderful pottery maker,
Olaria Valle Coelho between Evora and Obidos. The day we were there the owner was shipping a large container of his pottery to Bloomingdale’s in NYC.
Make sure that whomever you buy it from will ship it home for you.

Posted by
6893 posts

You've got good advice on neighborhoods already.
Regarding ceramics: I loved the Museu Nacional do Azulejo and I highly recommend it given your interest. It is a short cab ride away from the city center, and does not take that long to visit.

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