Village Underground Lisboa

A series of technicolour shipping containers, two disused buses and a skate ramp form Village Underground Lisboa (VULX), a cultural and co-working space that offers a similar vibe to its big sister in Shoreditch, London. In addition to the frequent exhibitions and live music offerings, VULX has recently launched a series of outdoor parties called Village Happy Hours at its industrial waterfront Alcântara location.

• +351 21 583 2469
• Go to Website

• Avenida da Índia
  Edifício nº 23
  1300-299

Jardim do Príncipe Real

Príncipe Real is another neighbourhood in a state of exciting flux. For a nostalgic pause take a brief respite in the leafy Jardim do Príncipe Real. Here you will find a charming quiosques de refresco (refreshment kiosks) selling pasteis de nata and a mighty centuries-old cedar tree that spans more than 20m in diameter. Visit on the last Saturday and Monday of the month and you can peruse its famous flea market.

• +351 912 054 890

• Praça do Príncipe Real
  1250-096

Tram 28

If you only have time for one tour during your Lisbon stay, get a ticket for the 28 tram and marvel at the city’s beauty and charm and you ricket along. The delightful yellow cars connect Martim Moniz with Campo Ourique, and pass through the buzzing tourist districts of Graca, Alfama, Baixa and Estrela without you having to get off if you don’t want to. A classic journey through the narrow streets of Lisbon; take a film camera and a notebook, sit back, and relax.

Claus Porto

The blue and white tiles, polished mahogany cabinets, stucco ceilings and hypnotising smell of essential oils makes for a gorgeous experience at this old-school soap shop – the number one destination for natural products, amazing gift wrapped for souvenirs just off the busy Rua das Flores.

• Go to Website

• Rua da Misericórdia 135

Fado

Alfama is the place to see the city’s most traditional warblers perform. Try Dona Quiteria and you might even spot Madonna, a Lisbon resident. The real way to experience Fado is with a long dinner with wine and friends but you can also catch it with just a drink at the strange and intimate yet expansive Palivhao Chines bar, where you ring a doorbell to enter. At A Tasca Do Chico there is also a more laid back attitude to dinner-with-your-song, and at the Principe Real water reservation, you can enjoy a splash of saudade deep within the history cistern vaults.

• Go to Website

Miradouro de Santa Catarina

Lisbon is a city best enjoyed in the open air and this is one of the finest viewpoints from which to do just that. Beer in hand at sundown, possibly with guitar-playing locals strumming nearby, you’re as near to urban nirvana as one can reasonably expect to get.

• +351 91 522 5592

• 401 Rua de Santa Catarina
  1200