THINGS TO DO:

• TOURIST TRAM AROUND THE OLD QUARTER:
  From Praça do Commercio. 15 euros or so pp. great views of the narrow cobbled streets no wider than the antique tram, past the castle and looking out over terraces and terra cotta tiled roofs. Makes 1 stop for 10 minutes or so at Basilica de Estrela. Huge Cathedral - free to enter, but don't catch the tram at lunch or it'll be closed.
• CATCH THE FERRY:
  From Cais do Sodre to Cacilhas. 65 cents each way. Great views to Lisbon itself from the southern bank. Take a cab to Christo Rei. Climb up to Christ's feet and admire the 360º view. Fantastic photography of the Ponte 25 de Abril.
• FERIA DE LADRA: 
  A huge open air flea market in the old quarter. Watch out for pick pockets but brilliant photo ops.
• CASTELO S. JORGE:
  For a calm afternoon in the shade. Not sure if you pay to enter now. Good views across old quarter.
• ELEVATOR RIDE UP SANTA JUSTA:
  A bit like the Eiffel tower, get off the lift climb the rickety spiral stairs to the bar on top. Very expensive to drink up there. Amazing if somewhat vertigo inducing views.
• EXPO: 
  Go to the Oceanarium. Amazing to see the sharks.
• BELEM:
  A MUST SEE is Mosteiro dos Geronimos. The resting place of Vasco da Gama. UNESCO world heritage site. Monument to the Discoveries across the park and Belem Tower. (Tor de Belem) Fill up with traditional pastries in "Pasteis de Belem." Just ask someone, everyone knows where it is.
• TRAIN RIDE FROM CAIS DO SODRE TO CASCAIS:
  About 1/2 hr along the coast. Great views to the sea. Lots of wonderful restaraunts in Cascais - and once there take a cab to "Boca do Inferno." Don't stand to close to the edge of the cliffs though.
• BAIRRO ALTO:
  Daytime, nice old shopping area, steep hills cobbled roads charming shops and coffee shops. Lively at night - visit a Fado house for dinner wine and live fado music.
• BENFICA STADIUM:
  Estadio de Luz. Take the metro to Colegio/Luz. Great atmosphere matchday, museum and statues of Eusebio and club shop weekdays.
• COLUMBO SHOPPING MALL:
  Just opposite the above stadium. Millions of shops in a covered mall, small theme park with rollercoaster for children.
• COSTA DA CAPARICA:
  Across the river on south bank. Nice on weekends and summer days. See the fresh fish being brought up onto the beach. 7 miles of sand. Great surfing. A five mile narrow gauge railway through the sand dunes. (Summer) Many seafood restaraunts.
• RIVER CRUISE - TAGUS RIVER:
  Take the river cruise up and down the Tagus River, (Tejo.) Can be caught from the terminal at Praça do Commercio. (Summer only?)
• OPEN TOP BUS RIDES:
    Around the city. Close to where you catch the tourist tram in Praca do Commercio. (But the old tram is better!)
• CENTRO CULTURAL DO BELEM C.C.B:
  Various programs. Classical music. Jazz concerts. Art / photography exhibitions – recently had World Press Photo 2005 and a retrospective of Roy Lichtenstein.
• GOOD RESTAURANTS TO GO TO:
  * Meat eaters should go to the original Portugalia restaurant Avenida Almirante Reis. Bigs steaks in Portuguese styles. A bit touristy and packed.
  * For a really good overview of Portuguese cuisine check out Trinidade in Bairro Alto. A famous eating place and one of my favourites. Good wine list and varied menu. Well priced. (For tourists most places are very cheap to eat!) Arrive early or wait for tables, has a bar where you queue so get a beer in!
• SURFING:
  For surfers check out Guincho for the big waves and wild seas. 30 mins drive on a good day.
• AUTODROMO DO ESTORIL:
  Autodromo do Estoril has hosted Formula 1 in the past.
• CASINO ESTORIL:
  Casino Estoril, slots, tables etc. Posh, expensive, with a dress code.
  

DAY TRIPS:

• SINTRA: 
  For the Palace, (Which you can see from Lisbon on a clear day) Moorish Castle, gardens and beautiful village. Arrive early leave late to avoid the crowds esp weekends and summer. Try eating the Queijadinhas de Sintra, sweet little tartlets that you’ll find in the coffee shops. Home for a while of poet Byron who called it “A glorious Eden”.
• CASCAIS , BOCA DO INFERNO, CABO DE ROCA:
  Cascais, Boca do Inferno, Cabo de Roca as mentioned – take train from Cais do Sodre till end, cab to Boca do Inferno or drive to Cabo do Roca, most westerly point in Europe. But the restaurant is is not good offering substandard menu of burgers etc and expensive. Shame for it has a wonderful view.
• OBIDOS:
  Two hours from Lisbon +/- depending on traffic. Medieval walled town pretty painted houses inside, possible to walk round the walls though somewhat vertigo inducing and a little narrow. Very touristic but wonderful food. Look esp as you go through the entrance gatehouse at the tiled murals. Photo opportunities abound. Be sure to try Ginjinha, sweet cherry brandy type tipple. Sometimes served in a chocolate cup which you eat afterwards. Arrive early, stay late. In the summer open air concerts in the castle ampitheatre, classical music, opera, Madre Deus a famous portuguese band in the style of Enya’s music do various candle lit concerts. Try to stay a night in the Castle Pousada, (Guesthouse) Very romantic setting.
• Marvão:
  Marvão is an untouristy version of Obidos on the spanish border. A good 2 ½ hours + drive. Rarely visited by the crowds because of the distance. Well worth it. 360º views over Portugal and Spain, border is about 5 miles from it. Castle and medieval walls. Charming little gift shop handful of restaurants. You get the feeling people actually live here because every house is a house not a tourist shop. Close by is Castelo da Vide about 4 miles another medieval town on that mountain range. Very picturesque to. Stay in a Pousada and spend 2 days between the two. Golf course nearby.
• SANTAREM: About ½ hours north. Pretty town with great views and lots of decent restaurants. Medieval capital of Portugal (at least that’s what the signs on the motorway say!) Close by are the Grutas da Mira D’aire. (Deep caves) Well worth a visit but a little difficult to find. Not to far from Santarem is Tomar, worth an afternoon if you are up that way.
• ERICEIRA: A charming fishing village situated high on the cliffs to the north of Lisbon. 1 hr out. +/-. Steep roads lead to the harbour at the bottom. Nice to stay in the square drinking coffee in the afternoon watching the old people.
• WINE LOVERS:
  Head south from Lisbon to Azeitão. Here is the home of José Maria Fonseca. (Those Americans amongst you may know Lancers, a sparkling pink wine very nice chilled). Here are vineyard tours conducted with a wine museum and tasting at the end. Tours are in English and the wine tasting at the end is great. Assign a driver!!! With a little wine shop selling their own products. A great tour.

THINGS TO BUY:
Shops open a little later than other places in Europe, and the lunch breaks can be quite long, usually from 1pm to 3pm. They are usually closed on Sundays, but you'll find that some are open for a couple of hours. Most malls, however, are open on Sundays, such as Colombo (beside the Colegio Militar/Luz metro station), the Armazens do Chiado, the Vasco da Gama (beside the Oriente metro station), and Amoreiras (not far from the Marquês de Pombal metro station). Grocery stores are closed on Sundays, after 1PM, except those smaller than 2000m2.

You can buy a Lisbon Shopping Card, which gives you discounts at major stores around the city for a period of 24 hours.

From Praça do Comércio (aka Terreiro do Paço) to the Restauradores, the Baixa is the best shopping district in the city. Stroll along the pedestrian Rua Augusta, with everything from tourist stores to European chain clothing stores like Zara, H&M, Campers and many others.

EATING OUT:
Eat dinner out one night at a traditional Portuguese restaurant at the Bairro Alto, preferably one that has traditional fado music.

Most restaurant are very small, family run and generally cheap. Almost everyone has a sheet on the door with the "pratos do dia" (dishes of the day) written on. These are usually cheaper and fresher, and unless you're looking for something specific, they're the right choice. During the dinner probably the waiter will bring you some unrequested dishes: as those are not free, feel free not to touch them and they will not be charged on your bill.

If it's traditional Portuguese that you're after, then the area of Alfama is the place to go. There, you have plenty of choice, with a street full of restaurants. Try the seafood rice (arroz de marisco). Try the magnificent pastéis de nata at any pastelaria or the even better, Pastéis de Belém next to the Jerónimos Monastery in Belém. Have them warm and profusely showered in cinnamon... Yuummmm.

Docas

• Arroz Maria, Doca de Sto Amaro, ☎ 21 395 4677. Fabulous seafood with a great view of the Tejo river and the Ponte de 25 Abril. Excellent service and really fresh food. Don't miss the tamboril (monkfish) with the tomato and asparagus sauce. Really worth the effort to get there, the Docas area is fairly newly developed, and the railway line makes it hard to find a way across the main road, but with determination it's a great spot to go to. It's one of a number of restaurants of varying types along this stretch of the quayside, but it stands out for quality and value. Check it out before it gets 'trendy'. (added 12/04/07) €25 (two courses with wine and port).

Bairro Alto:

• Sul, Rua do Norte 13, ☎             +351 21 346 24 49       . Delicious Mediterranean and South American food. Good wine and drinks list. Helpful staff will translate the menu, which is written on the blackboard, and happily cater for vegetarians. Gets packed in the evenings so bookings recommended if you're eating from 9pm onwards. €30 (''2 courses with wine and cocktail'').
• Pap'Açorda, Rua da Atalaia, 57-59, ☎             +352 21 346 4811       . Yet another co-owner of Bico do Sapato (there are four) is Fernando Fernandes. A restaurateur with his finger firmly on Lisbon's pulse, he also owns this place, opened in 1981 and it has been full ever since. Unlike its fabulous half-sister, Pap'Açorda offers a modest check, and it reverses the ratio of great food vs. show-off quotient. This is all about real. If you want to try (almost) unreconstructed Portuguese dishes, here's your place—and it's handily located in this month's up-and-coming-back neighborhood, beautiful Bairro Alto. Since the restaurant is named after Açorda Real, a lobster and shrimp dish, it stands to reason that this is a good thing to order.
• Brasuca, Rua Joao Pereira da Rosa 7, ☎ 21 322 07 40. Great Brazilian food served by friendly staff.
• Lisboa à Noite. It's a restaurant with a variety of traditional Portuguese dishes very appreciated by the tourists. You have friendly environment, great service and make sure you try the appetizers.
• Ali a Papa, Rua da Atalaia 95, ☎ 21 347 41 43,. Couscous heaven in a tiny and friendly room. Highly recommended, and good veggie options too. €20 (two courses with house wine).

DRINKING:
Lisbon is known for its lively night. For going out, stroll around the old neighborhood of Bairro Alto ('high neighborhood') for an after-dinner caipirinha or ginjinha and people-watching. It's located on the top of one of the hills and you can get there by subway (Baixa/Chiado station) or by taking the marvelous funicular from the Restauradores plaza. Its small streets, full of people, are packed with high variety of bars. Friday and Saturday nights are the busiest, but the Bairro is rocking every night until dawn.

Alcântara, Santos, Parque das Nações, and the castle area are all neighbourhoods with a thriving nightlife. The whole area near the river/Atlantic, known as the docas, is a huge hub for nightlife, as Lisbon has never lost its ties to the sea.

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