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Lisbon is the capital city of Portugal. Lisbon has a mild climate and is located by the side of the Ocean over 7 hills. Lisbon offers visitors a unique mix of history, culture and entertainment.

There are many places to see in Lisbon. The neighborhood of Belém is a good place to start. This area has many monuments worth visiting, such as the Tower of Belém  (Torre de Belém), the monument of the discoveries (Padrão dos Descobrimentos) and the Jeronimos monastery where the tomb of the famous explorer Vasco da Gama is located. Another must-visit in Belem is the cafe Antiga Confeitaria de Belem, where tasty and extremely popular custard tarts (Pasteis de Belém) are served.

Museums are a favourite destination of many tourists to Lisbon. Popular museums in Lisbon include the Tile Museum which features a large collection of beautiful ceramic tiles (Azulejo), the Calouste Gulbenkian Museum featuring a collection of international art and Egyptian artifacts, the National Coach Museum that exhibits royal coaches and vehicles, the Marionette Museum that has puppets from around the world and frequent puppet shows, and the Maritime museum that exhibits model ships, maps and other objects from Portugal’s long marine tradition. There are also two famous art museums in Lisbon, the Berardo museum with a large collection of modern art and the Ancient Art Museum which features paintings and art from the 14th century onwards.

The neighbourhood of Bairro alto is the centre of entertainment and nightlife in Lisbon. A large number of clubs and bars are located here including a number of Fado restaurants. Fado is a portugese genre of music known for its sad tones and lyrics. Fado restaurants allow visitors to experience fado performed live by performers. The nearby Chiado area is a trendy shopping district which has many cafés, including the well known “A Brasileira” cafe which features a statue of Fernando Pessoa, famous portugese poet. At Chiado’s cafés, one can enjoy “Bica’, Portuguese strong black coffee.

Lisbon’s transportation system holds many surprises. Visitors can see and ride 1930’s trams and funiculars. While the Lisbon subway system is decorated throughout by tile paintings and murals.

Other places that visitors to Lisbon must visit are “Cristo Rei”, a statue of Christ about 90 metres tall that stands in nearby Almada and the St. George’s Castle, a medieval castle on a hill that offers great views of Lisbon. Those who love nature and animals will want to visit the Monsanto Forest Park, the Lisbon Oceanarium which features marine creatures from around the world and the Lisbon zoo (Jardim Zoológico). Lastly, shopping enthusiasts will certainly like the open air market Feira da Ladra in Alfama district of Lisbon, where one can buy antiques, pottery, books, toys, clothes at low prices.