Just starting out here
A heads up on visiting in June from Afar
Lisbon is coming to terms with its newfound christening as the continent’s current capital of cool by tastemakers and hipsters the world over. In June, sunshine and warm days abound, ideal for strolling the cobblestoned streets or taking a day trip to Alentejo or Porto to experience the country’s vinho (Douro Valley has the world’s oldest demarcated wine region).
Portugal’s wine scene is inexpensive and phenomenally good, and in Lisbon, it seems like there’s a wine bar on every corner. Top spots include Wine Bar do Castelo, where over 150 Portuguese wines by the glass are served in the shadow of Lisbon’s iconic São Jorge Castle . Or reserve well in advance for BA Wine Bar do Bairro Alto , where owner Rui Rossa peddles exquisite boutique wines from lesser-known producers, all paired with artisanal cheese and charcuterie plates.
Fans of porto (the fortified wine, not the city or the football team) will definitely want to check out Solar do Vinho do Porto , which makes up for its stodgy ambience inside an 18th-century mansion with an epic inventory of port—it stocks over 180 labels. Elsewhere, imbibe within the centuries-old vaults of Lisbon’s famed aqueduct at Chafariz do Vinho or in an atmospheric pharmacy at the aptly named Old Pharmacy —either way, the popping of corks is a Lisbon soundtrack second only to fado.
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lux ideas
- lux boutique guest house – Casa Forunata – opened 2019
- great rooftop bar Altis Avenida Hotel,
- I would check out the Four Seasons (formerly the Ritz)
- Time Out Market
Guides
- The Considered Guide
- local guide
- food tours
- Culinary Backsreets recommended by The Guardian
- Melting Butter on Lisbon
- Alfama – cool neighborhood – tour by Context Travel
Media
Hotels
- 15 cool hotels
- Altis Avenida – one of the greats
- The Altis Belém Hotel & Spa . futuristic and fantastic
Restauramts
Museums
Neighborhoods
Weekends out
Buzzography 