Friday, October 2, 2009

i'm looking forward to go travelling again, as always, and got this fantastic city guide from my lovely friend lise at urban style vibes. another fab girl who loves design and travelling... you know i recently started at a new job, and it's IT in travel business... HA, loving it!
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Firstly I wish to thank Tiina for asking me to write this City Guide for her awesome blog! What a privilege! A few weeks ago I visited Lisbon and compiled a new city guide for my Urban Style Vibes. Urban style Vibes is a daily blog/website by me Lise M. on Travel, Style and Design. I am based in Rotterdam, the Netherlands but I do travel a lot around the world to spot the best places, products and spots and report on that on my blog. I do hope you enjoy reading more about Lisbon in the Urban Style Vibes city guide!

Have a great day wherever you are around the globe!!
Lise M.

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Lisbon is a great place for a city trip. Discover the breathtaking views, delicious food and wine, plus experience the the magic of the fado music, yes the Portugese capital is a true adventure! Here are some tips from my personal experience last week:

Enjoy Portugese Slow food at the Cantina at LX Factory. Inside the original canteen of an old print factory, all of its vintage furniture and fittings were salvaged entirely from the premises. The LX factory is a real hotspot for Lisbon's up-and-coming creative talent and is also home to some of the city's coolest bars.

Kaffeehaus is located in the middle of Chiado, just next to one of Lisbon’s most famous theatres, São Carlos. It fits in the old, and almost lost, tradition of literary cafés that were the trademark of Chiado. Kaffeehaus, however, does it in her own, Vienese style. The place is hard to classify since you can go here for breakfast, lunch, dinner or a drink at night. A better way to describe it would be its style: a great place to get up to date on what is happening in Lisbon, read a newspaper, have a coffee or a drink.

Visit Castelo Sao George. This is a great spot overlooking the whole city of Lisbon. Walk up to the entrance, go in and enjoy a romontic walk. Chill out at the Docks waterfront. The Docks' are close to the the Ponte 25 Abril. Here you will a long row of restaurants. This is a real tourist spot but worth visiting if you want to be close to the water and spot some Cruise ships while you are sipping a Caipirinha (like we did).

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Go for a drink at night in Bairo Alto. There are many good places to go for a drink at night. I discovered Bairro Alto with some Portugese friends. During the day, the streets in Bairro Alto are empty and you cannot imagine a party later on, but when the night falls, after diner, the party gets started and only ends when the sun comes up again.

Eat Bacallau or Sardinas assadas (available almost anywhere). Portugal is a great place to enjoy seafood. There are plenty of restaurants offering you good value for money.

Take Tram 28 to discover the city. The tram is a great way to discover Lisbon. These tradition trams (like you find them in SFO too) show you the whole city in just one tour. I took the Tram 28.

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Search for the beautiful Azulejos. Those blue tiles you see decorating the city came originally from Moorish crafstmanship. Look around the Chiado and Bairo Alto areos and anround the area from Rossio up to the Sao Jorge Castle.

Shop till you drop. Lisbon is also a good spot for shop-aholics. Aveninada da Liberdade is the noblest of Lisbon's avenue. A long stretch containing the usual chic brands.

Hotel options
There are a lot of good hotels in Lisbon. But if you want a real design treat. Here are two good options:

1. The Fontana Park Hotel. Please read my earlier posts on this hotel here.
2. Jeronimos8 Hotel One of its best features of Lisbon's original Design Hotel is that it's away from the centre near the Belem gardens, historical siettings and the Cultural Centre. A warm touch and special attention to details make it a cosy , whit that slick sheen that most design junkies love.

Another good option can be Bairro Alto Hotel, Hotel do Chiado or Hotel Borges (this is a cheaper option.

If you are looking for more source: Le Cool

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aaah, more travelling!! thank you lise for the inspiration!
i was on london last weekend and actually off to a veery nice location pretty soon...

♥ Love&Decorate, Tiina

1 comment:

Jayne said...

Brilliant post! I wish I was travelling too. Jayne