Your Lisbon City Guide

Whether you are looking for a vacation for your family or you are getting ready to go on a business trip, you will want to make sure that you know as much about the city of Lisbon as possible. You want to make sure that you are aware of some of the most important sights to see in order to make sure that you are making the most of the trip. It is also a wise thing to make sure that you are getting as much information on the weather as possible. This way, you can make sure that you are packing everything you will need in order to make sure that you are comfortable for your trip.

In addition, it is wise to make sure that you are really looking over all of your options for where you are going to stay. There are plenty of hotels out there in Lisbon Portugal, but that is not the way you want to stay. A holiday apartment would be a much nicer route, as you will have all of the creature comforts you could ever need or want. You will also find that you will have a little more room and privacy when you are renting out a holiday apartment. Even though you might not have thought about this option before, once you give it a try, you will never want to cram yourself into some old hotel room again.

When you are ready to book the perfect Lisbon apartment for your trip, you will want to look through all of your options online. It is free and very easy to look at all of the options of Lisbon lodging that are available online. Within a matter of minutes, you could have very well found the best holiday getaway for you and your family.

As far as places of interest are concerned, you will want to check out Casa dos Bicos, which is known as the "House of Spikes". There are a total of 1,125 stones that are shaped like diamonds that are facing out from the side of the building. It is one of the few buildings that are left from the earthquake that happened in 1755. This 16trh century palace originally belonged to Afonso de Albuquerque, the viceroy of India. Generally, the inside is not able to be toured but the outside is breathtaking enough as it is.

You might also want to take a sneak peak at Lisbon's oldest building within the city. It would be the Lisbon Cathedral and it was built back in 1150. The outside looks medieval and the inside is more Romanesque, complete with a Gothic choir and an ambulatory. It is the location where Saint Anthony was baptized in 1195.

If you are up for a little nature walk, the Botanical Garden in Lisbon is a real treat. From the surrounding streets, you would not be able to tell that there is a total of ten acres of one of the biggest collections of various subtropical vegetation within Europe. There are in fact over 18,000 plant species from all over the entire world. Believe it or not, each of the species is nicely labeled for your viewing.

As mentioned before, it is always wise to make sure that you know what kind of weather to expect for any place that you are traveling to. During the summer months, the temperatures are generally warm, but never really hot. The winters are fairly mild and somewhat damp. Over all, the city of Lisbon sees about 3,300 hours of sunshine each year, which is a lot. There is also rain about 100 days out of the year.

Now that you are a little more familiar with some great sight seeing locations, the Lisbon weather and the fact that holiday apartment rentals is the best way to vacation, you are all set. Now all you have to do is pack, make your travel arrangements and you could be well on your way in no time at all.

Loving the Lifestyle in Lisbon

Many have said that life in Lisbon is very laidback indeed.  This is despite the fact that Lisbon is the capital and largest city of Portugal, which should have made it frenetic, frantic and not-so-much fun in other cultures.  But lest you forget, the people of Lisbon have a zest for life but in a more laidback manner unequaled by other people except by their fiercest rivals - the Spanish.

Anyways, such a laidback lifestyle amidst the city is a dream come true for many people who come from fast-paced cities in Europe.  However, even the best dream has its rules and Lisbon is no exception.

First and foremost, the people of Lisbon are warm and friendly but only when you practice an almost formal approach to befriending them.  You have to use polite titles - senhor and senhora - when meeting people for the first time and shake hands only.  When you are more familiar with each other and the Lisboan extends the first courtesy, you can drop the formal titles and start the hugs for men and kisses on the cheeks for women.

If you are invited to a family gathering, be sure to respect each member.  Family is very important in Portuguese society so much so that an insult lobbed against one member by a foreigner is an insult against the whole clan!  So, do watch your tongue as you would with other cultures.

And as with any European in the city, Lisboans tend to judge people by their appearances but only on first meetings.  As such, it pays to dress up for meetings.  Or at the very least, do appear presentable to the masses.  Of course, this means that the men and women of Lisbon may be the most stylishly dressed in the Iberian Peninsula for this reason and it is but logical that you return the favor.

As with their formal manners, eating out in Lisbon means dressing up, too.  You have to be in your best behavior because good food is a very essential part of the culture, not to mention that it will endear you to your hosts.  Brush up on your formal table manners as well as interesting topics to discuss.

Leave out business matters when in social functions, however.  The Lisboan lifestyle is such that there is almost always a clear demarcation line between business and social aspects of life.

One of the most important manners when you are asked for dinner in a house is to bring the hostess an appropriate gift.  If you somehow overlooked this important social custom, then bring one the next day and apologize.  You may bring candy, chocolates and flowers -just definitely not red flowers and lilies.

In all other aspects of life in the city, you will find that Lisboans are more than accommodating in looking after your needs.  You will be treated like valued guests in their homes provided that you respect their culture.  Then again, this is true in other cities of the world!

To enjoy the lifestyle of Lisbon more, we strongly suggest booking a Lisbon apartment before arrival in the city.  This is beats achieved via online reservation sites that also offer discounts and bargain deals for travelers like you. You can choose from a wide range of accommodation Lisbon for all tastes and budgets!