Why Lisbon took the title

The awards were handed out in Kotor Bay, the first time Montenegro has hosted them in the event’s 33-year history. Lisbon won two of the night’s biggest categories: best city destination and best cruise destination in Europe.

The city’s tourism association credits its character.

“Lisbon sets itself apart from the main European destinations by valuing its own identity.”

António Valle, director-general, Lisbon Tourism Association

The association says it wants visitors who stay longer and explore further, across the wider metropolitan area as well as the famous viewpoints. That’s good advice for your trip. Lisbon rewards people who slow down: a tiled façade you’d miss from a taxi, a viewpoint you reach on your own legs, a fado song drifting out of a doorway at night.

A one-day route on foot

This route starts at the river, climbs to the viewpoints and finishes in the old town. Distances are short, but Lisbon is famously a city of hills, so plan for climbs. Wear shoes with grip, too: the calçada, the polished limestone paving, gets slippery after rain.

1. Morning

   Praça do Comércio

   Start at the river. The royal palace stood on this square until the earthquake of 1755, and the square was rebuilt as the grand front door of a new city. Walk through the Rua Augusta Arch into the Baixa.

2. Morning

   The Baixa

   After the earthquake, the Marquis of Pombal rebuilt the lower town on a strict grid. The new buildings had a flexible timber frame designed to sway rather than collapse, one of Europe’s earliest attempts at earthquake-proof building. Look up as you walk: the order is the point.

3. Late morning

   Chiado and the Carmo Convent

   Climb the streets, or ride the Santa Justa lift, up to Chiado. The Carmo Convent lost its roof in 1755 and was never fully rebuilt. Its open Gothic arches are now one of the city’s most striking ruins.

4. Lunch

   Bairro Alto and São Pedro de Alcântara

   Cut through Bairro Alto’s narrow streets to the Miradouro de São Pedro de Alcântara. From the terrace you look across the Baixa to the castle on the opposite hill. That’s where you’re going next.

5. Afternoon

   Alfama, the Sé and the castle

   Head back down and up again into Alfama, the oldest district, which largely survived the earthquake. Its lanes still follow a medieval street plan. Pass the Sé, Lisbon’s cathedral, pause at the Miradouro de Santa Luzia, then keep climbing to São Jorge Castle.

6. Evening

   Fado in Alfama

   Stay in Alfama for dinner. Fado, Lisbon’s song of longing, was added to UNESCO’s list of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2011, and this is the neighbourhood where it lives.

Add half a day in Belém

Belém lies west along the river and holds two UNESCO World Heritage monuments: the Jerónimos Monastery and the Belém Tower, both built in Portugal’s Age of Discoveries. Tram 15 runs there from the centre.

Queue for a pastel de nata at Pastéis de Belém, which has been baking them since 1837. Then walk the waterfront to the Padrão dos Descobrimentos, the monument to the explorers, and watch the boats come in under the 25 de Abril Bridge.

What’s new before you land

A few practical changes are worth knowing before your trip.

Weekend and holiday fares are the same. Trips outside the two zones are still metered.

Lisbon, quickly answered