Recommended Hotels

Hotel prices have risen in recent years to match most Western European destinations, and at the top level they are surpassing popular cities like Barcelona. Many hotels offer special packages, such as summer or weekend reductions. Central Lisbon covers the area from the waterfront, Bairro Alto, Lapa and Avenida da Liberdade. North Lisbon refers to the area around and beyond Praça Marquês de Pombal. Pousadas, found beyond Lisbon, are well-managed chain hotels; the ones listed occupy historic buildings, and their restaurants are usually among the town’s best.

The price indication is for a double room, with breakfast, including service and taxes in high season (April–October). In low season prices can be considerably less, and top hotels also often offer discounts for booking early at any time of year. All the hotels take major credit cards unless otherwise stated.

€€€€€ over 200 euros

€€€€ 150–200 euros

€€€ 100–150 euros

€€ 60–100 euros

€ below 60 euros

lisbon

Albergaria Senhora do Monte €€€ Calçada do Monte 39, tel: 218-866 002, www.albergariasenhoradomonte.com. Perched on a hillside in Graça, a district northeast of Baixa, this simple-looking place offers good accommodation with views of the castle and the river. It has a garden courtyard, where guests can have breakfast and a top floor bar.

As Janelas Verdes €€€€€ Rua das Janelas Verdes 47, tel: 213-968 143, booking: 213 218 200; www.heritage.pt. An elegant hotel in the sophisticated Lapa district, near the River Tagus and the Museu de Arte Antiga. This small hotel occupies the 18th-century townhouse of one of Portugal’s most famous writers, Eça de Queirós, and the house next door. It has a quiet, garden-like courtyard and top-floor library. Some rooms have superb views of the river. Wheelchair access.

Hotel Avenida Palace €€€€ Rua 1 de Dezembro 123, tel: 213-218 100, www.hotelavenidapalace.pt. Situated right on Rossio, the major plaza in the Baixa district, the remodelled Avenida Palace is one of Lisbon’s finest luxury hotels. Built in 1892, it has a magnificent, old-fashioned elegance, with sumptuous public rooms and beautiful, classically decorated accommodation. Sybarites can opt for the Louis XVI-style room. The gym offers modern fitness facilities. Wheelchair access.

Bairro Alto Hotel €€€€€ Praça Luís de Camöes 2, tel: 213-408 288, www.bairroaltohotel.com. Ultra-chic, this boutique hotel in the bohemian Bairro Alto district, in the historic heart of Lisbon, is a short walk from the main sights. Rooms are soundproofed against city noise, and have plasma TVs and upmarket styling. The terrace and café bar are relaxing places to hang out for a drink.

Hotel Borges €€ Rua Garrett 108, tel: 210-456 400, www.hotelborges.com. A typical old Lisbon hotel with a lot of character, the Borges has an excellent location right in the heart of the Chiado district. Spacious rooms, renovated in 2012, include satellite TV and Wi-Fi. Some have balconies.

Hotel Britania €€€€ Rua Rodrigues Sampaio 17, tel: 213-155 016, www.heritage.pt. Owned by the same family that runs other top, intimate hotels in Lisbon, the Britania, in a historic 1940s townhouse, may be the most comfortable of them all. The rooms are spacious and elegantly appointed, with marble bathrooms. The hotel, alongside Avenida da Liberdade, has been lovingly restored with genuine Art Deco touches, such as the bar. Wheelchair access.

Hotel do Chiado €€€€ Rua Nova do Almada 114, tel: 213-256 100, www.hoteldochiado.com. This chic hotel occupies part of the building housing the Armazéns do Chiado shopping mall, in the heart of the Chiado district. In keeping with the upmarket surroundings, the lobby and rooms are very design-oriented, with traditional Portuguese styling. There are superb views over Alfama from the roof terrace.

Dom Pedro Palace €€€€€ Avenida Engenheiro Duarte Pacheco 24, tel: 213-896 600, www.dompedro.com. A swish five-star hotel, with the city’s swankiest entrance, this mirrored high-rise is just north of Parque Eduardo VII and across from the Amoreiras shopping centre. Rooms, equipped with every luxury, have spectacular views of the city. Dom Pedro has supplanted more traditional luxury hotels in Lisbon. Popular with American tourists and European business travellers, it has a top-flight Italian restaurant and a bistro-style café. Wheelchair access.

Ever Lisboa City Center Hotel €€–€€€ Avenida da Liberdade 189, tel: 213-522 618, www.everhotels.com. A small, historic hotel right on the main boulevard, this former 19th-century Venetian-style palace has a spectacular spiral staircase and period touches, such as stained-glass windows, throughout. The economy rooms can be dark. Wheelchair access.

Hotel Expo Astória €€ Rua Braancamp 10, tel: 213-861 317. This mid-size, 1920s-style hotel is a handsome place, with spacious rooms, in an elite part of town. Just off Praça Marquês de Pombal, it ranks as a bargain.

Four Seasons Hotel Ritz Lisboa €€€€€ Rua Rodrigo da Fonseca 88, tel: 213-814 400, www.fourseasons.com. One of Lisbon’s oldest luxury hotels has an ugly Soviet-style exterior that could not be a greater contrast to its swanky interior, which provides the height of indulgence. Rooms with balconies offer good views over Parque Eduardo VII and busy Pombal square. Excellent restaurant, Veranda. Wheelchair access.

Inspira Santa Marta €€€ Rua de Santa Marta 48, tel: 210-440 900; www.inspirasantamartahotel.com. Near the Avenida da Liberdade, this relatively new hotel (built in 2010) is a designer place with admirable eco-credentials – it uses green technology, runs according to sustainable policies and supports charitable projects. Rooms are modelled around feng shui principles. There are two rooms for guests with disabilities.

Internacional Design Hotel €€€€€ Rua da Betesga 3, tel: 213-240 990, www.idesignhotel.com. This emphatically designer hotel, in a great location overlooking Rossio, Lisbon’s main square, has four types of highly conceptualised, spectacular rooms – Urban, Tribe, Zen and Pop – with magazine looks and every comfort. Wheelchair access.

Jerónimos 8 €€€ Rua dos Jerónimos 8, tel: 213-600 900, www.jeronimos8.com. Go boutique in Belém at this stylish place, with sleek rooms that combine strong and neutral colours to harmonious effect. There are great views over the monastery. The Busaco Wine Bar serves rare Portuguese wines and the delicious, traditional pastéis de Belém custard tarts.

Lapa Palace €€€€€ Rua Pau da Bandeira 4, tel: 213-949 494, www.olissippohotels.com. This lovingly detailed conversion of an old palatial mansion overlooks the River Tagus in Lapa. Opened in 1992, it remains the trendsetter in Lisbon luxury. It is surrounded by landscaped gardens, and there is an outdoor pool. Rooms are plush, with azulejo-decorated bathrooms; the entrance is swathed in marble and ceiling frescos. Wheelchair access.

Lisboa Plaza €€€ Travessa do Salitre 7 (off Avenida Liberdade), tel: 213-218 218, www.heritage.pt. This stylish, family-run hotel, on a quiet but convenient street, opened in the 1950s. Rooms are very comfortable, with every detail carefully overseen by a noted Portuguese designer. A restaurant serves Portuguese specialities and a generous buffet breakfast. Wheelchair access.

Pensão Londres € Rua Dom Pedro V 53, tel: 213-462 203, www.pensaolondres.com.pt. An unpretentious pensão at the edge of the Bairro Alto, occupying four floors of an imposing town house just minutes away from the district’s restaurants, fado houses, bars and clubs. There are panoramic views of the city from rooms on the 3rd and 4th floors; otherwise take in the vista from the nearby Miradouro de São Pedro de Alcântara. The rooms are small but adequately furnished, though not all have private bathrooms or toilets. Continental breakfast included.

Hotel Métropole €€€€ Praça do Dom Pedro V 30, tel: 213-219 030, www.themahotels.pt. One of Lisbon’s best deals, this classic 1920s Art Deco hotel is in the heart of the Baixa, overlooking Rossio. Rooms are generously sized and outfitted with antiques. Some rooms have castle, Baixa and Alfama views. Wheelchair access.

Pensão Residencial Ninho das Aguias € Costa do Castelo 74, tel: 218-854 070. The ‘eagle’s nest’ next to the castle is the most delightfully eccentric pensão in town, but it is not for the faint-hearted – you need to negotiate not only Alfama’s cobbled streets but also the building’s spiral staircase. The rewards are wonderful: a romantic flower-filled terrace with great views. Book well ahead as this place is very popular. Cash only.

Solar dos Mouros €€€–€€€€ Rua Milagre de Santo António 6, tel: 218-854 940, www.solardosmouros.com. A stylish boutique hotel up near the castle, occupies a tangerine-coloured townhouse and enjoys panoramic views over the Tagus and city. The contemporary rooms are individually designed with bold colours, African art and striking modern paintings; they also feature marble bathrooms and hardwood floors.

Hotel Tivoli Lisboa €€€€€ Avenida da Liberdade 185, tel: 213-198 900, www.tivolihotels.com. One of Lisbon’s largest and longest-running luxury hotels, the Tivoli is right on the main thoroughfare. It excels in services and facilities, which include the noted rooftop Terraço restaurant and a heated outdoor swimming pool. Outdoor dining in summer. Wheelchair access.

VIP Executive Suites Éden €€€ Praça dos Restauradores 24, tel: 213-216 600, www.viphotels.com. In a famous Art Deco building right on Praça dos Restauradores, this cool, modern apartment-hotel is a great deal, especially for families. There are kitchen-equipped studios and full apartments, with daily or weekly maid service. Panoramic pool and breakfast service. Wheelchair access.

York House €€€–€€€€ Rua das Janelas Verdes 32, tel: 213-962 435, www.yorkhouselisboa.com. Near the Museu de Arte Antiga in Lapa, several blocks west of the centre, this small, converted 17th-century Carmelite convent overlooks the River Tagus. It retains the feel of a serene retreat from the outside world, and rooms are elegant but not stuffy. There’s outdoor dining in the garden courtyard during the summer and a recommended restaurant. Wheelchair access.

Estoril Coast

Hotel Albatroz €€€€€ Rua Frederico Arouca 100, Cascais, tel: 214-847 380, www.albatrozhotels.com. This mansion perched above the Praia da Rainha beach is Cascais’s most elegant hotel. Public rooms and guest rooms swim in luxury, with some occupying another beautiful palace across the street. Outdoor pool and good restaurant with superb views.

Hotel Fortaleza do Guincho €€€€–€€€€€ Estrada do Guincho, Cascais, tel: 214-870 491, www.guinchotel.pt. Just outside of Cascais, in a former 16th-century fortress perched on a rocky ledge overlooking Guincho beach and the sea, this enchanting hotel is a remarkable getaway. Marvellous antique touches throughout include tile floors and period silver and crystal. Most rooms have fireplaces, and many have balconies with views of the sea – including Cabo da Roca, Europe’s westernmost point.

Hotel Palácio do Estoril €€€€€ Rua Particular, Estoril, tel: 214-648 000, www.palacioestorilhotel.com. This 5-star luxury hotel, established in 1930, looks like a cruise ship and is as palatial as its name suggests. It has a heated outdoor pool, tennis courts and gardens, and offers guests special rates at its golf course. Top-notch restaurant, Four Seasons Grill, offers international cuisine. Wheelchair access.

Queluz and Sintra

Pousada de Queluz, D. Maria I €€€–€€€€ Largo do Palácio Nacional, Queluz, tel: 214-356 158, www.pousadas.pt. Occupying the part of the royal summer palace that was formerly the domain of the Royal Guard of the Court, this pink and white pousada is ideal if you want to explore Lisbon and its surroundings but don’t want to stay in the city. The rooms are attractive and well sized, and restaurant Cozinha Velha, across the road, which serves the delicious Marfim pudding, is one of the area’s best.

Tivoli Palácio de Seteais €€€€–€€€€€ Rua Barbosa do Bocage 10, Sintra, tel: 219-233 200, www.tivolihotels.com. A luxury hotel in a beautiful 18th-century palace, with antique furniture, manicured gardens (Lord Byron wrote here) and superb views. Some visitors find it a little dainty compared to more relaxed quintas nearby. Sports facilities include tennis courts, an outdoor pool and horse riding.

South of Lisbon

Hotel Club Azeitão €€€ Quinta Do Bon Pastor, Vila Fresca de Azeitão, tel: 212-198 590. This nice, old-fashion hotel is just 20 minutes from Lisbon. Amenities include a swimming pool, tennis court, business centre, restaurant and coffee shop. The green terrace is a good place to relax. Nearby is a beautiful golf course. In low season the price for a double room drops to €55.

Pousada de Palmela €€€€€ Castelo de Palmela, Palmela, tel: 212-351 226, www.pousadas.pt. A luxury pousada carved out of a 12th-century hilltop castle, later a headquarters of the Order of Santiago, with a quiet cloister. There are fabulous views towards Setúbal and the sea. The notable restaurant in the former refectory serves local dishes; its specialities are cod and partridge.

Sana Sesimbra Hotel €€€ Avenida 25 de Abril, Sesimbra, tel: 212-289 000, www.sesimbra.sanahotels.com. Modern and stylish, this hotel is just across the road from the main beach. Facilities include a restaurant and bar, and a rooftop pool with panoramic views of the bay.

Pousada de Setúbal, São Filipe €€€€€ Forte de São Filipe, Setúbal, tel: 265-550 070, www.pousadas.pt. A pousada inside the walls of a fortress built in 1590, overlooking the port of Setúbul. There are great views of the Sado estuary and Tróia peninsula. Some rooms are in the former castle dungeons. Close to the Serra de Arrábida National Park.