TOURS OF THE CITY
Walking Tours
Lisbon is a city that demands strolling around its unique neighbourhoods, notably Chiado, Bairro Alto, Mouraria and Alfama. Many of Turismo de Lisboa's publications include self-guided walking tours (which we provide at home for Guests).
Bus & Tram Tours
Standard bus tours are offered by Cityrama (tel: (21) 319 1090; website: www.cityrama.pt), for 33 Euros (half-day) and 75 Euros (full day; includes Sintra, Cascais and Estoril. Similar Tours are offered by Carris (tel: (21) 361 3000, www.carris.pt) offers two open-top bus routes (12 Euros for the day; concessions available). A tour in a restored tramcar costs 14¬ (concessions available).
Boat Tours
Transtejo (tel: (21) 882 0348) offers two-hour tours of the Rio Tejo, departing from the docks just to the east of Praça do Comércio and traveling as far west as the Belém Tower. Tours cost 18 Euros (concessions available) and depart daily at 1100 and 1500 from the Terreiro do Paço river station, April to October.
Excursions
For a Half Day
Estoril and Cascais:
The resort of Estoril has long attracted the wealthy, who have built villas in the green hills above the beaches. Cascais has had a somewhat humbler history, operating more as a working fishermen's town than a hideaway for the rich. Now, both attract crowds of tourists from Lisbon and abroad to their wide Atlantic beaches and water sports. Cascais is renowned for its seafood restaurants and Estoril has one of Europe's largest casinos. Trains to both destinations depart from Cais do Sodré station. Further information is available from Estoril Tourist Board, Arcadas do Parque (tel: (21) 466 3813; fax: (21) 467 2280.
For a Whole Day
Sintra:
The many palaces, villas and gardens around Sintra, in the mountains west of Lisbon, have earned it a place as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Sintra is dominated by the Palácio Nacional de Sintra (tel: (21) 910 6840; fax: (21) 923 4118), a royal summer palace that was largely developed in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries and now houses the world's most important collection of Mudejar azulejos (glazed tiles). The palace is open 1000-1700 (closed Wednesday) and can be reached by train from Rossio station. The Sintra Tourism Office, Praça da República 23 (tel: (21) 923 1157; fax: (21) 923 5176; provides further information.
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