thanks! I'm in Arroios, close to the Alameda station - a very nice area imo
― niels, Monday, 2 October 2017 16:34 (six years ago) link
Planning for upcoming spring vacay in April, was in need of a warm-ish European city with a quaint old town center, and I think Lisbon is the answer, with an overnight trip to Sintra and possibly a 20-hour layover in Casablanca on the way?? It sounds unreal tbh.
Will I go to hell for using Air BnB for accommodations in the Alfama area? Are they displacing ppl from affordable housing/disfiguring the historic city?
― There's more Italy than necessary. (in orbit), Monday, 11 February 2019 22:01 (five years ago) link
it is a paradise of a city you will live it
seville is also brilliant
weve airbnbd a few times there. idk about hell im as lapsed as you are.
― ɪmˈpəʊzɪŋ (darraghmac), Monday, 11 February 2019 22:19 (five years ago) link
Are they displacing ppl from affordable housing/disfiguring the historic city?
Well, yes, but such is life.
― Wee boats wobble but they don't fall down (Tom D.), Monday, 11 February 2019 22:51 (five years ago) link
I don't know how many other cities in Europe this is now true of but I find Lisbon pretty disconcerting.. Been here about a month, signs in English are almost everywhere, airbnbs and accomodation in general isn't chap, walking down the street you hear more English than Portuguese and not just in Alfama or Alcantara. After going to a couple of coding meetups I've realized, these aren't tourists, they're expats. I'm in Beato, and first time I went into the local shop, on a seemingly dead street the guy asked if he could help in English
It sort of feels a bit like SF, I feel I could get a job offer just sitting in a cafe with a code editor open
Weather is great (was 66 on Saturday), getting around is easy the sea is a little bracing this time of year
― cherry blossom, Monday, 11 February 2019 23:25 (five years ago) link
Please go eat at Jesus e Goes if in Lisbon.
I liked Porto as much as Lisbon tbh.
― mom tossed in kimchee (quincie), Monday, 11 February 2019 23:29 (five years ago) link
expat in X complains about there being too many expats in X.
I dunno, when I was last in Lisbon I found it pretty Portuguese. Yes there are tourists and expats but no more so than in any other capital city, in fact a bit less so was my impression.
― Zelda Zonk, Tuesday, 12 February 2019 00:36 (five years ago) link
haha:)
― cherry blossom, Tuesday, 12 February 2019 00:44 (five years ago) link
Yeah, was curious if it was an outlier or if this is something which is prevalent across European cities (I have read that it is more pronounced in Barcelona, but the tech/startup sector in Lisbon is quite strong and it is a smaller city)
― cherry blossom, Tuesday, 12 February 2019 00:46 (five years ago) link
i think the tech stuff is def a factor there
crazy hipstery town too but they carry it well
― ɪmˈpəʊzɪŋ (darraghmac), Tuesday, 12 February 2019 00:49 (five years ago) link
The thing about expats/tourists is that they tend to hang around fairly well defined areas. Jump on just about any tram/bus, stay on it for a half an hour, get off, and you'll find yourself in a district with little discernible expat influence.
― Zelda Zonk, Tuesday, 12 February 2019 00:52 (five years ago) link
I wouldn't say I'm complaining about it as such, it was just quite disconcerting as I've not experienced it to this level anywhere else - the area I'm in (Beato) is much less touristic. its a double edge sword, and thr ar positives about it too. theres a lot of possibility here, especially if you're in software/web.
― cherry blossom, Tuesday, 12 February 2019 01:02 (five years ago) link
When we stayed in an airbnb in Alfama a few years ago our host was telling us about the nightlife and an Alfama nightclub, but she said people mostly stayed on the other side of the town until 2, when they would start to head towards the nightclub. As a tragically unhip 40 something geezer I just stood there baffled, thinking "does she mean... 2am??"
― large bananas pregnant (ledge), Tuesday, 12 February 2019 08:43 (five years ago) link
Gonna be in Lisbon for three days this spring, the whole family. Other than a destabilizing global pandemic, anything we should keep in mind and/or specifically seek out? I've never been. We're staying in Chiado, which seems hip/swank.
― Josh in Chicago, Wednesday, 19 January 2022 23:24 (two years ago) link
Some worthwhile touristy things are Pena Palace (in Sintra) and Sao Jorge Castle; take Tram 28 for a city tour.
Museu Berardo - top-notch contemporary art museum. Nearby is Pasteis de Belem, with its beloved custard tarts.Carmo Convent is near Chiado and worth a quick visit - a church that lost its roof (topless church?) in an earthquake long ago.Estufa Fria is an indoor botanical garden and a nice escape.Cemiterio dos Prazeres (cemetery) - mausoleums galore, photo ops for Joy Division bootlegs LPs, if that's your thing (you can board Tram 28 on a nearby stop from here).
The food situation there is amazing (but do a little research), if your family is into that.
― ernestp, Thursday, 20 January 2022 02:24 (two years ago) link
Keen to hear more about the dive bar where the estimable Daniel_Rf had his sublime fado experience, plus any other Lisbon recs ahead of a short break in a couple of weeks...
― Piedie Gimbel, Tuesday, 30 May 2023 15:09 (eleven months ago) link
What a beautiful city. Caught a bit of Santo Antonio festival madness and now want to go back every June.
― Piedie Gimbel, Monday, 26 June 2023 13:02 (ten months ago) link
Aw sorry I didn't see that at the time, would have tried to dig up the place!
― Daniel_Rf, Monday, 26 June 2023 13:06 (ten months ago) link
We didn't catch any fado in the end, but were treated to a busker segueing from RHCP to 4 Non Blondes, so were culturally nourished to complement the many amazing meals we had.
― Piedie Gimbel, Monday, 26 June 2023 13:10 (ten months ago) link