We have a little confession to make. Both Claudio and I have been to Lisbon recently – not at the same time, but with the same outcome: We both have a crush on this amazing and beautiful city. Forget Paris, forget London, forget Madrid. Lisbon might not be as big a metropolis as them, but it certainly has more charme and uniqueness to it.
I was there the first time a few years ago and already got addicted to the famous pastries of Belem, enjoyed the wonderful skyline of the city from one of the many view points and marveled at the beautiful hand-painted tiles on many of the old houses. On my recent trip to Lisbon my relationship to the city got a bit more intimate and passionate. The trip was half vacation and half a press trip with Sony Mobile. And while I got acquainted with the nearby beaches of the Costa de Caparica in the first half, I got an extensive introduction to many of the interesting spots in and around Lisbon by foot, by tuk tuk, by boat and by bus in the second one. On this city tour I got to review Sony’s brand new super smart phone the Xperia Z1. Being an iPhone 4 user that has been longing to find a decent replacement for the constantly failing Apple device this was an opportunity that I more than welcomed.
But coming back to Lisbon – this city is an absolute must-go-to. If it’s not for the beaches and the amazing surfing opportunities (that Claudio took advantage of on his trip) than it’s for the enchanting aesthetic of the city and its warm and welcoming inhabitants. Oh and praise the Portuguese for speaking excellent English 😉 After the jump I have some photos and Instagrams that I took on the tour, as well as some special recommendations for the city.
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Here are my top 10 places to look into (in no particular order):
- LUX – It’s one of the best clubs that I have visited outside of Berlin.
- Pasteis de Belem – You’ve probably already had one of these little pastries somewhere, but these are the best and the original ones!
- Berardo Museum – This is a private collection of contemporary art (think Boros Bunker, but bigger) and it’s free!
- Bairro Alto – This area is famous for it’s little streets full of bars. In the night time all the hip and young will be out and about here in front of the bars.
- MUDE – The museum for fashion and design.
- The Decadente – A great place for breakfast, brunch and lunch.
- Sul – Nice restaurant with delicious grill dishes. Fry your own filet steak on a hot stone at the table. Yum!
- Costa da Caparica – Amazing string of beaches down the coast on the other side of the bridge.
- Memmo Alfama – A brand new design hotel with the nicest terrace view and mini-infinity pool in town.
- Bico do Sapato – A fancy restaurant at the water front.
Some of my favorite Instagram shots from my trip:
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And if you’re curious about the Xperia Z1 that I was testing on this little press tour: I like it. Like the size of it (much bigger than the iPhone), the camera is really good, so is the touch screen display. It takes some getting used to to transition from iOS to Android, and you need to make more of an effort to set the phone up to your convenience, but I think it’s worth it. The Facebook App works so much better here, that alone is a selling point for me.
