GQ_Australia_SeptemberOctober_2017

100 GQ.COM.AU SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017

CITY GUIDE

LISBON –

EUROPE’S

COOLEST

CAPITAL

JUST OVER A DECADE SINCE THE GFC CRIPPLED

THE PORTUGUESE CITY, IT’S RIGHTED ITSELF WITH

A BANG – A BEAUTIFUL, COLOURFUL AND HEADY

CENTRE FOR DESIGN, ART, FOOD AND MUCH FUN.

T

here’s an encouraging sight on

the Lisbon skyline these days

• cranes. Everywhere you look
  these metallic dinosaurs roam
  the horizon. They loom high
  above, lifting, shifting, adding
  layer upon layer to the city’s relief.
  Lisbon, you see, is booming. There
  were some rough times not so long ago –
  a financial crisis that brought Portugal to its
  knees – but those days appear to be over.
  New buildings are going up. Older apartment
  blocks are being renovated. Investors are
  falling over themselves to get a piece. There’s
  a real buzz of optimism, a feeling that
  everything is going to be just fine.
  For visitors, that feeling manifests itself
  in much more than buildings. It’s in the
  spate of modern restaurants that are taking
  Portugal’s traditional cuisine and turning
  it into something new and alluring. It’s
  in the burgeoning arts and design culture
  that’s bringing the old aesthetic into the new
  century. It’s in the friendly people you meet,
  daily, who are visibly excited to have visitors
  returning to their shores.
  There’s something truly great happening
  in Lisbon right now, and you need get there
  to appreciate it.

Lisbon is a city of

clearly defined

neighbourhoods,

where just a short stroll

can take you from the

winding alleyways of

ancient Alfama to the

wide boulevards of

modern Chiado; from

the raucous heights

of party-town Bairro

Alto to the sketchy

portside bars of

Alcantara. Despite

its steep hills, this is

a compact city easily

navigated on foot

• though if walking
  doesn’t appeal, trams
  still run through many
  of the popular areas,
  plus there’s a metro
  rail system, and taxis
  and Uber are more
  than affordable.

Bairro Alto

Sprawled across

a hilltop near the

city centre, Bairro

Alto is the heart of

Lisbon’s nightlife,

a neighbourhood whose

cobbled streets are

charming by day, and

teeming with revellers

at night. Drinking on the

street is legal in Lisbon

• the footpaths here
  as busy as the pubs.

Alfama

Those craving historical

charm need look no

further than Alfama,

one of Lisbon’s oldest

neighbourhoods –

a place of narrow alleys

and steep staircases,

of small squares

surrounded by brightly

tiled apartment blocks.

Grandmothers call

out to each other from

windows; kids kick

soccer balls in the

street. This is also the

best place to see fado,

Portuguese folk music,

played live in a local bar.

Belem

Elegant, picturesque

Belem has long been

popular with travellers

thanks to its water

frontage, historic

buildings and museums,

and a little place called

Pasteis de Belem –

the pastry shop that

invented the Portuguese

tart. There are always

long queues, but it’s

worth the wait.

Principe Real

Think of Principe Real

as Bairro Alto’s slightly

more mature sibling,

a neighbourhood that

still has plenty of bars,

cafes, restaurants and

ginjinherias – shops

selling traditional sour

cherry liqueur – but

they’re of the more

laidback, local variety.

Principe Real is also

home to some of

Lisbon’s best art and

design stores.

Baixa

Downtown Lisbon is

a perfect grid of narrow

streets and pedestrian

malls that lead to the

waterfront. This is where

you’ll find most of the

city’s hotels, as well as

some large plazas in

which to sit with a beer

and enjoy the scenery.

Baixa has a notable

advantage, too:

it’s dead flat, which

is unusual in this

undulating city.

THE BEST AREAS

WORDS: BEN GROUNDWATER. PHOTOGRAPHY: GETTY IMAGES.