Arrival and Information
From Portela airport , just twenty minutes' drive from the centre, local buses #44 and #45 (?1) run from the road outside the airport to Rossio and Cais do Sodre (train station for Cascais; tel 800 203 067). It's easier, but more expensive, to take the Aerobus (#91; every 20min 7am-9pm; ?2.50), which leaves from right outside the Arrivals Hall and runs to Praca dos Restauradores, Rossio, Praca do Comercio and Cais do Sodre. Taxis into the centre of Lisbon should cost under ?10 but it is always best to fix a price before you depart. Long-distance trains use the Santa Apolonia station ( www.eurotrip.com/rail/portugal.htm for international train information), about fifteen minutes' walk from the waterfront Praca do Comercio, or a short ride on buses #9, #39, #46 or #90 to Rossio. Local trains from Sintra emerge at the heart of the city in the Rossio station , while trains from the Algarve and south terminate at Barreiro , on the far bank of the river, from where you catch a ferry (6am-2am; around ?1.50 depending on destination) to the Fluvial station next to the Praca do Comercio. For train timetables , visit the information office on the ground floor of Rossio station (Mon-Sat 9am-7pm) or check out the Web site www.cp.pt , which is available in English. The new main bus terminal (24hr national bus information tel 707 22 33 44, www.rede-expressos.pt for timetables) is at Arco do Cego (metro Saldanha) and handles most international and domestic departures, including services to the Algarve and Madrid. The new terminal, Gare do Oriente (tel 800 201 820), also has some international and domestic departures. It could hardly be easier to get your bearings in the Baixa , the central city grid. At one end, opening onto the River Tagus, is the broad, arcaded Praca do Comercio ; at the other stands Praca Dom Pedro IV, or the Rossio , merging with the Praca da Figueira and Praca dos Restauradores . These squares, filled with cafes, occasional street musicians, tourists and streetwise dealers, form the hub of Lisbon's daily activity. At night the focus shifts to the Docas , a new ultra-modern dockland area full of clubs and some of the capital's best restaurants and bars. A more time honoured but equally lively option is the Bairro Alto , high above and to the west of the Baixa, and best reached by funicular (Elevador da Gloria) or the great street elevador (Elevador Santa Justa), built by Eiffel disciple Raul Mesnier de Ponsard. East of the Baixa, the Castelo de Sao Jorge , built by the Moors in 719 before becoming home to many of Portugal's kings, crowns the city's highest hill, with the Alfama district - the core of the medieval city - sprawled below. The main tourist office is on the western side of Praca dos Restauradores in the Palacio da Foz (daily 9am-8pm; tel 21 346 6307, www.icep.pt ); they can supply maps and accommodation lists and can assist with booking hire cars. There's also a tourist office at the airport (daily 6am-11pm; tel 21 844 6473), and there is a stylish, new tourism centre, Lisboa Welcome Centre , on the corner of Praca do Comercio and Rua do Arsenal (daily 9am-9pm; tel 21 031 2700, www.alt-turismolisboa.pt ) that has the most up-to-date information. There are also several information kiosks (daily 10am-6pm) dotted around the city; in front of the Museu de Arte Popular in Belem, inside Santa Apolonia station, on Rua Augusta in Baixa, at the Parque Municipal de Campismo and at the Parque das Nacoes. Finding your way around the Alfama and Bairro Alto district can be a problem as a lot of the streets are narrow and not marked on most maps. It's well worth investing in the Falkplan map sold in the newsagent next to the tourist office in Praca dos Restauradores; alternatively log on to www.EUnet.pt/Lisboa and print out a copy of their excellent city maps.
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