Sign in with FacebookGo to the top of Sta.Justa...
Go to the top of Sta.Justa elevator and take a cup of coffee with the wonderful views. Rent a car and make an excursion to Sintra. The Belem quarter monuments, and Pastelitos de Belem (small tipical cakes)
JY Hostel
No. 56 1-Direito, Lisbon, 1900-348, Portugal
More about Lisbon
Photos
Entrance
Taberna Tosca - detail
Lisbon - Portugal
Miko with DAO and Ursula
Forum Posts
Looking for a "tour guide" in September (10-12)
Hey guys,
I will be travelling to Lisbon with my boyfriend from September 9 to 13. Occasion is his 33rd and my 30th birthday and I would like do something special and not a classical tour. Can anyone of you recommend a good tour guide or is maybe one of you willing to take us for a tour through Lisbon?
I'm really looking forward to read your comments :)
Cheers,
Danielle
Re: Looking for a "tour guide" in September (10-12)
No answers yet: seems that all participants of the EUROMEET 2009 in Cascais are on vacation.
Lisbon can easily be explored without a guide or with an organised tour. The city has a good public transportsystem (bus, subway, tram) which covers all major points of interest in the city and the nearby area. For tips check the sites here on VT. (check your VT mail!)
Re: Looking for a "tour guide" in September (10-12)
Danielle,
Ullrich is right, it isn't necessary really for one to hire/have a tour guide to see Lisbon. It's an amazing and fun city to explore on foot and very accessible city transports and merely to wander around and get lost happily in and around its medieval looking neighborhoods.
But hire a guide if this makes you to feel comfortable and re-assured. I don't know of one but pretty sure the main Tourist Office at the Praca dos Restauradores at the foot of Avenida da Liberdade can help you and will have ample of information at your disposal. It's worth a visit to this Tourist Office for maps and really good travel pointers. Meanwhile, surf thru the many many invaluable tips on Lisbon here on VT.
If the U.S. dollar regains its better value against the Euro, I'm scheduled to return to Lisbon end of this September (I go there often and also live half the time in the Algarve). If this return trip pushes thru, I'll be in Lisbon around the last week of September...that case I'd be very happy to show you and your fiance around the old city as I've done to so many VT friends. Keep it in mind and email me at some point to stay in contact about this.
Best of luck to you both. You'll love Lisbon.
Re: Looking for a "tour guide" in September (10-12)
Hi Solodancer:
My husband and I will be in Lisbon on September 30 for 3 days. It will be the last stop of our 2 week European vacation. Although we could wing it and tour the city alone, it sure would be nice to meet someone who knows the city well.
The Euro exchange rate is getting worse. Hope it turns around soon.
Aloha, Jan
Re: Looking for a "tour guide" in September (10-12)
Yours will make it more than one hope for the dollar to rebound...and soon I hope.
Otherwise, if we miss each other cause I absolutely couldn't make the trip, you'll still manage Lisbon well I'm pretty sure; also, won't be a bad idea for you to post something in the Meetings page about your stay there and meet some local VT members who'd be happy to offer great advice and possibly even show you around.
btw, if you haven't yet reserved a hotel in Lisbon and are looking into it with suggestions, look at my Lisbon page under accommodations and see if this place might interest you.
Re: Looking for a "tour guide" in September (10-12)
Thank you Solodancer:
I will take your advise. Hope you make it there!
Re: Looking for a "tour guide" in September (10-12)
You could e-mail either of these companies and ask what they could offer you:
http://www.travelingtolisbon.com/
http://www.lisbonaround.com/en_menu.htm
Travelling to Lisbon are really helpful and have great people working for them. I'm sure they have a guide who can give you a customised tour of what you're interested in.
Travel Tips for Lisbon
Praça dos Restauradores
Situated in the south extreme of Avenida da Liberdade, the Restauradores Square is considered to be the starting point of the expansion of the city to the north, linking the Baixa Pombalina to the Marquês de Pombal Square. Built as an extension of the Public Walk it open to the public in 1882, and it started off by being an entirely pedestrian avenue with gardens, a mandatory passage of the distinct bourgeois walks, very similar to the style of the Champs Élysées in Paris.
In the center is a patterned pavement (black and white pebbles) of on the style of Portuguese calçada surrounding a 30-meter high obelisk. The obelisk was designed by António Thomaz da Fonseca, and was erected in 1886 in memory of the country's liberation by the Restauradores (from where the square took its name) who put an end to the 60 years of Spanish domination in 1640. We do still celebrate the date every December, 1st. The two bronze figures on the pedestal at the base symbolize Victory and Liberty. The monument also bears the dates of the chief battles in the campaigns who followed the Revolution of 1640.
Nowadays the square is one of the busiest areas in the Lisboa centre, lively with cafés, restaurants, shops and offices. The strong point of this area is, undoubtedly, its architecture, with diverse buildings characteristic and historical buildings. On the west side is Foz Palace, the former residence of the Marquis of Foz, now housing the National Tourism Office. Built from the mid-18th to the mid-19th C., the palace may only be visited with special permission or during some exhibitions or classic music concerts. The interior and its furniture were inspired by Paris' Versailles Palace and the most interesting rooms are the Renaissance-style Stove Room, the Mirror Room, and the atrium of the chapel of Our Lady of Purity.
Next to the Foz Palace we can find an adapted Art Deco marvel -I’m talking about Orion Eden Hotel. This was one of Lisbon's major cinema/theatre buildings -Eden Teatro- and its imposing facade still dominates the square with a stone frieze depicting stylized actors performing before a film crew and cameras. The name Eden Teatro is centrally located in the stonework above like it was when it opened in 1931 after the design of architects Cassiano Branco and Carlo Florencio Dias. With lavish interiors the theater was masqueraded as a Russian hotel in the Wim Wenders film "Until the End of the World" (1991). In 2001 it was converted into a 134 room apartment hotel but the facade has been retained (slightly modified by removing the two huge film advertising poster spaces) and 'opening up' the space by providing an atrium.
Closer to Rossio station we can spot another nice building -Avenida Palace Hotel- the only downtown hotel which was a Palace with history and tradition in Lisbon. Projected at the end of the 19th C. by master José Luís Monteiro, one of the most distinguished portuguese architects, who projected, among others, Rossio's Train Terminal, the Hotel was inaugurated in the year 1892, and has maintained all the characteristic romanticism of its "Belle Époque" architecture until today.
Across the square we can spot the world-famous music-themed restaurant (and memorabilia collectors Mecca) Hard Rock Café which is another nice building. This was used to be another old cinema, named Condes (the name is still on top of the build, so you can’t miss it). As you can see in my Rua das Portas de Santo Antão tip, this entire area was populated of cinemas, theaters, and nightclubs at the beginning of the 20th C -quite a bohemian place. Nowadays the Lisbon bohemian life moved to other out of center spots such as Bairro Alto, Santos, Docas and Parque das Nações.
On the left of the square a little higher up, at the corner of Calçada da Glória is the much photographed Elevador da Gloria, a funicular that links downtown to the Bairro Alto district. Take it up to have a splendid view from the S. Pedro de Alcântara Miradouro (viewpoint).
There’s a car parking and underground Restauradores (blue line) metro stations, and most of the Lisbon’s buses stop nearby or at the square.
Lisbon Tip
The food is very good in Lisbon. There are lots of fresh salads and vegetables, but if you’re watching the calories be careful as everything is swimming in olive oil. The soups are always delicious but the temperature varies from boiling hot to luke warm depending how long ago it was cooked. Perhaps that has changed with the popularity of microwave ovens.
Fado
Fado is the traditional music of Portugal, melancholic songs which are usually about love lost, woes and pains, or an expression of sadness and longing for things lost or never accomplished. It has become big business in Lisbon, with most tourists seeking out a casa de Fado (bar or restaurant in which fado is performed). Many of these, especially in the Bairro Alto, cater only to tourists, so the experience may lack some authenticity, and you will almost certainly be over-charged for the accompanying meal, but even here it can be worthwhile as a taster of the genre. Those in the know though apparently head to the Alfama, where more genuine Fado houses are to be found, and best of all of course is to get a recommendation from a local. And if you don’t know a local to consult, this website lists some authentic places to try. We didn’t know all this when in Lisbon a few years ago, but were reasonably satisfied with our Bairro Alto choice nevertheless. Next time however …
I have copied this brief history of Fado from the same website:
” Even musical experts cannot agree on the true origin of Fado. Although the word comes from the Latin fatum, meaning fate, some believe its drawn-out laments are a legacy of the Moorish occupation. Others say it developed from an African dance in Brazil, and according to another theory, the melancholy character of the music evolved from Portuguese seafarers who sang of home during their long absences at sea.
It emerged as a bohemian art form in Lisbon's working-class districts of Alfama and Mouraria in the late 18th century, and gradually moved up-market. It became popular with the singer Maria Severa, who died at the age of 26 and later became the subject of Portugal's first sound movie in 1931. To this day, female performers wear a black shawl in her memory and her life story has been the influence of several Fado songs, poems, novels, and plays.”
By the way, the last time I heard Fado sung was not in Lisbon or anywhere in Portugal, but last year in a Portuguese restaurant in New York, Luzia on Amsterdam Avenue, so you may not even have to travel to Lisbon to hear it.
Sintra
Sintra lies about 30km (18 miles) from the centre of Lisbon and is many Royal Palaces, used by generations of Portuguese royalty prior to the 1910 revolution. The surrounding hills are surmounted by the remains of a Moorish Castle and by the nineteenth-century Pena Palace, all of which have made it a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Its history dates back to at least the 8th or 9th century when the Moors built the Castelo dos Mouros (or simply, Moorish Castle) which overlooks down on the town and surrounding countryside. King Afonso Henriques recaptured the town in 1147 and promoted the development of the region by granting a foral (letter of feudal rights) to the inhabitants of Sintra and its castle in 1154. The decline of the castle began in the 15th century, when most of the population settled downhill, in today's old quarter of Sintra. It was around this time that the Sintra National Palace, said to be the best preserved medieval Royal Palace in Portugal, was built in the centre of the old town, making it the highlight tourist attraction in Sintra town itself. The mixture of Gothic, Manueline and Moorish styles in the present palace is, however, mainly the result of building campaigns in the 15th and early 16th centuries. More palaces were built in the surrounding hills which add to Sintra's rather touristy feel.
The best way to get to Sintra is by taking the train from Lisbon's Rossio station. This is how I got here and tickets only cost €4 return plus trains leave every 10 minutes or so and take about 40 minutes. Once here, the best way of getting around all the sites, which are fairly spread out from one another, is to take the circular 434 bus. Tickets are only €4.60 for the whole day and can be purchased from the bus driver. If you choose to walk be warned that the trek to the Pena Palace and the Castelo dos Mouros can be a daunting, steep up-hill, one-hour climb from the city centre.
Explore the World
Hotels
- Albergo della Regina Isabella
- Apartmentos Michelangelo
- Holiday Inn Express South Haven
- Hilton Dallas Park Cities
- Leisure Inns Penny Royal
- Komala Indah Ii cottages
- St. Johns Guest House
- Hampton Inn Secaucus-Meadowlands
- Ruidoso River Resort & Inn
- Grand Inn Hotel
- Unio Hotel Budapest
- Homewood Suites Covington
- Marlin Apartments Canary South
- Locanda Remedio - Dependance Hotel Colombina
Travel Destinations
Travelers also viewed
Hotel Helper
Lisbon
Similar to JY Hostel
Near JY Hostel
Cheapest in Lisbon
Great Hotels for Less
Questions and Answers
Q: Traveling to Lisbon 26 June - 4 July "I will be traveling to Lisbon, 26 June thru 4 July. This is my first time to Europe and I would like to meet with people that know..."
A: "seems like a tall order for some unknown person to offer to do, with your Homepage having little on it about yourself and being so new to the website.....I started out..."
Read 5 Replies »
Latest Lisbon hotel reviews
- Residencial Sao Pedro Lisbon
- 12 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: Apr 17, 2012 - Radisson Blu Hotel Lisbon
- 139 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: May 28, 2012 - Unreal Hostel Lisboa
- 4 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: May 21, 2012 - Residencial Alegria
- 45 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: Apr 22, 2012 - Lisbon Easy Hostel
- 16 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: May 8, 2012 - Feel Good Apartments Eca De Queiroz
- 19 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: Apr 21, 2012 - Luxe Hotel
- 33 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: May 11, 2012 - Dom Pedro Palace Lisbon
- 107 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: May 23, 2012 - Hotel Borges
- 72 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: Apr 2, 2012 - Sweet Home Hospedagem Hostel
- 10 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: Jan 4, 2012 - Estalagem Lago Azul
- 5 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: Apr 20, 2012 - Belver Principe Real
- 36 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: May 28, 2012 - Hotel AS Lisboa Lisbon
- 19 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: Apr 19, 2012
Best Deals for Lisbon
- Lisbon: Find the perfect activity!
- Expedia.com Book early before things sell out. Skip long lines and save on tickets!
Sponsored Links
Lisbon Hotel Deals
- Save on hotel + air
- Expedia Vacations Get the lowest price on your vacation with our Best Price Guarantee
- Save money, Book now !
- Booking.com Excellent choice, Low rates
- Book now for big savings!
- hotels.com Outstanding choice of hotels all over the world at fantastic prices.
- Save up to 50% off Hotels Everyday
- Expedia.com Photos, Reviews and the Guaranteed Lowest Prices
Sponsored Links