We have a layover in Lisbon, where we arrive in the evening, stay overnight and catch a flight the next afternoon. Since we literally have a few short hours (from 7am -10:15am) before leaving to catch our flight, we want to be able to see a few things. So looking to stay in a central area where we can see a few outside things .
Should we stay in Belem or Rossio Square?
And which hotel? Since we only have a few hours, we want to stay someplace central, even a nice view from our room
Any help appreciated!
very short stay in Lisbon!
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We loved the Avenida Palace hotel, which is right in the center of old Lisbon. A wonderful hotel with great service and a gorgeous breakfast buffet included.
We took a cab from the airport, and it wasn't expensive, but I forget exactly how much. Taxis are very inexpensive in Lisbon.
Here is my thread about our stay in Lisbon, with some restaurants mentioned which are walking distance from the hotel.
We adored Lisbon!
Oops!
http://www.fodors.com/community/europe/lisbon-europe-without-the-attitude-or-price-tag.cfm
your times posted are a bit confusing - are you saying that you will be sightseeing from 7am - 10:15? What time do you arrive the night before? But stay in Lisbon, not Belem - Lisbon will be easier to get to and more to do in the evening. I think there is alot of nightlife if you are not arriving too late!
We arrive to Lisbon Saturday 8pm, stay one night, and leave Lisbon the following day Sunday. Our flight departing Lisbon is 1pm Sunday afternoon, leaving us roughly 7am - 10:15am to sightsee (yes we are being aggressive). We plan to take a taxi from hotel at 10:15am, get to the airport at 10:45am or so, This give us a little over 2 hours to check in.
Should we book a hotel in Rossio Square or in Belem (the old part of town)?
Belem is not exactly Lisbon, more of a suburb. Go for a central hotel, Rossio area would be fine - get up early and ride the trolley cars around to get a good overview. Try one of the Belem pastries and make a paln to visit again and stay longer.
The hotel I suggested, the Avenida Palace, is next door to the Rossio station.
There seems to be some confusion regarding Belem. It's in fact in Lisbon, not a suburb. However, although it's where most of the major tourist attractions are found, it's about 15 to 20 minutes from downtown.
With such a short time in the city, stay closer to downtown for faster access to the airport but considering that most attractions only open at 10AM, sounds like you won't get to see anything...
This is a good itinerary which covers downtown which you can see on a short walk even with everything closed: http://www.lisbonlux.com/lisbon/itinerary.html
Finally, a suggestion: With you willing to be up by 7AM for sightseeing, you may want to head to the Portas do Sol terrace for the sunrise: http://www.golisbon.com/blog/2013/02/15/the-best-sunrises-and-sunsets-in-lisbon/
Do not stay in Belem. We were underwhelmed by it.