Lisbon has experienced the kind of renaissance not seen since the 14th and 15th centuries

Over recent years, Lisbon has experienced the kind of renaissance not seen since the 14th and 15th centuries, when the city was at the heart of an empire that stretched from Brazil to India. The event credited with kicking off this recent rejuvenation was the World Expo in 1998. Improvements included were a new bridge across the River Tagus, a major expansion of the crumbling metro system and the massive redevelopment of the Expo site, the Parque das Naes. Lisbon was quick to seize on the catalyst of Expo 98 and used the worldwide exposure well, to put itself firmly on the map for visitors travelling to Portugal.

Travellers experience twenty-first century Lisbon that is vibrant, cosmopolitan and a creative destination that has managed to successfully marry the historic with the modern, the traditional with the cutting edge. Travel to Lisbon is at its best on languorous summer evenings, when the pavement cafes and riverside restaurants bustle with life. Even in winter, when rain sweeps in off the Atlantic, any brief snatch of sunshine brings the tables back outside, as Lisbon is a city where enjoying life and taking time to appreciate is still paramount.

When to travel to Lisbon

Travel to Lisbon during Carnival, in February or March, is a draw card - but prices rise accordingly. Mid-June to August is peak season. If you’ve come to lie on the beach any month will do as Portugal is blessed with many days of sunshine.