Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
With a few exceptions, cheaper hotels downtown feel tired and well-worn. Singles cost
nearly the same as doubles. If you're on a tight budget and want to stay in the center, con-
sider Lisbon's famously classy hostels, which welcome travelers of all ages. Addresses
such as 26-3 stand for building #26, third floor (which is the fourth floor in American
Be sure to book in advance if you'll be in Lisbon during its festival—Festas de Lis-
boa—the last three weeks of June, when parades, street parties, concerts, and fireworks
draw crowds to the city. Conventions can clog Lisbon at any time.
Central as can be, the Baixa district bustles with lots of shops, traffic, people, street musi-
cians, pedestrian areas, and urban intensity.
On Rossio
$$$InternacionalDesignHotel
has 55 hip, ultra-modern double rooms centrally located
at the southeast corner of Rossio. Each of its four floors has a different theme—pop, Zen,
tribal, and urban. I've listed its expensive rack rates, but you can often get a room for
half-price by booking ahead online (Db-€120-400 depending on size, Db with pull-out
child's bed-€500, buffet breakfast in bright room overlooking Rossio, air-con, elevator,
free Wi-Fi, underground parking nearby-€15/day, Rue da Betesga 3, tel. 213-240-990, fax
213-240-999,
www.idesignhotel.com
,
book@idesignhotel.com
).
$$$ Hotel Métropole
keeps its elegant 1920s style throughout 36 carefully appointed
but slightly worn rooms. It's overpriced, but you're paying for the prime location.
The quieter back rooms are smaller, but cost the same unless you ask for a break.
Prices drop by a third in slow times. Don't be shy; ask for a 10 percent Rick Steves
discount when you reserve (Sb-€110-200, Db-€130-200, extra bed-€50, check website
for discounts, buffet breakfast, air-con, elevator, Internet access, free Wi-Fi in lobby,
Rossio 30, tel. 213-219-030, fax 213-469-166,
www.almeidahotels.com
,
metro-
Sleep Code
(€1 = about $1.30, country code: 351)
