LISBON - Portugal - page 13

istic neighborhoods that line the downtown harborfront: the Bairro Alto, the Alfama, and
the Baixa.
Tourist Information
Lisbon has several tourist offices, and additional information kiosks sprout around town
late each spring. The main TIs are: on Praça dos Restauradores at Palacio Foz (daily
9:00-20:00, tel. [phone]; TI for rest of Portugal in same office, tel. [phone] or
213-463-658); on Praça do Comércio at the “Ask Me Lisbon” center (daily 9:00-20:00,
tel. [phone]); and at the airport (daily 7:00-24:00, especially helpful, tel.
218-450-660). TI kiosks are at the Santa Apolónia train station (Tue-Sat 8:00-13:00,
closed Sun-Mon, at the far end, by the lockers) and in front of the monastery in Belém
(Tue-Sat 10:00-13:00 & 14:00-18:00, closed Sun-Mon, tel. [phone]).
Each TI offers handy freebies including a Lisbon city map (with helpful inset of town
center), an in-depth Public Transport Guide (showing bus, Metro, and trolley lines in de-
tail), and the monthly Follow Me Lisboa magazine (mainly cultural and museum listings).
Agenda Cultural lists current exhibits, musical events, and hip new bars and restaurants
in Portuguese only (monthly, free at TI, €0.50 at newsstands). If you want a LisboaCard
(described next), buy it at a TI. Good websites for information are www.insidelisbon.com ,
www.visitlisboa.com , and www.visitportugal.com .
LisboaCard: This card covers all public transportation (as well as trains to Sintra and
Cascais) and free entry to many museums (including the Museum of Ancient Art, Nation-
al Tile Museum, National Coach Museum, Monastery of Jerónimos, and Bélem Tower,
plus some Sintra sights). It also provides discounts on many museums, city tours, and the
AeroBus airport buses.
You can buy the card only at Lisbon's TIs (including the airport TI), not at participat-
ing sights. If you plan to museum-hop, the card is a good value, particularly for a day in
Belém (covers your transportation and most sightseeing). Don't get the card for Sunday,
when many sights are free until 14:00, or for Monday, when many sights are closed. The
card is also unnecessary if you're a student or senior, for whom most sights are free or
half-price.
The LisboaCard is straightforward and can save you €25 if you do everything sugges-
ted in my three-day plan for Lisbon. Carry the LisboaCard booklet with you when you
sightsee; some discounts require coupons contained inside, plus it serves as a proof of
purchase (€19/24 hours, €32/48 hours, €39/72 hours, kids 5-11 half-price, includes excel-
lent explanatory guidebook).