Travelers looking for a budget break in Europe this year have something to smile about. A new report that surveyed cities on the continent found costs are down in 60% of destinations.
08.05.2024 - 08:11 / breakingtravelnews.com / Jorge De-São / River Tagus
Lisbon’s newest tourist attraction, a funicular that carries passengers almost 80 metres up some of the city’s steepest streets, is the latest in a raft of recent developments that have seen Portugal’s capital become one of Europe’s leading city break destinations.
The Graça Funicular connects the Moorish quarter of Mouraria to Graça, and follows the opening of a new museum to showcase Portugal’s former Royal Treasures, and the multi-million Euro regeneration of the Sul Sueste River Station and Doca Marinha on the River Tagus.
With more and more Brits choosing Lisbon for their holidays in 2024, the team at Visit Lisboa (visitlisboa.com/en) have picked out their top recommendations for seeing the city’s newest sites, alongside some iconic favourites.
Eye-catching Transport
Lisbon is known as the city of seven hills so funiculars are a popular travel option, along with the Elevador de Santa Justa, which is a striking 19th century wrought-iron elevator that connects the Baixa and Chiado districts. Another nostalgic way to discover some of Lisbon’s best-known neighbourhoods is to ride one of the iconic yellow trams that have been a feature of the city for more than a century. The popular No. 28 tram passes through neighbourhoods including vibrant Baixa at the heart of Lisbon, and ancient Alfama.
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City Sights
Lisbon is one of the oldest cities in Europe and its rich history is displayed in museums that include the Royal Treasury Museum, which is the newest attraction in the famous Belém quarter. Featuring over 1,000 pieces of royal goldsmithery, precious jewellery and the second largest gold nugget in the world, the window into Portugal’s royal past is housed within one of the biggest vaults in the world, inside the magnificent Palácio Nacional da Ajuda, former home to the last kings of Portugal.
Other historic highlight across the city include the Lisboa Story Centre, which tells the story of Lisbon from prehistory to the present, the Interpretative Centre of the History of Cod, where immersive special effects and multimedia are used to tell how the fish has become a symbol of Portuguese gastronomy, culture and history, and the captivating medieval fortress of Castelo de São Jorge.
River Development
The mighty River Tagus flows through Lisbon and is a hive of activity, attractions, and eateries. Following regeneration in 2021, the Sul Sueste Station and Doca da Marinha on the edge of the iconic Terreiro do Paço square are a base for a wide variety of river tours with more than 20 types of craft available to book, including classic 3-mast sailing boats, traditional fishing boats, catamarans, and amphibious vehicles. On the river’s south bank is the Tagus Estuary Nature Reserve, Portugal’s
Travelers looking for a budget break in Europe this year have something to smile about. A new report that surveyed cities on the continent found costs are down in 60% of destinations.
In September 2022, I booked a 17-day Arabian Sea cruise through Vantage Travel Services to celebrate my 80th birthday with my wife. The cruise was to set sail in October 2023. I used my credit card to leave a $2,000 deposit and paid the remaining $17,905 shortly afterward by bank transfer. I also bought the Worldwide Trip Protector plan from Travel Insured International (for $1,954), in part because it covered financial default and bankruptcy of cruise lines. Vantage then canceled the cruise and offered me an alternative date I could not make; I also declined their offer of credit and asked for a refund, which they agreed to. But no refund ever came, and they stopped answering the phone. My credit card returned the $2,000, and I filed an insurance claim for $17,905. It was denied, as was my first appeal. Then Vantage filed for bankruptcy, and my second appeal was denied too. The reasons given by the insurer were outrageous. They cited a vague parenthetical phrase in the policy’s bankruptcy clause, claiming I wasn’t covered because I purchased the cruise directly from the cruise line (rather than, say, through a travel adviser). Then they said my policy lapsed when I canceled the trip. But I did not cancel; Vantage did. I also filed a complaint with the New York State Department of Financial Services, which was rejected. Can you help?
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Silver Ray (Photo Credit: Silversea)
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Lübeck – Queen of the Hanseatic League – has a fading charm and vulnerability absent from the likes of Berlin, Munich and Hamburg … and most of Germany. I loved my trip there, wandering the cobbled streets, climbing every brick gothic church tower – generally alone! Thomas Mann wrote the unbearably sad novel Buddenbrooks there, then fled to the US from nazism in 1939. The Tin Drum author Günter Grass lived and worked in Lübeck in later life. Visit their former houses, now museums, the Grass-Haus and the Buddenbrook Haus. A singular German city, full of history and significance.Martin Charlesworth
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Cala Galdana beach – and its neighbours – are spectacular. Turn off at Ferreries and take the attractive Me-22 road that brings you to a breathtaking horseshoe bay shrouded by pine trees. The golden sandy beach is peaceful, even on a busy day. There are beach toilets and a cafe. There are also water sports facilities if you want a bit more activity. Neighbouring Cala Mitjana, a beautiful beach a short walk to the east, is wilder, as is Cala Macarella, two miles by footpath to the west. If I could be teleported to any beach on my day off here’s where I’d go to.Bethan Patfield
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