Getting around Lisbon is all part of the fun, with a city centre that is easily navigable on foot for reasonably fit visitors. When the gradients become too much, the rapidly improving metro system is on hand and there is also the bus network, as well as the enjoyable array of clanking trams, bobbing ferries, crawling funiculars and lofty elevadors.

The elevadors and funiculars are a good place for visitors to start exploring the city, as they offer expansive views. Alternatively, São Jorge Castelo also commands impressive vistas, with the rambling Alfama old town rumbling away below the ramparts and the grid-like order of the Baixa visible just to the west. The Baixa is the business and shopping centre of the city, boasting its grandest square, Praça do Comercio, which lies right on the banks of the River Tagus. Baixa borders the Biarro Alto, a hilly coil of narrow streets that buzzes with shoppers by day and partygoers at night.

Heading further west, the once neglected docklands have been revamped over the last decade, with new shops, bars and restaurants spicing up the old warehouses. Even further west, towards the Atlantic, is the suburb of Belém, on the city's western extremities, which is the heart of the old Portuguese Empire, with a string of attractions that include the Torre de Belém, Mosteiro dos Jerónimos and the Centro Cultural de Belém.

Expo 98 left the impressive legacy of the Parque das Nações, to the east of the city centre, which is at the opposite end of the time scale from Belém - an ultra-modern playground that is home to Europe's second largest Oceanarium, a huge shopping centre, river walkways and concert venues.

Outside the city boundaries, the twin resorts of Estoril and Cascais offer a beach escape in the summer months, while the mountain retreat of Sintra is a perennially popular day trip and place to cool off when the mercury gets up in the city.

Associação de Turismo de Lisboa
Lisboa Welcome Centre, Praça do Comércio
Tel: (21) 031 2810.
Website: www.visitlisboa.com
Opening hours: Daily 0900-2000.

The main tourist office dispenses information on its ground level and sells souvenirs on the second floor. They can also supply self-guided audio tour kits. Other offices are located at Praça dos Restauradores, Mercado da Ribeira, Rua Augusta, Belém, Santa Apolónia station and the airport.

The Lisboa Card offers unlimited travel and free or discounted entry to more than 50 museums and attractions, as well as a guide to Lisbon. Passes are available for 24 hours, 48 hours or 72 hours and can be bought from the tourist office.