Lisbon
THE FOOTBALL
Benfica and Sporting’s spanking new stadia stand on the same sites as the original grounds, steeped in football lore, north of the city centre near the airport.
Benfica’s Estadio da Luz [Stadium of Light] witnessed a night of George Best magic in 1966, 15 years of Eusebio brilliance, two European Cups and numerous championship wins before a disastrous decade of disillusion. The new 65,000-capacity ground, with original elements still in place, first hosted Benfica’s centenary celebrations, then Greece’s shock win at Euro 2004 before, perhaps even more improbably, the Eagles’ title win of 2004-05.
Nearby, Sporting’s 52,000-capacity Alvalade stadium is more intimate and passionate, surrounded by bars decked out in green and white.
THE CITY
The prestigious hosting of Expo 1998 and Euro 2004 catapulted the Portuguese capital from a tatty backwater to a swish, cosmopolitan metropolis. New metro lines and stations, new bridges across the dramatically wide Tagus, a new leisure, business and residential complex on the riverside Expo site and new stadia for Lisbon’s rival clubs Benfica and Sporting are the most gleaming examples of 21st century Lisbon.
Lisbon is enjoying its most dynamic period since the 1400s, when explorers sailed from nearby Belem in the Age of Discoveries. Soon overshadowed by neighbours Spain, Portugal and its capital suffered earthquakes, disease and economic decline.
The Lisbon Eusebio saw when arriving from Mozambique in the early 1960s was a faded imperial capital stuck in a timewarp: you can still see the rickety old trams struggling up the city’s steep inclines, the weird funiculars and public elevators, the Beatles-era shopfronts and old-style neon advertising.
Recent development has encouraged Lisbon’s busy nightlife scene to move from the alleyways of hilly, central Bairro Alto down to the riverfront.
Post-colonial links not only mean a league flooded with cheap Brazilian and African players but a colourful club and restaurant scene as well.
And as the poorest country in western Europe, Portugal is also the cheapest. Great food – with seafood a speciality – will set you back relative peanuts.
Don't miss
Head up to one of the city’s miradouros, panoramic terraces with a late-night bar alongside. There are four on the steep 28 tram route, including a fabulous one at Largo das Portas do Sol.
Travel tips
Lisbon is a food lovers’ paradise. Seafood is widely available, and there is even an entire central street (Rua das Portas de Santo Antao) that specialises in it, though it should be noted that many restaurants are closed on Sundays. Rua do Arsenal should be avoided.