Lisbon, the capital city of Portugal, is among the least publicised “city break” cities in Europe. Yet despite this apparent lack in tourist marketing, Lisbon is one of Europe’s most beautiful cities and has a unique, exotic high quality that conjures up impressions of far away locations from Portugal’s colonial past. A city break vacation in Lisbon provides sufficient time to go to most of the key tourist attractions.

Visit the Castle of St George at the heart of Lisbon’s Alfama district, the oldest and most picturesque part of the city. The castle, like so many on the Iberian peninsula, is of Arab origin. It’s situated on the top of one of the highest of Lisbon’s many hills. The castle was taken by the Christians from the Moors in the twelfth century. It still retains its strong, outer walls, various defensive buildings, eleven towers and also the former Moorish palace that became the residence of the Kings of Portugal between the fourteenth and sixteenth centuries. The castle is such an atmospheric place that you will be content just to wander around its enchanting gardens, stopping to peer out from the ramparts over the panorama of red roofs, or to merely sit and listen to a guitarist expertly playing intoxicating melodies within the courtyard below us.

Sintra makes for another great stop. Even though Sintra is part of the district of Lisbon, its a town in its own right and takes about 30 minutes on the local train to get to from Lisbon if you are not using a Lisbon Rental Car service. It is merely one of the most stunning areas in Europe and holds world heritage status.

It is an area packed with things to do and sights to be in awe of. Its as if the very landscape from the location has been remodelled into art. The former summer palace from the Portuguese monarchs is located here. It was built within the fourteenth century and later extended. Many of its rooms are quite outstanding and the palace constantly proclaims reminders of the splendour and opulence of Portugal’s imperial past.

There’s another palace in Sintra that absolutely demands the tourists’ attention and their camera. It’s called the Pena Palace Standing at an altitude of one and a half thousand metres, this 19th century building with its pink and yellow towers, domes, and drawbridges is the stuff of fairy tales, Disney, and fantasy fiction.

Built across 7 hills that tumble down into the Atlantic Ocean, Lisbon is an immediately picturesque place that makes for incredibly relaxed days spent strolling and exploring. But that’s not to say Lisbon is all tranquility; it is also a thriving European city, and an onslaught of culture and nightlife awaits the incoming visitors.

As a result of this multi-faceted nature, Lisbon is becoming increasingly popular amon the backpacking circuit. Traveling here is immensely rewarding, and it’s also fairly affordable in European terms, with backpackers making the most of a stay in a low-cost Lisbon hostel whilst touring the city’s free of charge cultural attractions and enjoying its food and drink without breaking the spending budget.Here’s a quick rundown, then, from the very greatest spots to visit in Lisbon whilst visiting the city on a spending budget…

For the budget traveler, the benefits of staying in one of Lisbon hostels or cheap hotels are numerous. Not only is the accommodation bargain-priced, but it also often comes with a kitchen, which signifies you are able to cook your own food – usually a bargain-priced way of eating whilst on the road. The hostels are also packed full of likeminded travelers, which means meeting individuals to party with is never a issue at all!

Free of charge Things to do in Lisbon – As befits a European city of its size, Lisbon boasts of numerous things to do, many of which the savvy spending budget traveler can experience for free of charge. Lisbon’s museums are an excellent example. Whilst entrance to destinations for example the Gulbenkiam Museum, the Museum of Ancient Art, and also the Maritime Museum normally comes at a price, these museums open their doors free of charge to the general public every Sunday. Doing a tour of these museums on the last day of the week thus makes for a cultured – and completely free – day invested in Lisbon.

It is also important to remember that Lisbon is really a visually stunning place; merely spending hours walking around this beautiful city is an excellent thing to do. OK, so you’ll probably want to stop for the odd coffee or beer while you’re at it, but the expense is completely justified as you haven’t spent money on entrance fees elsewhere! Besides, eating and drinking in Lisbon is widely affordable, particularly if you stick towards the local beer and set menus.

Mr Lino stated that the first part of the plan will begin this quarter. The airport is due to be constructed to the south of the Tagus River near Alcochete (Campo de Tiro)

Tenders are now been taken from prospective companies wishing to be considered. After initial evaluations two proposals will be chosen to go through to the next stage. A final decision will then be made after extensive negotiations.

Mr Lino refused to offer any more information at this point but assured the public that they will be kept informed of all developments. ANA is expected to be fully privatized before the construction of the airport begins.

The airport is expected to be completed by the year 2017 and will cost an estimated five billion euro.

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Almost thirteen and a half million passengers used Lisbon Airport last year. The airport is also called Portela Airport. A new terminal was opened in 2007 to cater for domestic flights.

The airport is situated seven kilometres from the city of Lisbon. If you plan on doing a lot of travelling around the area then hiring a car at Lisbon Airport could be a good option. Otherwise there are regular bus services from the airport to the city centre.

Lisbon is considered to be the major airport in Portugal. There are lots of international arrivals at the airport from Spain, France, Ireland, UK and Italy from major as well as budget airlines.

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The airport first opened its doors in 1942 containing a total of four runways. Dealing with demand the airport grew very quickly. Lisbon airport is quite unique in that it is surrounded by urban developments. A lot of discussions took place over whether to build a new airport fifty kilometres to the North of Lisbon in a village called Ota.

Independent research carried out later in the year suggested Alcochete as a possible location to build. There is currently a military camp in this location however they have agreed to move if they are found a new location. On the 10th of January 2008 Alcochete was confirmed as the new airport location.

In the meantime the current airport will be expanded to deal with demand. Terminal two was finished in late summer 2007 while work continues on the main terminal.

There were over seventy thousand people at the event last year with organizers hoping for an increase on that number this year. For the first time this year there are exhibitors from Croatia, Columbia and Romania. Spain once again has the largest number of exhibitors.

João Passos spoke of the fair being a showcase to show the wide diversity of attractions on offer for tourists in Portugal. He went on to say that Portugal had much to offer as a holiday destination within its current markets as well as yet to be explored alternative markets.

The President of the AHETA Algarve Hotel and Tourist Resort Association Eldérico Viegas disagreed believing the main purpose of the event is to sell tourism outside Portugal. He believes the fair offered a good opportunity for debate on Portugal tourism.

Networking sessions have been organized to help clients and exhibitors integrate. Two programs BTL Business and BTL Rural (focusing on tourism in rural parts of Portugal) are also available with many guest speakers involved. This year’s event cost three million euro to organize.

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Those in search of sunshine but also some city life to go with it may wish to consider a holiday in Lisbon.  Aer Lingus offer flights to Lisbon from Dublin Airport and Cork Airport. Sign up for the Aer Lingus email list or keep an eye on the national press as Aer Lingus offer regular sales. Lisbon Airport is located about 7km from the city.

Lisbon has a population of over six hundred thousand with another two million in the surrounding areas of Lisbon which covers both sides of the Tejo River. There are lots of golden beaches nearby to enjoy. Natives of Lisbon head for the beach at every available opportunity. There is no shortage of sun to enjoy in Lisbon for the pale skinned Irish to soak up

There is much to see and do in Lisbon. Whether it’s stopping off for some excellent local fare in one of the cities many wonderful restaurants or nearby local villages, enjoying some great shopping opportunities or visiting the many tourist attractions on offer.

One place definitely worth a visit is the Saint George Castle. The castle was built in the fifth century. The castle is situated on the tallest hill in Lisbon and offers some splendid views of the city. It’s also a nice peaceful place to relax.

The Monastery of Jeronimos was constructed as a tribute to the Portuguese navigator Vasco de Gama. It became a place where sailors would go to pray before leaving on sea missions. Here you will find many statues of sailing symbols as well as sea monsters.