City Breaks

[Mibbes Aye]

You’re having a laugh!

I’m in Lisbon for New Year too, I have family there so go at least twice a year.

Leave it with me!

[MagicSwirlingShip]

Legendary performance mate!!! Thank you kindly!!! Will digest this over Nightshift tonight

[Mibbes Aye]

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Legendary performance mate!!! Thank you kindly!!! Will digest this over Nightshift tonight

You are welcome. Hopefully if you try at least one it is a good experience for you and your missus

There are no shortage of fantastic places in central Prague, it is geared up to offer food and drink to millions of visitors. But going just a bit further out can lead you to real gems, especially if you have even just the four or five basic words and phrases to get served in a bar or restaurant and say thank you.

Final point, every time we have ever been in Prague, we always at some point spend a couple of hours grabbing an outdoors table in one of the Old Town Square bars and having a bottle of wine and maybe some food. It is mobbed, it is touristy, it is overpriced by Prague standards (still okay by Edinburgh standards) but it is an iconic location and the people watching is great!

[Mibbes Aye]

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Been to Prague 7 or 8 times with mixed sex groups and never had any issues. Other than Edinburgh it would be the European city of choice for me to live (if I could speak Czech beyond ordering beer and deep fried cheese).

Only just saw this. I think to survive in the Czech Republic you have probably got all you need language-wise. It is not easy to master.

[Mibbes Aye]

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Just back from a stag in Lisbon and would recommend - although being a stag I didn't see an awful lot of Lisbon. Will go back at some point with the Mrs to properly explore.

Loved Prague - so much to see and so much choice food wise. Had an absolutely outstanding meal in an Argentinian restaurant in Prague last year.

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Yeah, I saw .

Would definitely recommend it with the good lady friend as well - go to Belem and join the queues for the divine Pasteis de Nata

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+1 for Lisbon - beautiful city, friendly locals and some really nice restaurants (we really liked one called BouBou's). Everything uphill would be my one complaint! Taxi drivers went on strike while we were there last September which caused an issue getting to the airport when we we were leaving, but sure that will all be sorted by now.

I stay in Lisbon a couple of times a year. It has definitely become more popular as a destination for stags and hens, even though it is essentially a working city like a Birmingham or the like. I think increased economy flights have driven that.

Certainly for stags, you have the chance to go to Sporting or Benfica or the more artisan Belenenses. And there is no shortage of culture to absorb, in between drinking, plus the chance to get out to the coast at Estoril and Caiscais, very easily by train.

The hills in the city streets are incredible though. Lisbon had a massive earthquake in 1755 which practically destroyed the city. As a consequence it undulates massively. You can turn a corner onto a street, especially in the old town and it is a steep drop, you wouldn’t turn down a parachute, then all of a sudden a short steep rise, then another drop or vice versa. Sturdy well-gripped shoes are recommended if you are out and about.

[Mibbes Aye]

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Top effort Mibbess Aye Im off to Lisbon for a few days to bring the New Year in, you havent got a travel guide for there too have you?

I posted about Lisbon attractions recently but can’t remember which forum and the search engine didn’t give me anything back. I will try and summarise what I remember posting.

If you are there for New Year are you on a boat? They put boats out into the River Tagus to see the fireworks etc. That’s what we are doing though it wasn’t me who booked it, so if you want more detailed advice let me know and I will ask.

If you are there for New Year then I’m not sure what the deal is with shops and tourist attractions being open. Despite having been there a number of times it is my first New Year. Again, I can ask.

There is also another poster on here, maybe danhibees1875, who I think has some strong Portuguese connections.

When there I stay in Campo d’Ourique, which is central, but not city centre. If you are anywhere near there I can recommend places. It is near Estrella, which has a cathedral and park and is a bit of a landmark, it is on the tram route that all the guidebooks recommend, but that tram is notoriously bad for pickpockets and I have even challenged one on one occasion.

Sporting and Benfica are easy to get to via the Metro, Sporting especially. They both have dedicated Metro stations and you can buy and print tickets online from the U.K. Both clubs have shops in the city centre as well as their stadium. Belenenses are the outsider team and have a history with us - Hibs were their first European opponents. They used to play in a funny little stadium on the outskirts but went through some sort of ownership crisis. The top-flight team now play in the city centre, but a newly-formed team play in the old stadium but at the very bottom of the pyramid.

Places to visit? In the centre there are bars along the Tagus, culminating in Praça de Comércio, which is a big massive square with a bunch of bars with outside seating. ‘Can the Can’ is our favourite, close to the steps to the Metro station, far left as you enter the square from the main avenue.

There is a Museum up towards the castle, which covers the secret police during the years of the dictatorship and it is astonishingly good.

As has been mentioned before, Belem is a good trip. It is thirty to forty minutes on the train from the central station of Cais de Sodres. There is an outstanding gallery, a castle, a huge monument to the Portuguese explorers from the Middle Ages and a monastery that is a World Heritage Site. And the original Belenenses ground and the world-famous shop that does the custard tarts

Also down by Cais de Sodre is TimeOut, a massive food hall full of pop-up restaurants offering every kind of food you could think of. You place your order, take a radio alarm and find a seat at the swathes and swathes of bench tables until your order is ready to collect. It is always heaving and always good.

Perhaps the other thing to highlight is that Cais de Sodres, IIRC, is where you get the ferry across the Tagus and onto what I think is technically the Setubal peninsula. Two reasons for doing this. First is that when you come out the ferry docking area and start walking up the cobbled main street , there are half a dozen excellent and cheap restaurants serving exquisite fish dishes. Not fancy cooking, things like seafood and rice in a cauldron, but super-fresh and super-tasty. The second reason is that crossing the river and jumping on a readily available shuttle bus takes you up the hill to Cristo del Rey, the simply massive statue of Jesus, that looks over the city of Lisbon. You can take a lift up to the viewing gallery, it is simply immense in size and you can’t go to Lisbon and not see it and go up it.

Asides from that, I would heartily recommend the Oriental Museum. Portugal was a colonial nation and had interests in South Asia and East Asia. The museum is fantastic (and also has a fabulous restaurant on the top floor). For those of us of a certain generation who fondly remember the TV programme ‘Monkey’, they have a number of exhibits that will bring the memories flooding back

Also from Cais de Sodres you can get the train out to Estoril and Caiscais in well under an hour. Beaches, waterfront bars, promenades, all very nice. If you think you will go there and if you like fish, there is an outstanding restaurant in Caiscais but I would have to ask the name of it as I forget. Basically, they stick some sides in the middle of the table - potatoes, salads etc - and then serve you four or five or six pieces of fish, perfectly fresh, as and when the chef has cooked it. Salmon, cod, bream, hake, can’t remember what they all were!

[alhibby]

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I posted about Lisbon attractions recently but can’t remember which forum and the search engine didn’t give me anything back. I will try and summarise what I remember posting.

If you are there for New Year are you on a boat? They put boats out into the River Tagus to see the fireworks etc. That’s what we are doing though it wasn’t me who booked it, so if you want more detailed advice let me know and I will ask.

If you are there for New Year then I’m not sure what the deal is with shops and tourist attractions being open. Despite having been there a number of times it is my first New Year. Again, I can ask.

There is also another poster on here, maybe danhibees1875, who I think has some strong Portuguese connections.

When there I stay in Campo d’Ourique, which is central, but not city centre. If you are anywhere near there I can recommend places. It is near Estrella, which has a cathedral and park and is a bit of a landmark, it is on the tram route that all the guidebooks recommend, but that tram is notoriously bad for pickpockets and I have even challenged one on one occasion.

Sporting and Benfica are easy to get to via the Metro, Sporting especially. They both have dedicated Metro stations and you can buy and print tickets online from the U.K. Both clubs have shops in the city centre as well as their stadium. Belenenses are the outsider team and have a history with us - Hibs were their first European opponents. They used to play in a funny little stadium on the outskirts but went through some sort of ownership crisis. The top-flight team now play in the city centre, but a newly-formed team play in the old stadium but at the very bottom of the pyramid.

Places to visit? In the centre there are bars along the Tagus, culminating in Praça de Comércio, which is a big massive square with a bunch of bars with outside seating. ‘Can the Can’ is our favourite, close to the steps to the Metro station, far left as you enter the square from the main avenue.

There is a Museum up towards the castle, which covers the secret police during the years of the dictatorship and it is astonishingly good.

As has been mentioned before, Belem is a good trip. It is thirty to forty minutes on the train from the central station of Cais de Sodres. There is an outstanding gallery, a castle, a huge monument to the Portuguese explorers from the Middle Ages and a monastery that is a World Heritage Site. And the original Belenenses ground and the world-famous shop that does the custard tarts

Also down by Cais de Sodre is TimeOut, a massive food hall full of pop-up restaurants offering every kind of food you could think of. You place your order, take a radio alarm and find a seat at the swathes and swathes of bench tables until your order is ready to collect. It is always heaving and always good.

Perhaps the other thing to highlight is that Cais de Sodres, IIRC, is where you get the ferry across the Tagus and onto what I think is technically the Setubal peninsula. Two reasons for doing this. First is that when you come out the ferry docking area and start walking up the cobbled main street , there are half a dozen excellent and cheap restaurants serving exquisite fish dishes. Not fancy cooking, things like seafood and rice in a cauldron, but super-fresh and super-tasty. The second reason is that crossing the river and jumping on a readily available shuttle bus takes you up the hill to Cristo del Rey, the simply massive statue of Jesus, that looks over the city of Lisbon. You can take a lift up to the viewing gallery, it is simply immense in size and you can’t go to Lisbon and not see it and go up it.

Asides from that, I would heartily recommend the Oriental Museum. Portugal was a colonial nation and had interests in South Asia and East Asia. The museum is fantastic (and also has a fabulous restaurant on the top floor). For those of us of a certain generation who fondly remember the TV programme ‘Monkey’, they have a number of exhibits that will bring the memories flooding back

Also from Cais de Sodres you can get the train out to Estoril and Caiscais in well under an hour. Beaches, waterfront bars, promenades, all very nice. If you think you will go there and if you like fish, there is an outstanding restaurant in Caiscais but I would have to ask the name of it as I forget. Basically, they stick some sides in the middle of the table - potatoes, salads etc - and then serve you four or five or six pieces of fish, perfectly fresh, as and when the chef has cooked it. Salmon, cod, bream, hake, can’t remember what they all were!

Many thanks for this, off to Lisbon Boxing day, return Hogmanay , looking forward to it

[Mibbes Aye]

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Many thanks for this, off to Lisbon Boxing day, return Hogmanay , looking forward to it

I love Lisbon, it’s just a down to earth city with great, cheap food and wine and some cultural gems. Hope you have a great time.

[Lancs Harp]

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I posted about Lisbon attractions recently but can’t remember which forum and the search engine didn’t give me anything back. I will try and summarise what I remember posting.

If you are there for New Year are you on a boat? They put boats out into the River Tagus to see the fireworks etc. That’s what we are doing though it wasn’t me who booked it, so if you want more detailed advice let me know and I will ask.

If you are there for New Year then I’m not sure what the deal is with shops and tourist attractions being open. Despite having been there a number of times it is my first New Year. Again, I can ask.

There is also another poster on here, maybe danhibees1875, who I think has some strong Portuguese connections.

When there I stay in Campo d’Ourique, which is central, but not city centre. If you are anywhere near there I can recommend places. It is near Estrella, which has a cathedral and park and is a bit of a landmark, it is on the tram route that all the guidebooks recommend, but that tram is notoriously bad for pickpockets and I have even challenged one on one occasion.

Sporting and Benfica are easy to get to via the Metro, Sporting especially. They both have dedicated Metro stations and you can buy and print tickets online from the U.K. Both clubs have shops in the city centre as well as their stadium. Belenenses are the outsider team and have a history with us - Hibs were their first European opponents. They used to play in a funny little stadium on the outskirts but went through some sort of ownership crisis. The top-flight team now play in the city centre, but a newly-formed team play in the old stadium but at the very bottom of the pyramid.

Places to visit? In the centre there are bars along the Tagus, culminating in Praça de Comércio, which is a big massive square with a bunch of bars with outside seating. ‘Can the Can’ is our favourite, close to the steps to the Metro station, far left as you enter the square from the main avenue.

There is a Museum up towards the castle, which covers the secret police during the years of the dictatorship and it is astonishingly good.

As has been mentioned before, Belem is a good trip. It is thirty to forty minutes on the train from the central station of Cais de Sodres. There is an outstanding gallery, a castle, a huge monument to the Portuguese explorers from the Middle Ages and a monastery that is a World Heritage Site. And the original Belenenses ground and the world-famous shop that does the custard tarts

Also down by Cais de Sodre is TimeOut, a massive food hall full of pop-up restaurants offering every kind of food you could think of. You place your order, take a radio alarm and find a seat at the swathes and swathes of bench tables until your order is ready to collect. It is always heaving and always good.

Perhaps the other thing to highlight is that Cais de Sodres, IIRC, is where you get the ferry across the Tagus and onto what I think is technically the Setubal peninsula. Two reasons for doing this. First is that when you come out the ferry docking area and start walking up the cobbled main street , there are half a dozen excellent and cheap restaurants serving exquisite fish dishes. Not fancy cooking, things like seafood and rice in a cauldron, but super-fresh and super-tasty. The second reason is that crossing the river and jumping on a readily available shuttle bus takes you up the hill to Cristo del Rey, the simply massive statue of Jesus, that looks over the city of Lisbon. You can take a lift up to the viewing gallery, it is simply immense in size and you can’t go to Lisbon and not see it and go up it.

Asides from that, I would heartily recommend the Oriental Museum. Portugal was a colonial nation and had interests in South Asia and East Asia. The museum is fantastic (and also has a fabulous restaurant on the top floor). For those of us of a certain generation who fondly remember the TV programme ‘Monkey’, they have a number of exhibits that will bring the memories flooding back

Also from Cais de Sodres you can get the train out to Estoril and Caiscais in well under an hour. Beaches, waterfront bars, promenades, all very nice. If you think you will go there and if you like fish, there is an outstanding restaurant in Caiscais but I would have to ask the name of it as I forget. Basically, they stick some sides in the middle of the table - potatoes, salads etc - and then serve you four or five or six pieces of fish, perfectly fresh, as and when the chef has cooked it. Salmon, cod, bream, hake, can’t remember what they all were!

Cheers mate thats outstanding. Really looking forward to the trip thanks for the info.