Lisbon

Lisbon - The city planted by the side of the Tejo river

Lisbon is an enticing tangle of past and present -funky and old-fashioned, unpretentiousand quirky, restored and revitalised, booming with new confidence. Its position on seven low hills beside the Tejo River was the main attraction for traders and settlers in centuries past, and it's still a stunning site.

Add today's cultural diversity together with a laid-back ambience and an architectural time-warp, and you have one of Europe's most enjoyable cities. And, despite rising prices, it's still good value for money, cheap enough to remain a base as you explore beyond the city limits. It's also small and manageable enough to explore on foot, though its muscle-busting hills can defeat the fittest in the heat.

Fortunately, the hills are tamed by a bevy of elevadors (funiculars) and cranky old trams. At Lisbon's heart are wide, tree-lined avenues graced by Art Nouveau buildings, mosaic pavements and outdoor cafes. The Alfama district below Castelo de sao Jorge is a warren of narrow streets redolent of the city's Moorish and medieval past.

Seen' from the river -one of the city's many great viewpoints -Lisbon appears as an impressionist picture of low-rise ochre and pastel, punctuated by church towers and domes. But it has also undergone massive redevelopment in recent years. Although the Alfama and Chiado districts have seen some sensitive restoration projects, many fine old buildings have given way to office blocks.

Once-sleepy old Lisbon is on a helter-skelter ride to modernisation, thanks to the attention it got as host to the millennium's last exposition, Expo 98, and the flurry of new hotels and infrastructure projects builded for the 2004 European Football Championships. Traditionalists may disapprove, but this is a city on the move.

The resulting contrasts are arresting: in the shadow of glittering high-rises are the occasional seedy backstreets. And despite frenzied traffic, the city's squares have a: caravanserai character, with lingering lot tery ticket-sellers, shoe-shiners, itinerant hawkers and pavement artists.

You'll find abundant history and culture, from Belem's Manueline masterpieces to the world-class Museu Calouste Gulbenkian. You'll hear the angst-filled strains of fado (which originated here in the Alfama) alongside African rhythms from a new generation of clubs responding to a surging demand for the music of the former African colonies.

And when you are ready for a break, there are plenty of options: day trips to the 13 massive monastery at Mafra or the rococo palace at Queluz, seaside frolics in Costa da Caparica or Cascais, or long walks in the wooded hills of Sintra.