Where to Stay in Lisbon (2027): 8 Best Areas & Hotels

For a first visit of three or four nights, stay in the Baixa or Chiado. The Baixa is the flat grid of streets between Rossio and the river, rebuilt after the 1755 earthquake, and Chiado is the café and shopping quarter just uphill to the west. From either you can walk to Alfama, the castle, Bairro Alto and the river, and the metro, the trams and most tour meeting points are a few minutes away. Our pick there is Hotel da Baixa on Rua da Prata, 9.8/10 across 2,565 guest reviews. For our ranking of the ten best hotels across the city, see the best hotels in Lisbon.

The other areas suit different trips:

• Alfama, Mouraria and Graça, the old quarter below the castle, is the most atmospheric base, with fado houses and viewpoints on the doorstep, but the lanes are steep and cars can't reach every door.
• Bairro Alto and Príncipe Real sit on the hill above Chiado: the first for bars that run past midnight, the second for quiet, leafy streets and design shops.
• Cais do Sodré and Santos line the river west of the Baixa, with the trains to Belém and the Cascais coast leaving from Cais do Sodré station.
• Avenida da Liberdade is the grand boulevard north of Rossio, with bigger hotels, wide pavements, gentler gradients than the old quarters and quieter nights.
• Saldanha and Avenidas Novas, the modern district further north, is where the money goes furthest, and it is on the metro line from the airport.
• Belém and Parque das Nações are each about 6 km from the centre: the first for the monuments and calm riverside evenings, the second for families and early flights.

We think the most common mistake is judging distance on a flat map. Lisbon is built on hills, and the walk home matters more than the walk out. If your plan is the best things to do in Lisbon plus a day trip or two, a base on flat ground near a metro stop saves more energy over four days than a view does.

Walking times are to Rossio, the main square at the top of the Baixa, measured from the hotels we list in each area. The rate column runs from the cheapest of those hotels to the dearest across our twelve monthly sample nights, 25 November 2026 to 13 October 2027 (one night, two adults). The map below shows where each area is; click an area or its name in the legend for a summary, and every area is described in full in the sections that follow.

A note on 2027: these are single-night rates checked on 30 October 2026, and 2027 rates can still change, so treat the ranges as a guide and check your own dates. Lisbon's tourist tax of €4 per person per night comes on top. The full method is at the end of this guide.

The Baixa is the grid of straight streets rebuilt after the 1755 earthquake, running from Rossio and Praça da Figueira down Rua Augusta to the arch and Praça do Comércio on the river. Chiado climbs west from it, with its cafés, bookshops and theatres around Largo do Camões. Together they are the easiest base in Lisbon: the Baixa is flat, the green and blue metro lines stop at Rossio and Baixa-Chiado, and trams 28 and 15E pass through. Most walking tours and food tours meet within a few minutes of these hotels.

The tradeoff is crowds and street life. Rua Augusta and the streets around it are pedestrian and busy from morning to late evening, so taxis stop at the nearest corner, and rooms facing the street can be noisy. Rooms are often small in these old buildings, which comes up in reviews at both Be Poet and Hotel da Baixa.

• Hotel da Baixa (4★, 9.8/10 from 2,565 reviews): on Rua da Prata, about three minutes from Rossio, with a breakfast and a concierge-led walking tour that guests single out. About €147 a night for two on our January 2027 sample night, €278 in July and €384 in September, its dearest month.
• Be Poet Baixa Hotel (3★, 9.4/10 from 3,187 reviews): right on Rua Augusta. The cheapest central hotel we found, at €62 in January, €97 in July and €110 in September, and it never topped €118 on any of our twelve nights. Rooms are small, some have little storage, and it has no parking.
• Hotel do Chiado (4★, 9.2/10 from 1,368 reviews): on Rua Nova do Almada, a minute from the Baixa-Chiado metro station, with a rooftop bar over the Baixa and the castle; some rooms have terraces. About €171 in January and €223 to €305 from July to October.

We'd book the Baixa or Chiado for a first trip of three or four nights without a car. It is also the best base if you plan early starts, because most day trips from Lisbon meet nearby, and the Sintra tours and the Rossio train to Sintra leave from here. For seven more hotels in the area, from €62 a night to five-star, see our guide to the best hotels in Baixa and Chiado.

Alfama is Lisbon's oldest quarter, the tangle of lanes, stairways and small squares between the cathedral, the castle and the river. Mouraria wraps around the castle's north side, and Graça sits higher still, with two of the city's best viewpoints. This is where the fado houses are, where tram 28 climbs, and where the neighbourhood feels most like itself early in the morning and after the day visitors leave.

The tradeoff is the hill. From the hotels below it is an 8 to 15-minute walk to Rossio, mostly downhill on the way out and uphill on the way back. Many lanes are closed to ordinary traffic. At Solar do Castelo, inside the castle walls, guests say ride-hailing cars can't reach the door and recommend the hotel's own taxi or transfer. And in June the whole quarter turns into a street party for Santo António; see Lisbon in June before you book Alfama for the 12th or 13th.

• Memmo Alfama (4★, 9.2/10 from 1,365 reviews): a design hotel steps from the cathedral, with a terrace and small pool looking over the rooftops to the river. Guests love the view and breakfast; one this autumn called the pool "a small decorative water basin", and the terrace gets busy at sunset. Adults only. About €163 in January and €187 to €239 from July to October.
• Solar do Castelo (4★, 9.4/10 from 1,329 reviews): an 18th-century mansion inside the walls of São Jorge Castle, with drinks in the evening included in the rate, according to guests. No parking, and it doesn't take children. About €123 in January and €235 to €243 from April to October.
• Hotel Convento do Salvador (3★, 8.8/10 from 4,586 reviews): a converted convent in the lanes of upper Alfama, and the best value in the old quarter at €77 in January and €106 in July and September. Rooms are small, and one guest described a steep walk down from the taxi drop-off.

We'd choose Alfama for a second visit, or for a couple who want evenings of fado and viewpoints more than easy logistics. If anyone in your group struggles with hills or stairs, the Baixa or Avenida da Liberdade will be much easier. For tours of the quarter itself, our tuk tuk tour guide covers the ones that do the climbing for you. For seven more hotels here, including a five-star between the cathedral and the castle and two with a flat walk to the Baixa, see the best hotels in Alfama.

Bairro Alto sits on the hill directly above Chiado: a grid of narrow 16th-century streets that is quiet by day and fills with bar crowds drinking in the street from late evening until the early hours, especially at weekends. Walk ten minutes north-west and you are in Príncipe Real, one of Lisbon's most pleasant quarters, with a shaded garden square, concept stores, restaurants and some of the city's most stylish small hotels. The two are a few streets apart but feel completely different at midnight.

Very few large hotels stand inside Bairro Alto itself, because of the noise. The best bases are on its edges: the São Pedro de Alcântara viewpoint at the top of the Glória funicular, Largo do Camões where it meets Chiado, and Príncipe Real. Expect hills in every direction. For a night out here, our Lisbon pub crawl guide covers the organised options.

• Palácio Ludovice Wine Experience Hotel (5★, 9.5/10 from 463 reviews): an 18th-century palace beside the São Pedro de Alcântara viewpoint, with a spa and wine-themed restaurant and bar. Most guests praise the service, but reviews this year are more mixed than at our other picks, including complaints about a leaking shower and one bad welcome. About €230 a night for two in January, €334 in July and €465 in September.
• Casa de São Mamede (3★, 9.1/10 from 881 reviews): a small 17th-century house on Rua da Escola Politécnica in Príncipe Real, with a breakfast guests regularly praise. It had no rates on our November and January sample nights, then €139 to €164 from April to October. It has no lift, no parking and check-in ends at 9 pm.

We'd pick Príncipe Real over Bairro Alto for sleep, and Bairro Alto only if being in the middle of the nightlife is the point of the trip. Walking down to Chiado is easy; walking back up after dinner is the part to plan for. For five more hotels, from €83 a night, see our guide to the best hotels in Bairro Alto and Príncipe Real.

Cais do Sodré is the riverside district just west of Praça do Comércio. Its station is the terminus of the green metro line and of the suburban train along the coast, which stops at Belém on the way to the beaches at Carcavelos and Cascais. The Time Out Market is here, and so is Rua Nova do Carvalho, the bar street painted pink and known as Pink Street. West of it, Santos and Madragoa are quieter residential streets climbing towards Lapa and the Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga.

The tradeoff is noise near the bars. The streets around Pink Street are loud until late, and guests at Lx Boutique say it depends on which side of the hotel your room is on. Further west the nights are quieter, but the walk to Rossio stretches to half an hour or more.

• Corpo Santo Lisbon Historical Hotel (5★, 9.8/10 from 2,645 reviews): on Largo do Corpo Santo, between Cais do Sodré and Praça do Comércio, with part of the 14th-century city wall inside and a spa. Guests praise the staff and breakfast above all; a couple found rooms small or carpets worn. It had the highest single rate on this page, €531 on our May night, and was €256 in January and €319 in July. It had no published rates for September or October 2027 when we checked.
• As Janelas Verdes Inn (4★, 9.6/10 from 1,151 reviews): an 18th-century house in Santos, two minutes from the Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga, with a top-floor library and terrace looking over the river. About €168 in July and €240 in September; it had no rate on our January night. It is about 2 km from Rossio, so you'll take a tram, taxi or the train most days.
• Lx Boutique Hotel (4★, 8.5/10 from 2,284 reviews): themed rooms on Rua do Alecrim, a few minutes from the station and the Time Out Market. From €89 in January to €175 in September. The location is the point; some rooms are very small, and the ones over the street hear Pink Street until late.

We'd base ourselves here for a trip with several beach days or a Belém morning, since the trains leave from the doorstep. Our surf lessons guide covers the beaches along the Cascais line, and the sunset cruises and boat tours mostly leave from the docks a little further west. For four more hotels here, including a five-star at the top of Rua do Alecrim and a budget hotel with a rooftop pool, see our best hotels in Cais do Sodré and Santos.

The Avenida da Liberdade runs about a kilometre and a half from Restauradores, just north of Rossio, up to the roundabout at Marquês de Pombal, climbing gently the whole way. It is a broad, tree-lined boulevard of designer shops, cafés in the central gardens, and many of the city's larger hotels. The blue metro line runs beneath it, and the Glória funicular climbs from its foot to Bairro Alto.

It is the easiest area for anyone who wants short walks into the Baixa on wide pavements, with gentler gradients and quieter nights than the old quarters. The walk down to Rossio is easy; coming back from the Baixa to the Marquês end is a steady uphill. What it lacks is the lived-in character of Alfama or Chiado, and the hotels at the Marquês end are 15 to 20 minutes from Rossio on foot.

• Heritage Avenida Liberdade (4★, 9.6/10 from 1,730 reviews): an 18th-century building at the bottom of the Avenida, about eight minutes from Rossio, with a small indoor pool. Guests mention high ceilings and good double glazing. About €135 in January and €196 to €238 on most of our nights from April to October, with a dip to €141 in August. Our hotel data lists it as not accepting children, so families should check with the hotel first.
• Hotel Hotel, Avenida Liberdade (4★, 9.4/10 from 2,537 reviews): a Design Hotels member on Travessa da Glória, beside the funicular, with an outdoor pool and garden. About €165 in January, but €321 to €377 from April to October.
• Hotel Florescente (3★, 8.9/10 from 7,469 reviews): on the restaurant street Rua das Portas de Santo Antão, about four minutes from Rossio. Good value at €90 in January and €149 in July, and it never topped €149 on our sample nights. Inward-facing rooms have no view, and one guest heard the theatre next door until they closed the double glazing.

We'd recommend the Avenida for travellers who want a full-service hotel, wide pavements without steep lanes and a metro stop outside, including those with limited mobility; pick a hotel at the Restauradores end to keep the uphill walk short. Our Lisbon for seniors guide covers tours that keep walking short. For eight more hotels along the avenue, including six with a pool, see the best hotels on Avenida da Liberdade.

North of Marquês de Pombal, Lisbon turns into a 19th and 20th-century city of wide avenues, offices, shopping centres and residential blocks: Picoas, Saldanha and the Avenidas Novas, with the Gulbenkian museum and gardens at its western edge. It is not pretty in the way the old quarters are, and there is little to see on your doorstep. But hotels here cost far less, and Saldanha is on the red metro line from the airport, so you can arrive without changing trains.

• Lumen Hotel & The Lisbon Light Show (4★, 9.6/10 from 3,632 reviews): near Marquês de Pombal, with a pool and a projection show in the interior garden each evening. About €94 a night for two in January, €177 in July and €195 in September. Reviews praise the staff and cleanliness; a few mention a brusque check-out or ordinary food.
• Hotel Principe Lisboa (3★, 9.1/10 from 6,369 reviews): on Avenida Duque de Ávila, near the Gulbenkian, in a quiet street. The joint-cheapest hotel on this page at €62 on our December night, €73 in January and €157 in July. One recent guest found the rooms dated.

We'd stay here for a longer trip, a tight budget, or a stay built around day trips, when you'll be out of the city most days anyway. Budget for the metro or a short taxi ride into the centre each day. For four more hotels here, from €52 a night, see the best hotels in Saldanha.

Belém is the riverside district about 6 km west of the centre where Portugal's age of exploration is commemorated: the Jerónimos Monastery, the Belém Tower, the Monument to the Discoveries, the museums along the waterfront and the original pastéis de Belém bakery. By day it is one of the busiest places in Lisbon; after the coaches leave it is quiet and residential.

Getting into the centre takes planning. Tram 15E runs from the Baixa along the river, about 30 to 40 minutes depending on traffic, and the coast train from Cais do Sodré is quicker. For a first visit we'd still choose a central base and visit Belém for a morning, but for a return trip or a slower stay, its two best hotels make a calm alternative.

• Palácio do Governador (5★, 9.2/10 from 1,119 reviews): a historic palace a few minutes' walk from the Belém Tower, with indoor and outdoor pools and a spa. Guests praise the spa and staff; a few found the breakfast service slow. About €155 a night for two in January, €246 in July and €292 in September.
• Altis Belém Hotel & Spa (5★, 9.1/10 from 1,170 reviews): directly on the river by the marina, with a spa, pools and a fine-dining restaurant. Unusually, its cheapest night in our sample was in November, at €228, and it reached €475 on our May night. Rooms look over the water, but some guests heard trains and the busy riverside road at night.

For the monuments themselves, our hop-on hop-off bus guide compares the routes that stop in Belém, and the tram tour guide covers the ride along the river. For three more Belém hotels, including a guest house by the monastery and a budget option under €90, see the best hotels in Belém.

Parque das Nações is the modern district built on the riverfront for Expo 98, about 6.5 km north-east of the centre. It has long flat promenades, gardens, the Oceanarium, a cable car along the river, a big shopping centre and Oriente station, where the red metro line, the national trains and many coaches meet. The airport is three metro stops away.

It has none of the old-town character, and an evening in the Baixa means a metro ride with a change of line. But for families with young children, for anyone on an early flight, or for a train to Porto from Oriente, it is the most practical base in the city.

• Martinhal Lisbon Oriente (5★, 9.8/10 from 297 reviews): a family-focused aparthotel near the Oceanarium, with kitchenettes in the apartments, pools, a playground and children's services. Guests describe it as a favourite they return to. About €168 a night for two in January and €292 in July. Its review count is much lower than our other picks, so weigh the score accordingly.
• Ikonik Lisboa (3★, 8.8/10 from 11,741 reviews): a large modern hotel a short walk from Oriente station and the Oceanarium. From €63 on our December night to €216 in May; it had no rates yet for September or October 2027 when we checked. A practical stop before a flight or a train rather than a place to linger.

Travelling with children? Our Lisbon with kids guide covers the Oceanarium and the other family days out, and the dolphin tours are a popular day out of the city. For our full take on the area's hotels, including the ones we left out, see the best hotels in Parque das Nações.

The cheapest available room for two adults for one night, checked on 30 October 2026, on four Wednesday sample nights in 2027: 13 January, 14 April, 14 July and 15 September. All are 2027 rates and may still change. A dash means the hotel had no published rate for that night.

These are not like-for-like rooms. Each figure is the cheapest rate on offer that night, whatever the room type, meal plan or cancellation terms. When we checked the 14 July rates in detail, 18 of the 20 were non-refundable (only Hotel do Chiado and Lx Boutique were refundable), and 7 included breakfast: Hotel do Chiado, Memmo Alfama, Casa de São Mamede, Hotel Hotel, Hotel Florescente, Hotel Principe Lisboa and Altis Belém. The other 13 were room only. The cheapest refundable rate at the same hotel was a median of about 11% higher, and up to 39% higher where it came with breakfast.

Two patterns stand out. First, summer is not the peak: thirteen of the eighteen hotels with a September rate were dearer on 15 September than on 14 July, and several were dearer in April than in July too, so a July trip can cost less than a spring or autumn one. Second, January is the cheapest month by a long way, often half the September price. For the weather and crowds that go with these prices, see Lisbon in January, Lisbon in July and Lisbon in September. These are weeknight rates; in our monthly guides, Saturday nights usually ran €10 to €15 higher.

• From the airport: the metro red line starts directly outside Terminal 1 arrivals. It runs straight to Oriente (Parque das Nações) and Saldanha without a change; for the Baixa, Chiado or Avenida da Liberdade you change once, at Alameda or São Sebastião. A metered taxi to the centre is around €20. Our Lisbon airport transfer guide compares the metro, taxis and private transfers.
• The hills: the Baixa, the riverfront, Belém and Parque das Nações are flat, and the Avenida da Liberdade climbs only gently towards Marquês de Pombal. Alfama, the castle, Bairro Alto, Príncipe Real and Graça are not, and their lanes are paved with smooth limestone that is slippery when wet. The funiculars and the free Elevador Castelo lifts cut out some of the climbs.
• With a car: don't base yourself in Alfama or the Baixa. Several old-town hotels on this page have no parking at all; hotels on the Avenida, in Saldanha and in Parque das Nações more often have a garage, usually for a fee.
• Day trips and the coast: trains to Sintra leave from Rossio station, trains to Belém, Carcavelos and Cascais from Cais do Sodré, and trains to Porto from Oriente and Santa Apolónia. Most organised day trips pick up in the centre, which favours the Baixa, Chiado and the Avenida.
• Safety: Lisbon is a safe city to stay in, but pickpockets work the crowded trams, including the 28, and the busiest tourist streets. Our is Lisbon safe guide covers the areas and habits to watch.

• Don't assume summer is the peak. On our sample nights September cost more than July at most hotels, and May and October were often dear too. Check July and late August if your dates are flexible.
• Add the tourist tax. Lisbon charges €4 per person per night, up to seven nights, usually collected at the hotel. For two people over five nights that is €40 on top of the room.
• Check the child policy. Memmo Alfama and Solar do Castelo don't accept children, and our hotel data flags Heritage Avenida Liberdade the same way. Families will find the most space and facilities at Martinhal in Parque das Nações; see Lisbon with kids.
• Ask about access before you book the old town. Some hotels in Alfama and near the castle can't be reached by ride-hailing cars, and a few small hotels have no lift. If you have heavy bags or limited mobility, check both.
• Plan around the big events. Santo António on 12 and 13 June fills Alfama and Mouraria with street parties until late, and Web Summit (9 to 12 November 2026) pushed rates up across the city on our 11 November sample night; see Lisbon in November.

We started from every hotel in central Lisbon, Belém and Parque das Nações in our hotel reservation system with a guest score of 8.5 or more out of 10 and at least 300 reviews (about 150 hotels), mapped them to the eight areas above, and shortlisted around sixty for price and review checks.

• Availability: each of the twenty had bookable rates on at least 10 of 12 monthly sample nights between 25 November 2026 and 13 October 2027 (one night, two adults, one Wednesday per month). We moved the November sample from 11 to 25 November because the earlier night fell in Web Summit week, when rates across the city ran well above normal. Two hotels, Corpo Santo and Ikonik, showed an identical placeholder rate on every night from September 2027; we treated those as no rate.
• Prices: the cheapest available rate for two adults for one night, in euros, as returned on 30 October 2026, before Lisbon's tourist tax and other fees. It is the lowest price on offer regardless of room type, meal plan or cancellation terms, so it is usually a non-refundable rate and may or may not include breakfast; flexible rates cost more. The live grid uses a three-night stay about 30 days ahead instead. The final price is always set by Expedia or Booking.com, whichever you book on.
• Ratings and reviews: guest scores out of 10 and review counts come from our hotel data partner, Nuitée, and were checked on 30 October 2026. We read the 40 most recent reviews for each hotel and checked them for theft, safety, pest, mould and closure reports. Two hotels we considered were left out after recent reports of mould, and one because its 40 most recent reviews averaged below 8. Where recent reviews raise a recurring issue, such as small rooms, noise or access, we say so on the page.

From the hotels that passed those checks, we chose the final twenty, two or three per area, on five things:

• Location and transport: walking time to Rossio, the gradient of that walk, and how close the nearest metro, tram or train stop is.
• Guest satisfaction and recent trends: the overall score, the number of reviews behind it, and whether the most recent reviews held up or slipped.
• Value: the price across the year against comparable hotels in the same area, so each area has at least one lower-priced option.
• Fit for the traveller: a spread of styles in each area, such as a central budget hotel, a family aparthotel or an adults-only design hotel, matched to who that area suits.
• Recurring problems: hotels with a pattern of complaints about noise, access, cleanliness or service were dropped or, where the issue is minor, kept and flagged in the text.

We don't take payment from hotels to be included. Some links on this page are affiliate links: if you book through them, we may earn a commission at no additional cost to you. This does not influence our hotel selections, ratings or recommendations. Rates were last sampled on 30 October 2026.