Exterior view of yellow hotel with sea in the background

AlmaLusa Alfama

Sitting on Campo das Cebolas (the Square of the Onions, named after the market held here centuries ago), with Lisbon’s Cathedral rising behind it, Alma Lusa Alfama offers 25 rooms in a yellow-fronted building which dates back to the 12th century. The best rooms are the ones with views over the square onto the River Tagus. Room size varies considerably, and some face an internal courtyard making them dark. Decor changes on each floor with studded headboards backed by wallpapers of forest scenes.

Every guest is given a smartphone for their stay, equipped with the Alma Lusa Hotels app which guides guests around the capital with curated activities to help them make the most of their visit.

Delfina Cafe on the ground floor, overlooking the square offers all day dining of simple Portuguese and International bites served in the pretty, light-filled, room.

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AlmaLusa Baixa/Chiado

This charming boutique hotel is decorated with Portuguese treasures and has a central location. Read Indagare's review.

Altis Avenida

This elegant 5-star property is just steps from the Santa Justa Elevator and offers sweeping views of Lisbon’s historic downtown.

Altis Belem Hotel & Spa

Perched on the riverside in Belem Altis Belem is a relaxing sanctuary with luxuries and conveniences that attract stylish jetsetters.

ARTSY Cascais

Art meets history is the tagline for this hotel, and the concept that led to its name. It is a skilful merging of the 19th and 21st centuries, with the original Rococo features of the palace well preserved and the contemporary extension a nod to the urban street art that Lisbon is famous for. Vhils, or Alexander Farto to give him his proper name, is justifiably famous for his works; notably creating faces through relief on plaster and brick walls. Here he has created openings all over the building, allowing light to stream through and dapple the bedrooms.

Art and design fill the interiors too, with lights by Danish design brands Gubi, a Fipse Seilern interpretation of a Rembrandt self-portrait and bespoke furniture by Marta Carreira in a neutral palette. The 19 rooms and suites are split between the old and new buildings with the former having high ceilings and large windows and the latter somewhat darker and smaller due to being inside the Swiss cheese like (due to its holes) stone walls.

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Bairro Alto

Located in the heart of the most charming area of Lisbon, between the bohemian Bairro Alto and chic Chiado neighborhoods, the hotel Bairro Alto has been a favorite retreat and watering hole for decades. It reopened in late summer 2019 after a multi-year renovation, during which two adjoining buildings were added to the original ones that face the Praça Luís de Camões. Pritzker Prize-winning architect Eduardo Souto de Maura masterminded the merger of the four historic 18th-century buildings, which now feature 87 guest rooms and multiple suites.

The design respects historical elements but adds refreshing nods to today’s Portugal. Fabulous embroidered panels with swans (birds are of the hotel’s motifs) line the hallways, and the wood-paneled Mezzanine bar features mid-century furniture that evokes a private Lisbon apartment. An incredible handmade wall hanging that spans multiple floors is displayed in one of the interior stairwells.

The fifth-floor rooftop restaurant, BAHR, has views over Lisbon’s red roofs to the Tagus River as does its neighboring bar, probably the loveliest roof-top bar in town. Food is contemporary Portuguese, done well, but save room for a visit to the pastry shop with its lines of traditional Portuguese pastries.

There is a small spa, where the spa therapists are earning raves, and the hotel is clearly the place to stay for those who believe in the old adage: location, location, location.

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Casa Balthazar

You wouldn’t know this little hotel was here, so discreet is its address behind the closed green door. It opens at the touch of the bell to reveal 20 rooms which cluster around a garden inset with a swimming pool. It is located in the middle of Chiado, just near the ruins of the Gothic Carmo church, the largest in Lisbon before the earthquake.

Inside, rooms are decorated with antiques, floors are limestone or wood with bathrooms fitted with black and white encaustic hydraulic tiles. Stone walls are exposed in places and throughout modern art overlayers.

The twenty rooms all vary, with three providing a hot tub on their terraces, allowing you a magnificent view over Lisbon’s red roofs beneath you. Some of the rooms have large terraces, others a little kitchenette with microwave, some come with bathtubs, some with showers, some with both, but all come with wooden floors and gleaming antiques. A half bottle of wine, tea and coffee are provided in your room on arrival but there is also complimentary Nespresso and tea available throughout the day. A freshly baked cake is always on offer too. It comes from the oldest patisserie in Lisbon, the Confeitaria Nacionall, which – also since 1829 – belongs to the same owners as Casa Balthazar.

The reception is open from 9am to 9pm. After these hours a mobile phone in each room calls the manager directly, should there be a need. Every guest has a front door key.

The small swimming pool in the garden is heated and is open throughout the year.

Only breakfast is provided here, but there are a multitude of good restaurants within walking distance. Breakfast itself comes from their bakery; think warm croissants and fresh bread and home-made jams.

Corinthia Lisbon

Walk into the Corinthia and the huge flower display on the main table in the lobby will tell you you have come to a hotel that strives to deliver its best. While Lisbon has had an explosion of small boutique properties over the last decade, big hotels like the Corinthia with its 518 rooms and suites still have a role to play for the leisure traveler as well as the business one.

Light-filled, spacious, bedrooms are elegant, and decorated with local art and a color palette of light blue, gray and beige. Plugs and USB sockets are in all the right places. With some suites, or for a fee, comes access to the Club Lounge on the 24th floor which serves breakfast and snacks throughout the day. There is a spa with a swimming pool, gym and one of Lisbon’s hairdressers.

Restaurant Erva, with an open kitchen, bare wooden tables and leafy plants, offers contemporary Portuguese cuisine. Outside in Soul Garden, dishes from Asia and South America from soft shell crab tacos to chicken pad thai are served to the beat of music from the nightly DJ’s.

Farol Hotel

The 33 rooms here are all extremely different, so take time to choose what suits you best. Some are bright red and ornate, others black and gold and decadent, others white and minimalist. Eight of the rooms have been designed by international and Portuguese fashion designers, while others remain classical. There are also cozy loft rooms which have floor to ceiling windows looking out to sea. All bathrooms come with hydromassage bathtubs.

As befits a boutique hotel, the service here is personalized and a lot can be arranged on request, like yoga classes and a massage in your room or outside on the deck.

Food is a great strength here from the Mediterranean dishes at The Mix (try the ginger-infused risotto with lobster) to the gyozas, sushi and sashimi at Sushi Design. Two bars also serve tapas-style snacks alongside great cocktails and local wines.

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hotel exterior with tables, chairs, and a water feature

Four Seasons Hotel Ritz Lisbon

Located at the edge of Eduardo VII Park away from the bustling city center, Four Seasons Hotel Ritz Lisbon is all about the quiet elegance of Old World luxury.

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Grande Real Villa Italia hotel overlooking a rectangular pool surrounded by umbrellas and lounge chairs

Grande Real Villa Itália Hotel & Spa

There is quite a lot of competition in Cascais for good hotels, but this one stands out for its impeccable service and its great location, right opposite the Boca do Inferno (Hell’s Mouth), the famous chasm on this coastline. Beaches are within walking distance.

The hotel takes pride in its history, and the staff attitude that this is not just another hotel is tangible. The 124 rooms and 19 suites are in the modern wing, both are classical in décor, and most come with sea views. All bathrooms are clad in the local blueish marble. The old palace houses the three penthouse suites.

There are three restaurants and Bar Mare, by the pool, for light meals. Breakfast, literally fit for a king, comprises an enormous buffet with a wide choice. For a special treat, head to Belvedere Restaurant, where Italian fare is served on a terrace under the stars.

Reception area with wooden check-in desk, large, geometric columns, colorfully patterned chairs, and a winding staircase to the upper floor

Heritage Avenida Liberdade Boutique Hotel, a Lisbon Heritage Collection

This little hotel is a true gem which was at the forefront of the new wave of Lisbon hotels at the beginning of this century. The group specializeS in heritage projects, as their name implies, and have hotels dotted around Lisbon from the Art Deco Hotel Britannia to the 18th century Solar do Castello housed in the old kitchens of the Castle St. George which dominates Lisbon’s skyline.

Bedrooms here are fuss free, wood-paneled with a color palette of earth tones. There are good working desks, comfy chaise longues and bright white tiled bathrooms with showers and Molton Brown amenities.

There is no restaurant (although they do room service) but being right in the center of town means there is no shortage of places within walking distance to eat out.

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Hotel Albatroz Cascais

This handsome white-washed villa, topped by red clay tiles right on the edge of the ocean has long been a landmark in Cascais as the town has grown from a little fishing village to a sophisticated sea-side resort. In 1983 a new wing was added, and a terrace between them is the setting for the blue lined swimming pool. In 2000 an 18th-century Italianate palace, which sits back from the sea behind the Albatroz Hotel and contains a further six rooms, was bought as an annex. Here the rooms are period in feel with antique furniture. Décor in the main hotel comes courtesy of Portuguese designer Gracina Viterbo, who has woven her trademark yellow and jaunty blue nautical style throughout the rooms while drawing on Portuguese heritage to include hand-painted tiles in the lobby. Suites come with Nespresso machines and Clarins amenities, while rooms have soaps from Portus Cale.

The hotel’s location lends itself to days spent on the beach or lazing by the swimming pool, but the more active can borrow complimentary bikes and explore the area. There is a small gym, where from the treadmills you can see the sea, and a yoga deck.

The Bar, perched at the end of the cliff is a favorite sundowner spot. The elegant restaurant, all linen tablecloths, gleaming silver and gentle chatter, overlooks the beach and serves Portuguese cuisine. Try the grilled octopus with sweet potatoes.

exterior of charming european street which has a couple trees and historic residential buildings

Hotel das Amoreiras

These two charmingly converted townhouses, one with a beautiful glossy green-tiled facade, consist of 17 bedrooms, two suites and a tiny courtyard where breakfast is served outside in the summer. It is off the beaten track and the square with its mulberry trees—silk workers used to live in the neighboring houses—is quiet.

Inside, there is a home-from-home atmosphere with fresh flowers, polished antiques and a few works of art from owner Pedro Oliveira’s private collection. He also designed the brass wall lamps throughout the hotel. The best rooms are the two suites at the top which come with generous marble-clad bathrooms and views over both the internal courtyard and the square outside.

The bar, with an original James Bond poster, comes into its own in the evening and makes a nice place to have a drink before venturing out for dinner in one of Lisbon’s many restaurants.

InterContinental Cascais-Estoril, an IHG Hotel

This is a hotel that uplifts the soul with its white on white interiors, extensive use of glass and open walls which let the sun and ocean air right into the building. The rooms are spacious and most come with a terrace where you can lie and watch the waves roll in. There are two restaurants, one on the top floor which overlooks Cascais Bay which offers Portuguese and Mediterranean food and one for lighter meals near the pool and garden.

There is easy access to the promenade beneath the hotel which makes a lovely early morning walk above the beaches.

The spa is lovely and in the summer you can have a massage outside on one of the cabanas.

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Martinhal Cascais

Martinhal Cascais champions the concept of luxurious family vacations and makes for an ideal long weekend with children.

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Martinhal Chiado Family Suites

Martinhal Chiado captures the charm of Lisbon with an intimate size and prime location.

Lounge at Memmo Alfama, Portugal

Memmo Alfama

If there’s a hotel that best represents just how cool Lisbon is becoming, it’s Memmo Alfama, which opened in 2013. The 42-room boutique hotel commissioned Portuguese street artist Alexandre Farto (better known as Vhils) to create a full-wall mural for one side of the building. This in-your-face aesthetic stays outside, however, as a cozier vibe dominates Memmo Alfama’s interiors.

Public and private spaces are outfitted in a warm, natural style to make it feel more like home. Rooms—most of which run on the small side—are decorated with light hardwood floors, stark-white linens and patterned ottomans. Bathrooms have concrete floors, rain showers and infinity sinks topped with fragrant Saboaria Portugueza toiletries. The most private rooms are the Alfama rooms; the terrace rooms open onto a shared space, which can get loud on the weekends.

Public spaces include a library, gym and a happening terrace with a mixed-tile pool that glows scarlet. Open each night, this outdoor retreat called Wine Bar is perfect for a relaxing evening spent soaking in Lisbon’s sights as you nosh on small plates and sip Portuguese vino.

The location in the historic Alfama neighborhood is a great draw. The property is one of the few luxury hotels in the area, and guests feel in the middle of it all. The hotel offers complimentary walking tours every day at 10.00am for guests of the hotel which take you through the charming Moorish streets of Alfama. Its old-world charm is thoroughly transporting: keep your eyes peeled as you walk through its sloping cobblestoned streets. Throughout the neighborhood, you'll come across small, family-owned eateries that serve homemade treats, moody Fado music bars and matriarchs that chat across their windows as they prepare lunch. Nowhere in Lisbon gives you a better glimpse of the city’s past.

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Memmo Príncipe Real

Enjoy a stay through Indagare at the Memmo Príncipe Real, a great new design property in Lison, Portugal that is well-integrated into the neighborhood.

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Palacete Chafariz D'El Rei

Explore the Indagare-reviewed hotel Palacete Chafariz D'El Rei in Lisbon, Portugal, an exquisitely-restored 19th century palace and stylish private retreat.

Palácio Estoril Hotel, Golf & Wellness, Cascais

A true Grand Dame, the Palácio is aging with dignity, and a visit here is a must when on this coast. Its heyday was the glamorous 1930s when it first swung open its doors and the hotel was a place of refuge for many European royal families during WWII, leading to the area being called ‘The Coast of Kings.’ Have a look at the hotel’s Royal Gallery to see some of its more notable guests.

The majority of the 161 rooms are rather small, but classical in decor and very comfortable; many come with balconies overlooking the pool. Bathrooms are clad in marble with Molton Brown amenities.

Set back from the sea, the hotel is right in the center of Estoril, with the casino a few minutes walk away.

Guest room with a bed with white linens and a blue plaid blanket, gray curtains on two windows, and a blue plaid sitting chair

Palácio Ludovice Wine Experience Hotel

Built as a private residence by João Federico Ludovice, architect to King João V, this 18th-century building has been sensitively restored by Portuguese interior designer and architect, Miguel Câncio Martins (of Paris’s Buddha Bar fame). Its history has been well preserved with old blue and white tiles and stuccoed and frescoed ceilings.

The 61 rooms and suites all come with wooden floors and rugs, with beds clad in nice linens and a color palette of soft blues and coral reds. Most of the bathrooms have showers only, although some have standalone bath tubs, too.

Wine is a predominant theme throughout the hotel. Staff at the bar, housed in an ancient vault, are on hand to pour local offerings. And the Caudalie spa next door encourages you to take vinotherapy one step further.

Sitting room with blue-tiled scenes on the walls, camel-colored couches, and blue velvet sitting chairs

Palácio Príncipe Real

British owners Gail and Miles Curley fell in love with this 19th century palace on a visit to Lisbon and decided to become accidental hoteliers after Miles retired from his life as a lawyer. It’s all been Immaculately restored by Gail, who has preserved the ancient blue and white tiles, the ornate stucco-work ceilings and the impressive stairwell. She has also added bespoke, made-in-Portugal furniture and her own color-centric lightness of touch, which brings the gardens in. Fresh flowers abound and doors open out onto the greenery.

The best rooms are the Signature Suites and Signature Garden suites, but each of the 25 rooms delight with different details throughout. All come with a SMEG fridge with white wine, a variety of different milks and particularly tasty home-made energy ball biscuits. This is replaced daily as is the port and chocolate.

Breakfast can be taken in the garden accompanied by bird song (try the crushed avocado on sour-dough with poached eggs and seeds) lunch and dinner too if a day of enjoying the (unusually for Lisbon, heated) pool is what tempts. Otherwise the smiley staff will book tours or tables and owners Gail or Miles are always around to chat about where to go and what to see whether it is wineries or the best beaches within easy reach of Lisbon (somewhere they both escape to when time allows).

Editors' Picks
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Pousada de Lisboa

Set in Europe's largest square, Pousada Lisboa was the first of the country’s chain of historic-buildings-turned-hotels to open in Lisbon.
whitewashed walls and a vaulted ceiling in an old historic home in europe, with a cluster of white poofy-square-seats arranged in the center and a grand oil painting taking up the full wall on the left. a staircase is in the background

Santa Clara 1728

This Lisbon outlet of Silent Living, the small group of exquisitely designed boutique properties that architect Manuel Aires Mateus and owner João Rodrigues have created together, is a real hidden gem. Here you are offered a home from home experience, like the breakfast around the beautiful oak dining table with a steady trickle of delicacies being brought out of the kitchen for you. There is always wine on tap in the kitchens. And when you go out to explore Lisbon you might get a box of warm pastries put into your hand in case you get peckish.

The six rooms themselves are like artistic still-life paintings. Generous bathrooms clad in the warm, pink-hued local stone come with stand-alone bathtubs cut from the same stone. Basins run along one side of the room, also in the same stone. It is a study in harmony. Rain showers have views over the internal gardens but a soak in the bath tub at night offers you a view of the moon high up above the domed Pantheon with the River Tagus glittering beyond.

Dinner, at Ceia, is worth staying in for one of the nights you are there. It offers confident contemporary Portuguese dining drawing on ingredients from the group’s Alentejo farm.

King bedroom includes wooden floors, a king-size bed with white linens, and a small window with a small, gray couch underneath it

Santiago de Alfama

Visit Santiago de Alfama in Lisbon, Portugal, a lovely, stylish boutique hotel for curious travelers who want a central locale.

bedroom with a black wooden supports and pastel pink accents

Sublime Lisboa

A chic art-deco retreat in Lisbon, the Sublime Lisboa feels a bit like staying at a stylish friend’s home with an excellent restaurant.

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Indagare employees walking up stiars

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