Lisbon and its surroundings

Cities are not everyone’s cup
of tea but those who buy property near Lisbon – maybe a home in Cascais, an apartment
on the Silver Coast only about 45 minutes away or a city-centre villa near the
Casino at Estoril, the Lisbon coast’s answer to Monaco – have so much on their
doorstep.

As well as the huge art
collection bequeathed the city by Calouste Gulbenkian there is the lively
Santos design district where every last Thursday evening of the month open-air
music, dance and general merry-making take over the place.  The shops and museums stay open till 10pm,
there are free samples of food and drink on offer throughout and
bargain-hunters revel in the enormous discounts on offer.

For a really fresh fish dish
for lunch or dinner there is the Mercado do Peixe (fish market) in the Monsanto
district of the city.  Watch as the fish
of your choice is grilled right before your eyes.  Check out  www.mercadodopeixe.web.pt.

Not far from Lisbon
is the wonderfully charming town of Sintra,
just at the base of the mountains that lay behind the town.  Here the temperature drops by as much as 5º
and mist is never a surprising visitor but the history and architecture of the
town is well worth a short trip out.

For those who prefer not to
live right inside the city there are plenty of options near the beach or along
the river bank.  Check out some of the
variations you can find here.