Flights to Lisbon with Air France

Lisbon, a large seaport

Are you thinking of purchasing a plane ticket for Lisbon?Air France offers flights to Lisbon, Portugal's capital. There are daily direct flights to Paris with a direct connecting flight to Lisbon or you may connect in Amsterdam. A trip from Hong Kong to Lisbon takes about twenty-two hours in all.

The Portela International Airport is located 7 km from the city centre of Lisbon. You can reach the city by bus (currently, a single fare is less than 2 euros), by taxi or by subway (the closest station is fifteen minutes from the airport).

Lisbon has a population of 570,000 inhabitants (two million for the greater Lisbon region). The city was built on seven hills overlooking the Tage estuary that flows into the Atlantic Ocean, 17 km away. A geographic location that made Lisbon the ideal starting point for the great sea explorations during the 15th and 16th centuries, the Age of Discovery and the city's apogee. After a powerful earthquake destroyed many buildings in 1755, the city was weakened.

During the 20th century, Lisbon, as well as all of Portugal in general, experienced great development during the 70s after the fall of Salazar. The city developed, modernised and hosted the World's Fair in 1998.

Lisbon, a cultural and architectural melting pot

Lisbon is a charming city marked by history. You may begin your visit of the city at Belém, from where the great explorers set off from Europe. Today, Bélem Tower stands as a fortified lighthouse. The Hieronymites Monastery is another important site, remarkable for its Manueline style architecture, as well as the Padrao dos Descobrimentos (”.onument to the Discoveries”., built in 1960 to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the death of Henry the Navigator. The monument is shaped like a caravel.

Lisbon also has old monuments such as the Castle of São Jorge, built by the Visigoths in the 5th century which occupies a commanding hilltop overlooking Alfama, or the Patriarchal Cathedral of St. Mary Major, located in the same neighbourhood and built in 1150 on the former site of a mosque.

Lisbon is a cultural and architectural melting pot, and often called “The White City” for its incredible luminosity.

The capital of Portugal also has many museums. The Calouste Gulbenkian Museum and centre for modern art that houses a large number of masterpieces. Learn more about Portuguese art with a visit to the Lapa Ancient Art Museum, as well as the National Azulejo Museum of tiles, so typical of the country. You may discover more about the city's glorious maritime past at the Maritime Museum, the Coach Museum and the Decorative Arts Museum.

In Lisbon, you may also enjoy a quiet walk in one of the many parks: botanical garden, the Estrela Gardens, the zoo, etc.

Travel to Lisbon: useful tips

Lisbon has a very mild climate and you can travel there almost all year. The city has a Mediterranean climate thanks to the Gulf Stream. Like many European countries, the spring months are very pleasant.

To travel to Lisbon, in Portugal, all non-European tourists need a passport that remains valid after the date that you plan to leave the Schengen area, an area that has eliminated internal borders and includes 26 European countries, including Portugal..

Portugal's currency is the euro. Credit cards are accepted everywhere and there are many ATM machines available. However, travellers' cheques are not always accepted.

If you would like to rent a car, it is best to have an international driver's license.