Share to Facebook Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin One of the oldest cities in the world, Lisbon has transformed into a cosmopolitan city attracting ...
[+] creatives and aesthetically-minded travellers. Anna Haines Lisbon is booming. Last year, 30 million travelers visited Portugal, bringing in more tourism dollars than ever before.
For comparison, last year’s total revenue from tourism reached €25 billion compared to €21.1 billion the previous year. At the heart of the country’s tourism growth is its capital city, Lisbon, which received nearly 6.
5 million visitors in 2023. Originally settled in 1200 BCE, Lisbon is the second-oldest capital city in Europe (after Athens) and one of the oldest cities in the world. The city’s history spanning the Roman era through the Middle Ages to its establishment as the capital city of the Portuguese territory in 1255 is evidenced in its diversity of architectural styles, churches and storied cobblestone streets.
Basílica dos Mártires Anna Haines Despite its rich history, Lisbon is an undeniably contemporary city, one that is beginning to rival cosmopolitan destinations like Paris and London. Central to Lisbon’s bourgeoning status is its focus on design. The Museum of Art, Architecture and Technology (MATT) in Belém, creative hub LX Factory constructed from shipping containers in Alcántara, and the Fábrica Braco de Paratae arts centre located in an old ammunitions factory, are all elevating Lisbon into a design city.
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