Lisboa is the capital and largest city of Portugal and enjoys a Mediterranean climate. Among all the metropolis in Europe, it has the warmest winters, with average temperatures 15◦C (59◦F) during the day and 8◦C (46◦F) at night. In the months of June/July the average temperature is respectively 25◦C (77◦F) and 17◦C (63◦F). Be however prepared for a chance of rain and/or a windy afternoon if you get close to the river.

Lisboa is a cosmopolitan city and the constant presence of sunshine and the river Tagus make it a perfect attractor for tourists mainly in Spring and Summer. Lisboa's neighbourhoods are quite diverse as are its famous 7 hills. You may want to lose yourself in the cosmopolitan neighbourhood of Baixa-Chiado, or rather in the more traditional Castelo. If you are up to fado (traditional music genre recently included in the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List) Alfama is a must! And this is just 10-15 minutes away from the conference venue.

You can also explore the riverfront starting from Praça do Comércio/Terreiro do Paço heading West by tram to the monumental area of Belém where you can find the famous Torre de Belém, Mosteiro dos Jerónimos, and experience the unforgettable Pastéis de Belém (custard tarts). For a full day-trip you should not miss the village of Sintra, a UNESCO World Heritage Site (45 minutes away by suburban train). There, you can find former royal retreats, estates, castles and other buildings, including the mediaeval Castelo dos Mouros, the Pena National Palace and the Sintra National Palace.

I warmly recommend that you spend some time visiting Lisboa, losing yourself in the narrow alleys of its traditional neighbourhoods, as well as its surroundings including the village of Sintra.

You can find more information in the Turismo de Lisboa website.

Other events

June is the month of festivities in the city of Lisbon. You can find the schedule of events here.
Also Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian is celebrating its 60th birthday. A series of events will happen near and around the foundation. Details can be found here.
And if you are a football fan, you can watch the games in one of the several big-screens installed in the city. Terreiro do Paço, and Alameda are the ones with the easier access.

How to get to Lisbon

The city of Lisboa is very easy to reach from most capitals in Europe. It is also served with direct flights from New York, Boston, Philadelphia, and Washington, Toronto, several major cities in Brazil, and Dubai.

The airport of Lisbon is conviniently located in the northern part of the city, just a few subway stations from the conference venue (red line) and then to downtown (blue or green line).

Check here the full map of the subway network.

How to move in Lisbon

Public transportation and taxi are the easier wasy to move in Lisbon.

Public Transportation

Lisbon public transportation is now integrated in a single company called Transportes de Lisboa that runs bus, trams, subway, and boats. The subway map can be found here.

You can buy rechargeable tokens in advance at any subway station, or single-ride tickets on the bus/tram (more expensive).
When you buy in advance, you get a rechargeable card (0.50€) that you can top-up an unlimited number of times and is valid for 1 year. One journey costs 1.25€; a daily card costs 6€.

Subway runs between 6.30am and 1.00am. Bus and tram operating hours depend on the route.

Taxi

Using a taxi in Lisbon is fairly cheap. A ride from airport to the conference venue costs around 10€, the same as a ride from the conference venue to downtown.

For further enquiries or information, please contact Pedro Adão.