Where to stay in Lisbon

The flat grid between the hills, rebuilt to a plan after the 1755 earthquake, and the one part of central Lisbon you can cross without climbing. Chiado above it holds the theatres, the old cafés and most of the shopping. Trams, metro and the airport line all pass through.

The oldest quarter, a slope of stepped lanes below the castle that the earthquake largely spared. Fado houses, small squares and the miradouros that most photographs of the city are taken from. Addresses here are often reached only on foot.

Uphill from Chiado: independent shops, a garden square and restaurants by day, and immediately below it the Bairro Alto, whose narrow streets are where the city drinks. The two sit within a few minutes of each other and feel nothing alike after dark.

The riverside district six kilometres west, built around the monastery, the tower and a run of museums. It is a tram or train ride from the centre, and quieter in the evening than anywhere else on this list.