Not just the world-renowned and award-winning capital city of Portugal, Lisbon is also a regional district, which reaches into the Alentejo - having 16 municipalities, 226 parishes - and a total population of over 2 million inhabitants. Lisbon, district and city epitomise and contain a grand cross-section of all that’s loved about the country, with the best of modern and traditional Portuguese life, set in 1,100 square miles.
Beyond the capital, its city culture, the easy-to-reach beaches, and its upcoming suburbs - about which much has been written and endless tourist guides can be found - Lisbon district’s notable municipalities include Cascais, Loures, Lourinha, Mafra, Sintra and Torres Vedras.
Using the capital’s climate as a guide, you’ll delight more generally across the region in Mediterranean conditions, with mild, rainy winters and warm, sunny, occasionally hot summers. This is Europe’s western frontier and seaboard, where around 2,800 hours of glorious annual sunshine await you. More recently, the traditionally wet winters have been prolonged, and summer temperatures spiking noticeably at times, beyond the expected norms of the ‘300 days of sunshine’ that locals speak of, and the comfortable warmth they bring.
Westerly winds will prevail on the Atlantic coast, bringing rain at times. But very cold days are rare, and snow is extremely rare, the last seen in 2006.
June to mid-September is the time to reliably enjoy Lisbon’s warm and sunny disposition. The Atlantic breeze will be welcome at this time, offering clearer air than the warm and muggy Mediterranean coast. The highest recorded temperature is 41.5 °C (107 °F).
Cascais with its 17 official beaches and over 10 golf courses, located on what’s known as the ‘Portuguese Riviera’, is a convergence of global ex-pats, tourists and wealthy Portuguese. The marina has welcomed the America's Cup, and Estoril has an international conference centre and the casino that inspired Ian Fleming’s first Bond novel - Casino Royale. European royalty and exiles have made their homes here in recent centuries, and it’s no surprise that it boasts an expensive real estate market, high cost of living and high-ranked quality of life by European standards.
Legendary Sintra is another Lisbon district. Known for its gardens, palaces, castles and Disney-like landscape, where Bilderberg meetings and golf’s Open de Portugal have been hosted, this is understandably a tourist magnet within easy reach of visitors arriving in the capital. Be sure to savour the Sintra-Cascais Nature Park and the Sintra Mountains.
Sintra is consistently ranked as one of the most expensive and wealthy municipalities in Portugal and the Iberian Peninsula. It is one of Portugal's most expensive and sought-after real estate markets, and along with Cascais, home to a large ex-pat community, consistently ranking as one of Portugal's top places to live.
Mafra’s National Palace, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is a baroque palace that inspired Nobel Prize laureate José Saramago’s novel Baltasar and Blimunda (Memorial do Convento). See here also the Tapada Nacional de Mafra, wildlife reserve, and Ericeira's World Surf Reserve, the second-only such reserve in the world.
One of the most highly developed municipalities in Portugal and Europe is Oeiras. Economically significant, with the highest GDP per capita in the country in terms of purchasing power and tax raised, you’ll also experience here the highest population density and lowest unemployment rate. Oeiras is rich in national and global corporation headquarters, NATO is also positioned here.
As you’d expect, the entire district and region benefit from the capital’s road, rail and air infrastructure. This applies too, to educational and medical facilities, as well as all that’s important in culture, sport and politics. This is the centre of Portugal, if not geographically, then culturally and psychologically.
The national and district capital is an increasingly popular tourist destination with obvious and well-known assets, boasting some of the country’s most expensive and attractive real estate. Less clear are the ‘off-piste’ advantages, beyond the city limits - like Torres Vedras’ award-winning beaches or Lourinhã’s Jurassic delights - that make greater Lisbon, the district, a good choice for a permanent or holiday home, and investment opportunities.
As you would expect prices are high in Lisbon and rightly so. Be prepared to pay around € 1700 to rent a three-bedroom apartment in the city and up to € 2500 per month for the nicest ones.
If you are thinking of purchasing here then you will certainly need deep pockets. Prices per square metre range between € 4000 to € 6000 in the city and € 1500 to € 3500 outside of the city.
Lisbon certainly has everything you could wish for in both a city and a district.
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