A surge of innovative openings in the wake of the pandemic has injected new glamour into the romantic port city’s hotel scene.

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Portugal’s capital has taken its growing popularity with city-breakers in its stride — antique trams rattle on, fado folk musicians still sing mournfully in low-lit bars and bakers continue to turn out flaky pasteis de nata. But the influx of visitors has quickened the city’s pulse; Portuguese chefs are pushing boundaries and artisans are opening new gallery spaces. Meanwhile, hoteliers are flexing their creativity too, putting lesser-known neighbourhoods like Lapa, Amoreiras and Príncipe Real on the map. The past five years have seen a proliferation of bold hotel openings, from renovated Benedictine convents to game-changing apartments.

1. The Ivens

Best for: urban explorers
Dazzling in its maximalism, The Ivens’ showpiece, two-tier reception area is staged like the drawing room of a 19th-century gentleman collector. Tropical curios decorate cabinets, while doormen in starched ecru tailoring look ready to sail down the Zambezi. This is the concept, of course: a homage to early Portuguese adventurer Roberto Ivens who delighted in the flora and fauna of Southern Africa. If, from the grave, Ivens were alarmed to discover a palatial 86-room-and-suite hotel had been erected in his honour in chichi Chiado, then a night dining in Rocco, the hotel’s Jazz Age-style bar and restaurant, would likely smooth things over. The city’s great and good make pilgrimages here for negronis and decadent Italian fare — including a now-famous deconstructed tiramisu. Elegant white bedrooms are studies in understatement — a refreshing point of contrast to the playful opulence splashed across the hotel’s lower levels. Rooms from €420 (£345).

2. Tarabel Lisbon

Best for: riviera living
New for 2025 in Lisbon’s upmarket Lapa neighbourhood, this hotel feels like a surprising slice of the Côte d’Azur. Swiss-French designer Rose Fournier has created an exclusive urban oasis with just nine rooms, decked out with custom furniture, fabrics and eclectic antiques reminiscent of a Provençal chateau. The hilltop property basks in expansive views of the Tagus River, inviting sunlight to dance across its tiered gardens and swimming pool. Few addresses in the city can rival Tarabel Lisbon for artfully curated spaces or R&R; this is a place to nibble petits fours on a chaise longue, dine at sunset on the verandah and enjoy river views from your suite’s claw-foot bathtub. Rooms from €500 (£415), B&B.

3. Locke de Santa Joana

Best for: next-generation travellers
Are self-catering urban resorts the future of travel? International aparthotel brand Locke is banking on it; it opened its 16th and largest property in uptown Lisbon in 2024, close to the shopping thoroughfare of Avenida da Liberdade. Some 370 apartments crown a trendy complex of co-working spaces, restaurants and bars, designed around a 17th-century convent. The set-up particularly appeals to young business travellers thanks to the battle-strength wi-fi, and long-stay tourists who appreciate the fully equipped kitchens and courtyard swimming pool. Among the half-dozen dining and drinking options are Santa Joana by legendary Portuguese chef Nuno Mendes — a brasserie that only serves ingredients sourced within 185 miles — and The Kissaten, a speakeasy whisky bar. Rooms from €105 (£85).

4. Hotel das Amoreiras

Best for: a tranquil retreat
Away from the hurly-burly of the centre, Lisbon uncoils through quaint neighbourhoods with historic roots — and none are more appealing than Amoreiras. Here, the creation of the Hotel das Amoreiras has been a labour of love by first-time hoteliers, combining two grand townhouses on the neighbourhood’s main square. There’s a courtyard cafe and 19 rooms, all washed in olive, sand and beige tones to evoke something of a genteel country retreat. Luxurious touches include Portuguese marble bathrooms, while fittings — such as bedside charging points — are well-considered. Artworks are from the owners’ collection; in the Parisian-style lobby/cocktail bar, a retro James Bond poster presides over the mixology. Rooms from €250 (£205), B&B.

5. Mama Shelter Lisbon

Best for: party people
One of the city’s most significant openings post-pandemic, the Lisbon edition of the irreverent budget brand, situated in the Príncipe Real neighbourhood, appears to be in the continual throes of a party. Come sunset, bright young things arrive in droves to ascend to the rooftop bar, with its striped cabanas and bubblegum-pink table football. Despite all this excitement, the 130 rooms are tranquil — compact and ergonomic, with bright carpets and benches offset by a humongous bed. A personalised welcome scrawled on the bedroom mirror and a pair of superhero masks add to the playful vibe. Rooms from €110 (£90).

6. Convent Square Lisbon

Best for: modern pilgrims
Since its founding in the 13th century, the convent of São Domingos has been a place of refuge for weary travellers; today, it stands at the epicentre of Lisbon’s buzzy Baixa commercial district, reinvented as a 117-room hotel. Designers have kept things sleek and contemporary, using the red stucco and sombre granite of the fire-ravaged São Domingos church next door as a colour palette for plush rooms. The open-air central courtyard is one of the property’s main draws, along with its Portuguese restaurant Capítulo. Rooms from €185 (£155).

7. Pátio do Tijolo

Best for: contemplative cool
With a courtyard of lemon, pomegranate and palm trees tucked inside one of Lisbon’s most desirable postcodes, just north of Bairro Alto’s lively bars, Pátio do Tijolo is all about airy spaces to unwind. Works by local artisans feature in the 24 rooms, which feel distinctly Iberian in their whitewashed simplicity. Balconies gaze out across Lisbon’s terracotta rooftops; inside, cheeseboards are often available in the shared kitchen, creating a pleasant communal space. Rooms from €153 (£126), B&B.

8. Hotel Hotel

Best for: design buffs
So good they named it twice, Hotel Hotel is the coolest address in the city — and not just because it has a shady, jungle-like garden and swimming pool out back, or the fact guests can slide out the door and straight into the designer shops of Avenida da Liberdade. The rooms pair Scandi-esque design with warm tones and textures, while pops of neon lighting add funk to the elegant lobby space. A subterranean yoga studio and tattoo parlour round out the appeal for the young and young-at-heart. Rooms from €179 (£148), B&B.

9. Art Legacy

Best for: location, location, location
With 53 rooms saturated by singular primary colours, Art Legacy is a provocative addition to Lisbon’s roster of five-star hotels. Bright tangerine, sea blue and forest green are some of the arresting floor-to-ceiling hues awaiting guests. And while the energetic colour palette won’t be to everyone’s taste, there’s plenty more to love: the proactive concierge service and the open kitchen concept in lobby-restaurant Áurea, for starters. The decor styled in collaboration with Dutch designers Moooi is also fun and quirky, with artworks of iridescent beetles and extinct animals, and sculptural lamps evoking birds and horses. The hotel’s trump card is its location. Set in a renovated mansion block near Praça do Comércio, and with top-floor rooms gazing out to hilltop São Jorge Castle, Art Legacy places guests at the heart of the historic centre. Along with Bulgari amenities, bathrooms in Legacy Corner Suites and some Art Cosy rooms include bathtubs — worth requesting if you value a soak. Rooms from €141 (£116), B&B.

10. AlmaLusa Alfama

Best for: home-style hospitality
Now that this historically rich and well-situated property has been brought back to life as a hotel, it seems astonishing it sat abandoned so long. Boutique chain AlmaLusa offers 25 rooms on the riverfront edge of Alfama, Lisbon’s warren of fado folk music bars and tascas (traditional restaurants). The mansion’s ornate Pombaline-style facade was added in the 18th century but the foundations are Roman and it abuts a 12th-century archway — a rare fragment of the old city walls. The relaxed hotel wears this heritage lightly. A simple cafe/reception belies the comfort of the townhouse-style bedrooms upstairs, arrayed in warm neutrals with decadent beds, large rain showers and homely flourishes, such as local ceramics on the mantelpiece. Front desk staff have perfected the art of personalised service, too: iPhones loaded with the team’s direct line are loaned out for on-the-go assistance and tips, or simply for ordering room service. Rooms from €150 (£125), B&B.

Published in the May 2025 issue of National Geographic Traveller (UK).