Sarah Gibbons

Sure, you can choose one of the many, many classic hotel chains on offer for your trip to Lisbon – but what about if you fancy something a little different? A boutique, perhaps, or a central hotel with the best rooftop bar in the city? In that case, it sounds like you’re looking for something a little more cool. And that’s where we come in: the hotels on this list don’t just have great service, good food and nice rooms, they’ve all got a little something that makes them unique, and a place where locals and tourists actually want to hang out for the weekend. These are the coolest hotels in Lisbon, right now.  Lisbon’s coolest hotels at a glance 📻 Best for retro charm: The Vintage 🏙️ Best for city views: Memmo Príncipe Real 🏛️ Best for a historic stay: AlmaLusa Alfama 🛋️ Best self-catering: The Lumiares 🏠 Best for homely vibes: Dear Lisbon 📍 RECOMMENDED: Ultimate guide to hotels in Lisbon How we curate our hotel lists Our team of writers and travel experts review hotels all over the world – new openings, old classics and everything in between – to bring you fresh, honest recommendations, all year round. Along with our brilliant team over at Time Out Lisbon, every hotel on this list has been individually reviewed and selected for a reason: we’ve been there, we think it’s great and we’d genuinely recommend it. By the way, this article includes affiliate links. These links have no influence on our editorial content. For more information, see our affiliate guidelines. ?

Kent is home to a hell of a lot of great towns for a weekend break, but if you’ve done enough city stuff and you want to venture a little further than the likes of busy Whitstable and Margate, Dungeness could be the perfect place for your next adventure. This tiny fishing town is found at the southernmost point of Kent, and it feels a bit like reaching the end of the world (in the best way possible).  You’ll find vast stretches of shingle, lined with weathered wood cabins and abandoned fishing boats that look over the wide open sea. It really is a great place to unwind and disconnect, and there are plenty of coastal walks, beach-side beers and fresh-off-the-boat seafood to be enjoyed. So, here are the best things to do in Dungeness. RECOMMENDED: 🚆The best day trips from London🦪The best things to do in Whitstable🏖️The best things to do in Broadstairs🌻The best things to do in Kent🌤️The best seaside towns in the UK At Time Out, all of our travel guides are written by local writers who know their cities inside out. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines.

  Most of us would love to spend our summer dreamily wandering around a pretty coastal village somewhere in Italy, but because of a lack of funds, time or leftover annual leave, it’s not always so simple to organise.  We can rejoice then that there’s a little chunk of Italy tucked away on an estuary in North Wales – the tiny folly village of Portmeirion. Celebrated architect Sir Clough Williams-Ellis dreamt up this marvellous marriage of Italian style and Welsh charm back in 1925, but it took many years to come together. Now, Portmeirion is one of the most beautiful places you can visit in the UK, so from fishing village tours to perfect spots for a pint, check out our list of the best things to do. RECOMMENDED:🏔️The best places to visit in Wales🎭The best things to do in Wales🌤️The best places to visit in the UK🏖️The best seaside towns in the UK At Time Out, all of our travel guides are written by local writers who know their cities inside out. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines.

Tunbridge Wells is a very, very nice place – so nice that it was even given ‘Royal’ status in 1909 by King Edward VII, because Queen Victoria liked it there so much. Oh, and there was the thing about King James drinking from the chalybeate spring in the seventeenth century, where he said it cured him of illness.  Now, of course, the Kent town is a booming spa resort, nestled away in the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, surrounded by miles and miles of beautiful countryside. Just an hour out of London, it’s become a hot spot for day trips and for chilled-out, slow-paced weekends. So, from fabulous cafés to countryside hikes, here are the very best things to do in Royal Tunbridge Wells. RECOMMENDED:🦪The best things to do in Whitstable🏖️The best things to do in Broadstairs🌻The best things to do in Kent🌤️The best places to visit in the UK At Time Out, all of our travel guides are written by local writers who know their cities inside out. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines.

Feeling the need for a dose of country village wholesomeness? You’ll find it in spades in the oh-so-charming Alfriston, in the heart of East Sussex. With its chocolate-box-pretty pubs, medieval buildings and independent shops, you’ll feel as if you’ve stepped back in time. The bucolic, rolling landscape of the South Downs is the main event here, though, so don’t forget your walking shoes and to soak up those views. RECOMMENDED: The best weekend breaks from London

Lisbon is no longer just ‘having a moment’, it’s firmly at the top of every travel hot list. As a result, if there’s one thing this charismatic capital is not short of, it’s hotels. But step inside The Vintage, tucked away on a quiet street in upmarket Príncipe Real, it’s clear that this is no run-of-the-mill stay. True to its name, retro style reigns here: rich, block colour and curved modernist lines paired with mid-century furnishings – all collaborations with local artists and makers, so Mad Men-coded I half expected Don Draper himself to turn the corner with a whiskey glass in hand. With 56 rooms and three suites, an intimate rooftop and expansive, subterranean spa, this five-star hotel feels every bit as tempting to linger in as the city beyond is to discover. Why stay at The Vintage? If you like hotels with personality, you’ll love The Vintage. Every detail feels curated, not corporate, with plenty of Portuguese creativity infused throughout – including an eye-catching painting of a female fado singer by Portuguese artist Margarida Fleming hanging pride of place in the bar. But it’s not style over substance, thoughtful touches like your own ‘Vintage’ gin and tonic kit in your room are a fun touch. The location is spot on too: tucked away from both the bustle of Avenida de Liberdade and Rua da Escola Politécnica – the main street in the fancy Príncipe Real neighbourhood – yet just minutes from some of Lisbon’s best bars and restaurants. With friendly service and peacefu

Stroll along the buzzy, cobbled streets of Bairro Alto towards The Lumiares and you’ll already be ticking off your Lisbon must-see list. One of the most popular viewpoints in the city, Miradouro de São Pedro de Alcântara, is right across the road, with the historic, sunny-yellow Glória funicular clattering up the steep hill just beside it. Step inside, and the colourful chaos of the city gives way to monochrome calm, with gleaming geometric tiles underfoot and a sculptural brass chandelier above that catches the light. A grand staircase nods to the building’s 18th-century past as a count’s palace, now overlooked by Portuguese muralist Jacqueline de Montaigne’s striking portraits. Oozing gilded glamour, this five-star hotel is a homage to Lisbon’s colours, patterns and golden light – but manages to still feel personal and welcoming. Why stay at The Lumiares? If you want to be slap-bang in the thick of Lisbon life, The Lumiares has one of the city’s best addresses. Even with Bairro Alto on its doorstep, it’s surprisingly calm – and its 47 apartment-style suites give it a home-away-from-home feel. The Lumiares is all about keeping things local too, having worked with Portuguese designers and artists on almost every item of furniture, artwork and textiles in the building from Vista Alegre tableware to abstract photography by artist Vasco Celio. But the best part? What’s waiting upstairs on the fifth floor. If you’ve done your Lisbon rooftop bar research, it’s likely that you have

  Alfama is Lisbon at its most atmospheric: a maze of cobbled streets with colourful, laundry-draped houses and traditional fado music spilling out of tiny neighbourhood bars. Lisbon’s oldest district is also where you’ll find the third boutique hotel in the AlmaLusa group, overlooking the waterfront by Campo das Cebolas square. Surrounded by history, AlmaLusa Alfama offers a stylish, yet laid-back, base in which to explore it all, with a cosy café-restaurant serving Portuguese favourites.  Why stay at AlmaLusa Alfama? If soulless marble lobbies aren’t your thing, you’ll love this boutique stay that’s authentically a part of Alfama’s story. Not only is it a few minutes’ walk from some of the city’s most historic sights, but the 25-room hotel itself is full of nods to its historic past. Dating back to the 12th century, it showcases elegant Pombaline architecture, with a canary-yellow façade wrapped around the Arco das Portas do Mar. Built during the Roman era to protect the city from Germanic tribes, this archway was once a vital entrance in the city’s defensive walls. With so much to see on its doorstep, start the day with a hearty breakfast, then head straight out to explore.  What are the rooms like at AlmaLusa Alfama? As with the rest of the hotel, rooms at AlmaLusa Alfama are unfussy, but elegant, ranging from singles to deluxe suites. Overlooking the Tagus River, my cool-toned suite, with a lovely forest-painted feature wall, felt instantly welcoming. A marshmallow-like