Lisbon

Lisbon's luxury address is the Avenida da Liberdade (Four Seasons Ritz, Tivoli) with the Bairro Alto Hotel and a wave of design hotels in Chiado and Príncipe Real. Alfama, Belém and the LX Factory are the sightseeing; Time Out Market and the tascas of Bairro Alto and Mouraria are the eating; Sintra's palaces and the Cascais coast are 40 minutes away. Spring and autumn are ideal and summer is warm but comfortable thanks to the Atlantic. Hills, cobbles and the famous trams make it a walking-shoe city; pickpocketing on Tram 28 is the main caution. Porto and the Douro Valley (Six Senses) are three hours north by train.