Budget £££
This hotel is in the perfect location to explore Portugal's beautiful capital. It's located on a quiet side road off the Avenida Liberdade, Lisbon's main street.
On the subject of location, Lisbon Airport is four miles away and the train station is a ten-minute walk. It's also a short walk from the old town and the Castelo de São Jorge, the city's most popular tourist destination. By the way, the castle's ramparts are the perfect place to enjoy stunning panoramic views of the city.
You will find a subtle nautical theme running through the hotel. This is in tribute to the country's famous explorers, which includes Christopher Columbus. The porthole style windows each side of the front door and the globe sculpture in the lobby are part of this theme.
Hotel Britania is also the only surviving original Art Deco hotel in Lisbon. You'll find the restored hotel packed with lovely Art Deco features. Lacquered furniture, chrome light fittings, and marble contribute to the Art Deco style. The hotel's design is by the famous modernist architect Cassiano Branco. The hotel itself dates back to 1944.
One interesting feature that you'll notice is the extensive use of cork flooring. Portugal is famous for cork production and exports, hence its use here.
The hotel has lots of other great features to help make your stay as enjoyable as possible. There's a library, laundry, wifi, and a bar where you can try some of the country's famous wines and ports. The hotel also serves an excellent breakfast. There isn't an evening menu, but that's no problem as the city's packed with great places to eat and drink.
With thirty-two rooms the hotel feels exclusive and intimate. Add the superb friendly service and you're in for a special experience. As a bonus, the award-winning hotel is particularly good value for money. So, perfect location, lovely Art Deco interior, great service, what's the catch I hear you ask. It's very popular so you'll need to book quite a long way in advance.
Site seeing in Lisbon
As well as the Castelo de São Jorge, there's plenty more to see in the city. We recommend visiting the Mosteiro dos Jerónimos, a stunning 16th-century monastery. The lovely monastery has UNESCO World Heritage Site status.
The Museu Calouste Gulbenkian is another great place to visit. There's a fantastic collection of jewelry and glassware by René Lalique on display. While the beautiful jewelry is in an Art Nouveau style, he’s also noted as one of the driving forces of Art Deco. He produced press-molded Art Deco vases at his factory in Wingen-sue-Moder, in France.
Lisbon's Art Deco Buildings
To complete your stay in Lisbon, you'll also want to visit the city's stunning Art Deco buildings. The most stunning of all is the Orion Eden. The former cinema / theatre, known as the Eden Teatro at the time, is now the Orion Eden apartment hotel. Located close to the station, the hotel has a bar on the seventh floor where you can enjoy views of the city. This is another building partly designed by Cassiano Branco. He designed it in partnership with Carlos Florêncio Dias.
The Cais do Sodré station also features a notable Art Deco design. Opened in 1928, it has geometric layering, a marble floor, and chequered stained glass.
The Parque Mayer is another example of the city's Art Deco architecture. In need of restoration, it once housed a boxing ring and fairground.
The National Statistics Institute has a striking Art Deco facade. Last but not least the elegant church of Nossa Senhora do Rosário de Fátima is definitely worth a visit too.
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