Mr & Mrs Smith

For traditional North Portuguese specialities with a focus on fish-feasting, visit Solar dos Presuntos (+351 213 424 253) on Rua das Portas de Santo Antão and try a house special –shellfish and bean stew, prawn bread panada, shellfish paella, or lobster and prawn curry. Be sung to as you sup and sip, at Casa de Linhares (+351 218 863 767) on Beco dos Armazéns do Linho. It's a beautiful Fado restaurant in the basement of the Casa dos Condes de Linhares, with a bacalhau-heavy menu .

Sitting pretty on the upper two floors of Espaço Chiado, Silk Club  (www.silk-club.com) is a glamorous and exclusive venue, boasting spectacular rooftop views over Lisbon from the terrace and outside bar.

Don’t forget to visit Café a Brasileira (+351 213 469 541) the city’s oldest and most famous eatery, where the twentieth-century poet Fernando Pessoa once ploughed through absinthe. You can admire his statue outside the café, on the Rua Garrett. 

Let the Lisbon light flood into your bedroom and rise with the sun to wander around historic Castelo de São Jorge (St George’s castle). Watch your step, though, the hilltop citadel is now guarded by geese and ducks who roam its gardens. The ramparts offer amazing views over Lisbon and the river Tagus, and you can also spy on local men playing backgammon and cards under the shade of the leafy trees. Move on to Lisbon’s oldest district, Alfama, and explore the winding mediaeval alleys, tiny squares and the historic Fado quarter. Alternatively, head to Parque Eduardo VII and enjoy a romantic promenade through the mosaic-patterned walkways and geometric box hedging. Admire the fragrant hothouse’s exotic flora and fauna, and the tropical plants, ponds, palms and cacti in the greenhouse.

Those wishing to supplement their wardrobe with some Portuguese purchases will be well satisfied with a stroll down Avenida da Liberdade, right next to Hotel Britania. Designer divas will be in seventh heaven, with labels such as Louis Vuitton, Emporio Armani, Trussardi, Burberry, Longchamp, DKNY, Fashion Clinic, Alfred Dunhill, Ermenegildo Zegna and Escada to pilfer and peruse. The avenue itself is a very pretty, pedestrian-friendly street – modelled after Paris’ Champs Elysées. It’s wide and roomy, lined with trees and strewn with little cafés perfect for a sugary retail pick-me-up.