Lisbon in one page: seven hills, three moods

Baixa/Chiado is the flat, gridded heart — shopping, cafés, and the Santa Justa lift you should photograph but not queue for (walk up behind it instead, it's free). Alfama east of it is the medieval maze: fado, viewpoints, laundry lines. Bairro Alto/Cais do Sodré west is nightlife; Belém is the monument quarter 25 minutes by tram; LX Factory/Alcântara the creative-industrial strip under the bridge.

Getting around: buy a Viva Viagem card and load it with 'zapping' credit — it covers metro, trams, buses, funiculars and even the Cacilhas ferry. Tram 28 is transport and sightseeing in one, if you board at the terminus early.

Rhythm: Lisbon eats late (dinner 20:30+) and the miradouros fill with sunset drinkers from 18:00. August is hot and half the city closes for holidays; May–June and September are the sweet spots.

Skip / instead: skip the Santa Justa lift queue and take the free Castelo viewpoint walk; skip restaurant rows with photo menus in Baixa — two streets uphill in any direction eats better for less.