Lisbon

Castle hill, Belém and the Cacilhas ferry over three days

Start high. Take tram 28 or a taxi up to São Jorge Castle when it opens, then walk down through Alfama past the Santa Luzia viewpoint and the cathedral to Praça do Comércio. Lunch in the Baixa, climb to Chiado for coffee, and carry on up to Bairro Alto for dinner and a drink in the lanes.

Give the second day to Belém. Reach the Jerónimos Monastery at opening time, queue for custard tarts while they are warm, and walk the riverfront to Belém Tower. On the way back, the Docas below the 25 de Abril bridge are where the clubs open late.

On day three, see the Gulbenkian collection in the morning, then take the ferry from Cais do Sodré to Cacilhas for a fish lunch and the view back. Finish at the São Pedro de Alcântara viewpoint at sunset.

With a fourth day, give it to Sintra: trains from Rossio take about 40 minutes, and an early start puts you at Pena before the tour groups.

Tascas, bifanas and a ginjinha off Largo de São Domingos

Eat in Lisbon's small family-run tascas, ordering from the handwritten pratos do dia by the door, which are cheaper and fresher than the printed menu. Classic orders are bacalhau à brás, clams à Bulhão Pato and a bifana pork roll at the counter. Bread, olives and cheese brought unasked are the couvert; leave them and they stay off the bill.

Lisbon eats best in small, family-run tascas with a handwritten sheet of pratos do dia taped by the door. Those daily dishes are usually the freshest thing in the kitchen and cost less than the printed menu. Look for bacalhau à brás (shredded salt cod with egg and crisp potato), amêijoas à Bulhão Pato (clams in garlic, olive oil and coriander) and a bifana, the thin pork steak in a soft roll that Lisboetas eat standing at a counter. Bread, olives and cheese that arrive unasked are the couvert: leave them and they should not appear on the bill.

The custard tart is a pilgrimage of its own. The pastéis de Belém by the Jerónimos Monastery are baked to a recipe guarded since the 1830s, and the queue moves faster if you sit inside. In June, the smell of grilled sardines drifts over every old quarter.

For variety under one roof, the Time Out Market in the old Ribeira hall at Cais do Sodré gathers stalls from well-known local cooks. Cross the river to Cacilhas for grilled fish on the quay, and end a night in the Baixa with a shot of ginjinha, the sour-cherry liqueur poured from tiny bars around Largo de São Domingos near Rossio.

Santo António night, sardine smoke and the October rains

Visit Lisbon in May, June or September for warm, mostly dry weather. July and August average 28 to 29°C and fill the city, while November to January each bring over 100 mm of rain, with January highs near 15°C. June is festival month, when the Santos Populares turn Alfama, Mouraria, Graça and Bica into a street party.

The Atlantic keeps Lisbon mild. January averages a high of about 15°C and a low near 9°C, which makes winter the cheapest and quietest time for museums, though November to January each bring over 100 mm of rain and the cobbles get treacherous. By May highs reach 23°C and the rain has almost gone; July and August average 28 to 29°C with only a few millimetres of rain all month, and the city fills up.

June belongs to the Santos Populares. The whole month is a street party in Alfama, Mouraria, Graça and Bica, with paper garlands strung across the lanes, pots of manjerico basil for sale and charcoal grills on every corner. The big night is 12 to 13 June, the eve of Santo António, when neighbourhood marching groups parade down Avenida da Liberdade and the old quarters stay up until dawn. Book a room early and expect noise.

September is the editor's pick: the sea is at its warmest, highs hover around 27°C and the summer crowds thin. Rain returns in October, averaging over 100 mm, so pack a jacket from then on.