Lisbon, verdict by verdict

Lisbon is a city of viewpoints: tiled facades, seven hills, rattling trams and miradouros where the whole place opens over the Tagus. It keeps one foot in the past with fado houses, century-old tascas and the Alfama maze, wears its scruffiness well, and holds serious day-trip range into Sintra and the coast at prices below the northern capitals.

The real caveats: the hills are steep and the calcada pavements get slippery when wet, so anyone needing a flat, orderly, quiet city will find it a chore. Alfama and Baixa go cruise-ship busy at midday in summer, and prices have caught up with the hype. The city suits travelers who want atmosphere over tidiness and can take crowds in exchange for the light.

Three to four days covers Alfama, Belem, the viewpoints and the food quarters of tascas, markets, seafood and pasteis de nata, plus a full day for Sintra and possibly Cascais or the beaches. March to June and September to October bring warm sun without the peak crowds, and winter is mild, occasionally wet and cheap. The fixes that make it work: stay in Baixa or Principe Real, do the famous viewpoints early, and let ride-hailing earn its few euros on the hills.