Local鈥檚 guide to Lisbon

I bought an apartment in Lisbon back in 2015, at the start of the dual real estate and tourism booms that turned this long-overlooked city into one of Europe鈥檚 hottest destinations. I'm originally a native of Tucson, Arizona, though I鈥檝e lived abroad since I was a teenager, mostly in Europe and Latin America. It was actually the rock bottom property prices that lured me here, but when I arrived I fell head-over-heels for the city.

A yellow tram is travelling down a busy shopping street in Lisbon, Portugal, on a sunny day. — Once overlooked, Lisbon has blossomed into one of Europe's hottest destinations. Starcevic / Getty Images

I loved it for so many reasons: its sublime golden light; its defiantly old school way of doing things; its crumbling mansions, with their fancy tiles and caved-in roofs; and its Goldilocks鈥� size鈥攏either too big, nor too small. Rather than just stashing my stuff in my Lisboeta pied 脿 terre, I decided to move in as soon as possible. And of all the places I鈥檝e ever lived, Lisbon is by far my favorite!

From my perch in the central Estrela neighborhood, I explore the fast-changing metropolis, checking out both the mushrooming hipster caf茅s and bars that cater to foreign visitors (which have injected a much-needed dose of excitement to the laid-back city), as well as Lisboeta classics, many of which have remained unchanged for decades, or even centuries.

When friends are visiting鈥� I send them to the riverside neighborhood of Alc芒ntara to soak up the feeling of old-school Lisbon, which is said to be Europe鈥檚 second-oldest capital, after Athens. Centuries of decline that followed Portugal鈥檚 heyday during the Age of the Discoveries, along with decades of stagnation in the 20th Century, under dictator Ant贸nio Salazar, conspired to preserve much of the city鈥檚 Old World charm. While the recent tourism boom is changing neighborhoods such as the Bairro Alto and the Chiado, Alc芒ntara, with its hole-in-the-wall restaurants and omnipresent clotheslines, heavy with drying laundry, is a relic of the Lisbon of old. While you鈥檙e there, visit the for an impeccable, high-end take on traditional Portuguese food. And if you overdose on local charm, head to the LX Factory, a cutting-edge hub for cool restaurants, shops and co-working spaces, housed in an industrial complex that once contained a textile factory and a newspaper printing press.

Read more: Best day trips from Lisbon

An enormous bookstore in the former warehouse complex LX Factory in Lisbon. Shoppers are walking up and down industrial-style staircases and browsing the books on floor-to-ceiling shelves. — Lisbon's LX Factory is home to co-working spaces, restaurants and shops, like this bookstore. Alex Butler / 糖心传媒.

When I鈥檓 up for a big night out鈥� my friends and I head to , where the barkeep invents cocktails to fit your taste and mood. The bar is the latest venture of Mikas Morais, the nightlife impresario who鈥檚 behind the nearby A Tabacaria, which is also well worth a visit. And because, in Lisbon, all roads inevitably lead to LuxFr谩gil, we often end up at this multi-storey club to dance. It gets packed at around 4am most weekends.

When packing for a trip to Lisbon鈥� I make sure I warn my visitors to bring comfortable walking shoes with a lot of grip. While transportation options abound 鈥� there鈥檚 a decent metro system, buses and trams, including the legendary Line 28E 鈥� the best way to see Lisbon is by walking. It鈥檚 relatively compact but be warned: Lisbon is built on seven hills 鈥� some of them extremely steep 鈥� and the sidewalks are made, mosaic-style, out of bits of limestone that have been worn to almost ice-like slickness in certain patches.

Tourists at Belvedere of Our Lady of the Hill viewpoint, looking at the cityscape of Lisbon at sunset. — Blanketed over seven hills, Lisbon offers stunning vistas and steep walks. iStock

No trip to Lisbon is complete without鈥� a visit to Livraria Bertrand, a sprawling bookstore (with a good selection of books in English) that holds the Guinness World Record as the world鈥檚 oldest continuously open book seller.

When I want to treat myself to a memorable dinner鈥� I head to 100 Maneiras, the brainchild of Bosnian-born celebrity chef Ljubomir Stanisic. With its ever-changing tasting menu that draws on the flavours of Stanisic's Balkan homeland and of Portugal 鈥� where he arrived as a teenage refugee after fleeing the war in Yugoslavia 鈥� 100 Maneiras is one of Lisbon鈥檚 most unique dining experiences. Reserve as far in advance as possible, as the restaurant is small and fills up days or even weeks in advance.

For everyday eating out鈥� Lisbon is a paradise, with one of the best quality-to-price ratios in Europe. My favourites include the , a charming restaurant whose chef, Leopoldo Calhau, serves up authentic Alentejo fares with a twist. To indulge my sweet tooth, I make a beeline for Nannarella, a gelato place in Estrela that serves up scoopfuls of flavours including Fior de Basilico 鈥� vanilla infused with basil. The line often snakes out the door and down the block.

Huge manta rays swim from left to right in an oceanarium. — Life aquatic is on a grand scale at Ocean谩rio de Lisboa. Nuno Valadas / Getty Images

When visiting with kids, you can鈥檛 go wrong with鈥� a trip to the Ocean谩rio de Lisboa, one of the world鈥檚 most unique and engaging aquariums.

When I need a culture fix鈥� I visit the Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga, Portugal鈥檚 answer to the Louvre. The museum has an enviable collection of European masters, including D眉rer, Andrea della Robbia, and a haunting triptych by Heronimous Bosche, as well as treasures from Portugal鈥檚 former colonies, which once stretched from Brazil to East Asia. Don't miss the magnificent Namban Folding Screens, which depict the Portuguese arriving in Japan.

If I'm still hungry for culture and have a bit more time鈥� I look a further afield to the Pal谩cio dos Marqueses de Fronteira, a 17th-century mansion near the Lisbon Zoo. The complex is worth the visit for the extravagant gardens and abundant tilework alone. The 13th Marquis de Fronteira and his family still live on the property, meaning visits are exclusively by guided tour and you must call ahead to reserve (don鈥檛 go by the hours posted on Google).

Also far from the madding crowd is the , a little-known collection of Portuguese fashions spanning centuries, that鈥檚 housed in a restored mansion set in sprawling wooded grounds.