Lisbon has plenty to see and do, so most visitors choose to stay for at least 3–4 days. The main sights, along with the city’s best areas for nightlife, shopping, and dining, are concentrated in the central neighborhoods, making this the most convenient place to stay. First-time visitors usually want to fit in as much as possible, so a comfortable, clean, centrally located three-star hotel is often the perfect match.
We’ve put together a list of three-star hotels near Lisbon’s top attractions. These hotels are in convenient locations, with many of the city’s leading points of interest within walking distance and the rest easy to reach by public transportation.
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3-Star Hotels in Baixa
The heart of Lisbon and its main tourist and transportation hub is Baixa. For first-time visitors, and for anyone who likes being close to everything from morning to night, this is usually the best area to stay. Naturally, rooms in the city center tend to be smaller, as they are in major cities around the world. That’s why Baixa’s three-star hotels are especially well suited to travelers who plan to spend most of their time out exploring and enjoying the nightlife, with the room serving as a comfortable retreat for a shower and a good night’s sleep at the end of the day. We’ve selected a few three-star hotels in Baixa that offer not just practicality, but also a warm and welcoming feel:
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1. Be Poet Baixa Hotel
This hotel sits right on Rua Augusta, in the very heart of Baixa. It’s an ideal pick for travelers who want a hotel they can pop back into during the day, whether to drop off shopping bags or simply recharge before another evening out in Portugal’s lively capital. The hotel doesn’t try to be anything it’s not—it simply offers well-sized rooms, excellent cleanliness, and everything you need to rest comfortably before the next day.
Its location on Rua Augusta means you can step outside at any hour to shop, wander, or take a short evening stroll before bed. Close to just about everything, it’s especially well suited to couples who want to explore the city without overcomplicating things and just stay within easy reach of it all.
Click here to check room availability and rates at Be Poet Baixa Hotel…
2. The Lift Boutique Hotel
This hotel enjoys an outstanding location near the Santa Justa Lift. Walk out the door, ride the elevator up, and you’re at Carmo Convent and Bairro Alto, with its restaurants and nightlife. Head a few dozen yards uphill and you’ll reach Rossio Square, one of the city’s main plazas and home to the major train station. A minute and a half in the other direction brings you to Rua Augusta, Baixa’s main pedestrian street, which runs all the way to iconic Commerce Square.
Beyond the fantastic location, the hotel offers bright rooms with pleasant décor—exactly the kind of setup you’ll appreciate after a day of sightseeing that almost certainly pushed you past 10,000 steps, and maybe even doubled your recommended daily total. The staff are friendly, everything is very clean, and the rates are quite reasonable considering how well placed the hotel is.
Click here to check room availability and rates at The Lift Boutique Hotel…
3. My Story Hotel Ouro
This hotel has an excellent location on a side street just off central Rua Augusta. It’s inviting, clean, and pleasant throughout. Rooms are small, but the location more than makes up for it. It’s a great fit for travelers planning an intensive Lisbon itinerary who want a comfortable room to return to each evening—and maybe even at midday—to rest and freshen up before heading back out.
There aren’t many hotels in the center of Baixa that feel this fresh and modern while also offering practical, friendly service. It’s designed for travelers who want to experience as much of Lisbon as possible, be out day and night, and enjoy staying in the middle of it all without paying top-end prices.
Click here to check room availability and rates at My Story Hotel Ouro…
4. Hotel MeraPrime Gold Lisboa
This hotel is set on a street parallel to Rua Augusta, in the section closer to Commerce Square. It’s also very close to City Hall Square with its beautiful mosaic patterns, and more broadly, it’s within easy reach of both the city’s main sights and key transportation points. The hotel itself occupies a fairly large neoclassical building, and the moment you step outside, you’re right in the middle of the action.
Rooms are larger than in many other three-star hotels in Baixa and very comfortable. It’s a good choice for couples, as well as families booking two rooms, who want to stay in the center, pay a reasonable rate, and still get solid value. Stylish and renovated, the hotel is perfect for travelers exploring the city on foot. Its proximity to the promenade and its location a little closer to the river also make it possible, for example, to walk to Time Out Market in about 12 minutes.
Click here to check room availability and rates at Hotel MeraPrime Gold Lisboa…
5. Rossio Plaza Hotel
This hotel sits on Rossio Square, which is more or less the dividing line between Baixa and Avenida. Rossio Plaza Hotel is right next to the iconic Santa Justa Lift, making it easy to get up to Bairro Alto, Lisbon’s nightlife district. It’s a relatively large hotel, though the entrance is a bit tucked away among the shops and restaurants on the street. Even so, the location is one of the best in Lisbon, with excellent walkable access to countless places as well as convenient public transportation, including trains for day trips outside the city. One of the best examples is the palace town of Sintra, just a 40-minute train ride from nearby Rossio Station. Rooms are a good size, clean, functional, and comfortable.
Another thing we love about the location is that the hotel is on Rua Áurea. Personally, every time we walk down it, we can’t stop admiring the mosaic sidewalk patterns stretching about 500 yards downhill toward Commerce Square. This hotel suits couples of all ages who want to stay in the center of the action, with easy train access for day trips from Lisbon and a lively neighborhood to return to in the evening.
Click here to check availability and rates at Rossio Plaza Hotel…
Click here for the full guide to Baixa, central Lisbon…
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3-Star Hotels in Avenida
Avenida is the upper part of central Lisbon, beginning roughly around Rossio Square. As you move up the broad avenue lined with tall trees, the area becomes quieter. That’s one reason many older couples and families choose to stay here. It’s a little more spacious and less crowded, while still very much part of central Lisbon. It’s also well connected—some parts even on foot—to Lisbon’s livelier neighborhoods, including Baixa, Bairro Alto, and Alfama.
We’ve put together a short list of three-star hotels on Avenida da Liberdade that can make a stay in central Lisbon a little calmer:
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1. Blue Liberdade Hotel
This hotel is on Restauradores Square, which connects directly to Rossio Square and marks the start of Avenida da Liberdade. It’s in the lower part of the avenue, closer to Baixa and the center, though not quite as quiet as the sections farther uphill. Restauradores Square is one of the most central spots in Lisbon. From here, you can walk to many of the city center’s top sights and easily use public transportation to reach the rest of Lisbon and beyond.
Beyond its central location, this is an excellent and pleasantly polished hotel with wonderfully inviting rooms. It ranks among the city’s very best three-star options. The building is painted blue, just as the name suggests, and that color carries through inside, where pale blue tones dominate both the rooms and the public areas. Right at the entrance you’ll find an excellent fish restaurant called Pinoquio, as well as a tourist information center. This hotel is especially well suited to older couples who want to stay close to everything and return to a welcoming room after a day spent exploring Lisbon’s many sights. Don’t miss the beautiful lighting on the façade at night.
Click here to check room rates and availability at Blue Liberdade Hotel…
2. Maxime Hotel Lisbon
This hotel is set in the middle section of Avenida da Liberdade, about 150 meters from the metro station. In fact, it’s tucked behind the buildings facing the avenue, on a small square centered around a public garden and a café. That makes it even quieter than the hotels directly on Avenida, which are already known for being relatively peaceful.
The hotel was once home to a cabaret club, and the room design reflects that history. The stylish rooms are very comfortable and come with everything you need to unwind after a long day out. It’s best suited to couples who want to stay close to the center without having the city noise right beneath their window.
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3. Holiday Inn Express Lisboa – Av. Liberdade
This Holiday Inn hotel is at the far end of Avenida, very close to Marquês de Pombal Square. Set on a side street off Avenida da Liberdade, it’s a large hotel in a tall corner neoclassical building with a greenish façade, in keeping with the brand colors. The hotel is very comfortable, with relatively spacious rooms and the reliable standards you’d expect from the chain. It is at the upper end of Avenida, so getting to Baixa or Bairro Alto will usually require public transportation.
On the other hand, it’s very close to Eduardo VII Park, which is ideal for a pleasant morning walk. The surrounding area also has plenty of restaurants and cafés that feel more local and less touristy. Holiday Inn Express Lisboa is a good fit for travelers planning to get around the city by public transportation. The hotel is also just a 5-minute walk from Rato Square | Rato, an important transportation hub.
Click here to check room availability and rates at Holiday Inn Express Lisboa – Av. Liberdade…
Click here for more information about Avenida da Liberdade in central Lisbon…
3-Star Hotels in Alfama
1. Hotel Convento do Salvador
This relatively large hotel offers good rates in the heart of Alfama. Alfama is Lisbon’s oldest and most classic district—the true heart and soul of the city. Its hillside streets are home to the city’s famous, colorful viewpoints, including Santa Luzia and Portas do Sol | Portas do Sol, both practically at Hotel Salvador’s doorstep. The hotel occupies a former convent building that has been completely renovated. The cloister, or inner courtyard, has been transformed into a large modern patio that works beautifully as a kind of lobby. Rooms are bright, inviting, comfortable, and generously sized.
Staying in Alfama is usually best suited to travelers visiting Lisbon for the second or third time and wanting to experience it a bit more like a local—sleeping among narrow lanes and steep hills climbed by the city’s iconic trams. Even so, we don’t think there’s any reason to be intimidated by the hills, especially since tram 28 stops right outside Hotel Salvador. In the opposite direction, it will take you straight to the Augusta Gate and the famous pedestrian street in just a few quick minutes. Those who stay in Alfama can also look forward to spending their evenings in one of the district’s wonderful restaurants, often with the sounds of distinctive fado music in the background. If atmosphere matters to you, Alfama delivers Lisbon at its most relaxed and beautifully unhurried.
Click here to check room availability and rates at Hotel Convento do Salvador…
Click here for the full guide to Alfama, the old center of Lisbon…
Our Tips for Choosing a Hotel in Lisbon
Hotel location – One important thing to remember when visiting Lisbon is that the city is built on steep hills. Public transportation includes elevators, funiculars, and escalators that make it easier to get around. Still, especially on a first trip, it’s worth staying in flatter and more central areas like Baixa and Avenida, mentioned above.
Hotel category – In Portugal, there is a real distinction between hotel star ratings. The difference mostly comes down to luxury level and facilities, and less to the actual quality of the stay. The three-star hotels listed above are excellent properties; they’re simply rated three stars because they do not offer facilities such as a spa, pool, or 24/7 room service, which are typically required for a five-star rating. Most travelers coming to Lisbon, especially for the first time, are planning an active trip rather than a hotel-focused vacation. In that case, amenities matter less than being in a central location, where you can return to a clean room in the afternoon to freshen up before heading back out for an evening in this wonderful city.
Supply and demand – Lisbon sees visitors year-round. In recent years it has also become a very sought-after destination, so it’s hard to define a true off-season. Even so, the height of summer—July and August—is usually the most expensive time to visit, since that’s peak vacation season in Europe. Winter in Lisbon can be rainy, though generally much less so than in Porto. Hotel prices in Lisbon are usually lower in winter, which makes it a great opportunity to experience a European capital at friendlier rates and in weather that’s far milder than Northern Europe. Spring is the best season in Lisbon, and fall is also wonderful apart from rainy days. That said, this is very much a year-round destination, and there’s really no bad time to come.
Lisbon as a base for a hub-and-spoke trip – If you’re planning to do this by public transportation, it’s definitely best to stay in central Lisbon, especially in Baixa/Chiado, where it’s very easy to reach Sintra and Cascais, as well as other nearby destinations. If, on the other hand, you’re planning to explore outside Lisbon by car—to Cascais, Sintra, Óbidos, or even Évora, all of which are popular day-trip destinations from Lisbon, staying right in the city center would be a mistake. Getting in and out of central Lisbon can be difficult, and most hotels there do not have parking at all.
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