Four Seasons Hotel Ritz Lisbon has two pools, a spa and a rooftop running track, 34 minutes' walk uphill from Chiado; Bairro Alto Hotel, about half the price, has no pool but Chiado at the door. Families and spa stays suit the Ritz; first visits on foot, Bairro Alto Hotel.
The grand oneThe grand hotel of Lisbon: full service, a serious spa and a rooftop running track.
€€€€From about €1,085 a night
Choose Four Seasons Hotel Ritz Lisbon if
The catch
The location is grand rather than atmospheric; old Lisbon is a walk or a taxi away.
The all-rounderThe Lisbon hotel that gets location, character and a rooftop right all at once.
€€€€From about €525 a night
Choose Bairro Alto Hotel if
The catch
Rooms facing the square hear Bairro Alto nightlife and the tram until late.
| Best for | Four Seasons Hotel Ritz Lisbon | Bairro Alto Hotel |
|---|---|---|
| Best design hotels in Lisbon | Not on the list | On the list |
| Best central hotels in Lisbon | Not on the list | On the list |
| Best hotels with a view in Lisbon | On the list | On the list |
| Best hotels for food and drink in Lisbon | On the list | Not on the list |
Four Seasons Hotel Ritz LisbonBairro Alto Hotel
Four Seasons Hotel Ritz Lisbon
Bairro Alto Hotel
The verdict
Four Seasons Hotel Ritz Lisbon has two pools, a spa and a rooftop running track, 34 minutes' walk uphill from Chiado; Bairro Alto Hotel, about half the price, has no pool but Chiado at the door. Families and spa stays suit the Ritz; first visits on foot, Bairro Alto Hotel.
Questions people ask
Four Seasons Hotel Ritz Lisbon has two pools, a spa and a rooftop running track, 34 minutes' walk uphill from Chiado; Bairro Alto Hotel, about half the price, has no pool but Chiado at the door. Families and spa stays suit the Ritz; first visits on foot, Bairro Alto Hotel.
When only the full grand-hotel experience will do, this is the choice. Pay for the park view. The only full grand hotel in the city: nearly 300 rooms, a serious spa, a starred restaurant and service that runs like a machine. It is above the park rather than in old Lisbon, and priced at the top of the market.
It has indoor and outdoor pools. There is no beach; the nearest is a drive away.
For a Lisbon trip made on foot, with a proper bar to come back to, this is the choice. The position, the rooftop and the feeling of the place are hard to beat. The most central address in this edit, with a rooftop half the city seems to know about. It is lively, unmistakably Lisbon and priced for the position rather than for facilities.
There is no pool. There is no beach; the nearest is a drive away.