Best chippie in north London - everyone raves about Toff's in Muswell Hill, but the fish at George's is better and everything is expertly cooked to order. Be prepared to wait a few minutes - it's worth it.

George's Fish Bar
45, Tottenham Lane, London, N8 9BD
Tel: 020 8348 0782

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A little way inland - well away from the hubbub of the seafront - is Bardsley's, one of the best chippies in Britain. The fish is fresh and perfectly cooked, the owners are ridiculously friendly, the tables are formica - this is everything a great chippie should be.

22-23 Baker Street, off London Road. Tel 01273 681256

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The best map of Lisbon is available online at lisboainteractiva.cm-lisboa.pt/

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In 1798, the remains of Lisbon's Roman amphitheatre were discovered dug into the side of the hill, in what must once have been a very dramatic location just uphill from the Sé. It's been excavated and turned into a simple but very attractive museum.

Pátio do Aljube, 5 (off Rua Augusto Rosa) or Rua da Saudade; tel: 21 75 13 200;
Tram 28.

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The loveliest - and probably steepest - of Lisbon's funiculars, the Bica hauls itself up and down from the Bairro Alto to the Rua de São Paulo (look out for the arch with the inscription 'Ascensor da Bica'), through a neighbourhood all its own, situated in a steep-sided chasm. At the bottom, the Mercado de Ribeira has a lively fish and flower market in the mornings.

Between Rua do Loreto and Rua de São Paolo;
Metro: Chiado

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Nothing defines Lisbon better than its miradouros, the lovely belvederes from which to sit and gaze at the view. The Castelo de São Jorge is the best-known, but there are many more.

Miradouro de São Pedro de Alcântara:
At the top of the Elevador da Gloria, looking out across to Graça and the Castelo, it has a tiled panel detailing the view.

Miradouro de Santa Catarina:
Near the Bica funicular, this hidden-away viewpoint is worth seeking out: it has a little cafe, popular with late-night clubbers. Wonderful views over the Tagus.

Miradouro das Portas do Sol:
The 28 tram sweeps past here before plunging away towards Graça. Probably the best view over the Alfama.

Miradouro Santa Luzia:
Perhaps the loveliest one of all, round the back of the Igreja de Santa Luzia, just before you get to Largo das Portas do Sol. A pretty terrace of azulejos, hung with flowers, you'll want to sit here and gaze across the Tagus for hours.

Wherever there's a hill, go up it and you'll come to one.

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What is happening to Parque Mayer? This atmospheric hodge-podge of theatres, music halls, restaurants and cinemas just off the Avenide da Liberdade has been slowly crumbling away for years, and plans were announced to tear down the lot and replace it with a Frank Gehry-designed complex. Those plans seem to have been abandoned and the beautiful art deco Teatro Capitólio, despite a local campaign and listing by World Monuments Watch, is still being left to rot. Go for a wander around while you can: it's like being on a David Lynch film set.

Parque Mayer, Travessa do Salitre;
Metro: Avenida
www.wmf.org/resources/sitepages/portugal_teatro_capitolio.html

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Vegetarians are not well catered for in Lisbon, but the restaurant in the Buddhist centre on Rua do Salitre makes up for it. It's friendly, the food is good, and the building itself is pretty, with a nice garden at the back. Closed at weekends. Booking advised.

Rua do Salitre, 117;
tel: 21 314 20 38;
Metro: Avenide;
www.tibetanos.com

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A legend among pastry lovers, this place invented Pasteis de Belém (or pasteis de nata as they're called everywhere else) and it's hard to beat their claim to make the best ones (the recipe is kept secret). Have them with coffee in the maze of rooms at the back, sprinkled with cinnamon and icing sugar from battered metal shakers, or take them home in a tube with little sachets. They won't keep for more than a day - but no-one can resist eating them that long anyway.

Rua de Belém 84-92;
tel 21 363 74 23.
www.pasteisdebelem.pt;
Tram 15, trains from Cais do Sodré, many buses

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Beyond Estrela lies the smart, chic and self-contained district of Campo de Ourique: a grid of tree-lined streets with an almost Parisian feel, with plenty of small shops, cafes and a fresh produce market. Off the beaten track, but a pleasant (and mercifully flat) area for a stroll. South-west of here is the huge Prazeres ('Pleasures') cemetery, which has great views across the Ponte 25 de Abril.

At the western end of the 28 tram route: some trams end their journey at Estrela, so make sure the sign on the front of the tram says 'Prazeres'.

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Around the Rossio are the last few richly-decorated old hole-in-the-wall bars selling Ginjinha, a thick, sweet and lethally potent brew of cherries, sugar and brandy. You can have it with or without the 'fruta' (cherries) - if you have it 'com', eat the cherry afterwards. But be warned: it's quite a hit.

Rossio, Rua das Portas de S. Antão

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Forget bungee jumping, crossing the road in Naples can seem like the scariest adventure sport of the lot. The best advice is to do what the locals do: don't try and get around the traffic, let the traffic get around you. Just hold your nerve and walk across the road - it sounds insane, but the drivers will (generally) see you and avoid you. It takes some bottle the first time, but you get used to it surprisingly quickly. Obviously use common sense, i.e. don't walk out in front of a speeding car - but Naples traffic seems to feature the horn more than the accelerator, the congestion being what it is. Just watch out for ten-year-olds on Vespas...

Everywhere

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A dizzying jewel-box of a bar, the walls lined with shelf after shelf of toys, models, statues, paintings, knick-knacks and junk. There's a warren of rooms, with pool played in the back. A good cocktail list to help you try and maintain focus. If you're into minimalism, give it a very wide berth.

Rua Dom Pedro V, 89;
tel 21 342-47-29;
Metro: Restauradores, then take the Elevador da Gloria and turn right;
Open til 2am

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The best place in Lisbon for live Cape Verdian music - an atmospheric, crumbling old 16th-century mansion with a courtyard that's almost as busy as the main hall on summer nights. Fantastic.

Largo Conde Barão 50, Santos;
tel: 396 3735;
metro: Cais do Sodre

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Between the Baixa and Castelo is the sloping maze of Mouraria - the Alfama without the tourists and the chi-chi boutiques. Mainly African, it hums with life day and night. Walk up through the narrow streets and wind up in Graca - Lisbon's highest hill - then head for the rooftop bar of the Albergaria Senhora do Monte. It has the finest view over the Castelo and the city.

Metro: Martim Moniz, then head uphill. Albergaria Senhora do Monte is at Calçada do Monte, 39.

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Opposite the Jardim da Estrela, near the end of the 28 tram route, is the walled English Cemetery - an extraordinary, overgrown jumble of graves, trees and stories. Not just English ones: all sorts of expats, adventurers, drifters and romantics ended up here. So did Henry Fielding, who came to Lisbon for his health, hated it and died. It feels like walking into a secret history of old Europe.

Rua de Sao Jorge, Estrela;
Metro: Rato, or catch tram 28

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Lisbon's botanical gardens are - like most things in Lisbon - on a precipitous slope; they're also lush, tropical, usually empty and feel like they've been there a million years. A beautiful, cool oasis right in the heart of the city.

Rua Escola Politécnica, Principe Real;
Open every day from 9am - 7pm

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A restaurant, cafe, social club for Alentejans (the vast rural plains between Lisbon and the Algarve) and one of the loveliest Moorish interiors in Lisbon. To see the tiled interior of the restaurant is worth the price of an excellent meal alone.

Rua das Portas de Santo Antão 58, just north of the Rossio

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The best shellfish in the city: try the clams in garlic and parsley. In fact, try everything. The waiters are seriously professional, the tiles are seriously garish, the food is seriously good.

Av. Almirante Reis, 1-H;
tel: 21 885 1024;
Metro: Intendente

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This shop on the edge of the Baixa, near the Sé, sells an excellent range of ceramics, linen, figurines etc from all over Portugal. The hand-painted clay figures from the north are delightful. Not especially cheap, but probably the best place in Lisbon to buy well-chosen handicrafts.

Rua da Madalena, 87;
tel 21 88 72 031;
www.santosoficios-artesanato.pt/index.htm

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