When Avenida da Liberdade was built in the 19th century, Lisbon’s urban planners wanted it to mimic Paris’s iconic boulevards. So they created a thoroughfare in the middle of the Portuguese capital featuring wide, leafy streets with cobblestone promenades paved with stunning Portuguese-style patterns that, over the decades, have been smoothed by countless pedestrians. Because of its history, Avenida da Liberdade, which, when translated into English, means liberty avenue, became the natural destination for equally opulent visitors with grand theaters and townhouse-style homes of dignitaries and celebrities to luxury hotels. In fact, Liberdade is the most sought-after address for big-name fashion labels when looking to set up their Portuguese flagships: Cartier, Miu Miu, Louis Vuitton, and Gucci all have homes here. But becoming Lisbon’s premier shopping hotspot didn’t necessarily lead to the hippest reputation. Instead, locals left Liberdade to affluent shoppers and hung out elsewhere. But the last few years have been kinder to Liberdade, as more interesting projects beyond retail have begun to pop up. Here, our recommendations for where to eat, drink, and stay on and around Lisbon’s most famous avenue.
Eat and DrinkJNcQUOI is a multi-floor, multi-concept space that opened in April and provides the neighborhood with a trendy, see-and-be-seen restaurant. The building also has a menswear boutique on the lower level, a bar on the main floor, and upstairs is a beautiful dining room with original period frescoes and sharp modern furniture. The menu balances elevated takes on typical ingredients like the delectably tender Iberico pork, along with traditional plates of tomato rice and cod croquettes. If you decide to explore Liberdade on a Sunday, make sure to book a poolside seat at Valverde Hotel’s Sítio for its weekly brunch, where you can chow down on seasonal risottos, pancakes made with carob flour, and fresh fruit as a jazz duo performs everything from the standards to a mellow version Meghan Trainor’s “All About That Bass.” On a minor street parallel to Liberdade, break for caffeine at Fábrica Coffee Roasters. It’s an artsy, red-bricked eatery where there is no Wi-Fi, but there is brewed and pour-over coffee, rarities in espresso-obsessed Portugal. To make a night of it, track down one of the best bars in town: Red Frog is a laid-back speakeasy that serves everything from classic cocktails to colorful tiki drinks in a quirky, members club–feeling bar.
ShopWhile Liberdade’s retail reputation is certainly rooted in high-end fashion, there’s been a recent influx of specialty boutiques which have made shopping here a much more diverse and enjoyable experience. Now, you can complement your visits to Miu Miu and Loewe with goods from Embassy (a boutique just off Liberdade that focuses on niche, hard-to-find fragrance brands like Tauer Perfumes and Giovanna Antonelli) and DeliDelux, a treasure trove of gourmet products from all over the world, but of course, you’ll want to train your eyes on the tasty Portuguese wines, olive oil, salts, and canned sardines which are so beautifully packaged, they would make for fantastic souvenirs.
Where to stayBecause of Liberdade’s location so close to Lisbon’s business district, the hotels that have settled on the street traditionally offered largely corporate, if upscale, accommodations. The first sign of a change happened in 2014 when Valverde Hotel opened its stylish doors. The boutique property signaled a major shift not only because of its darker, sexier aesthetic but also because of who it lured into calling Liberdade their temporary home. Fashion and media influencers, international artists, and creative entrepreneurs love to stay at Valverde for its casual but helpful service, design-forward interiors rooted in mid-century style, and discreet elegance—there are only 25 rooms. Across the street, Lisbon classic Tivoli Avenida Liberdade poured $16 million into a renovation that brought the hotel into more modern standing. But perhaps what will be even more alluring is the opening of its six-room spa later this summer. Despite its chichi reputation, this street is surprisingly lacking in pampering destinations, but the unveiling of the Tivoli spa, which promises a mix of Portuguese-inspired rituals and more straightforward treatments like an invigorating back massage, will add even more luxury to the neighborhood.