mattkorey

Which would you recommed, were you just to pick one, for tourist reasons.

We have hit all the major European cities and are well into the second tier groupings, for lack of a better term, and have to pick between these two for part of this trip.

I ask this generally speaking, irrespective of what anyone in particular might be interested in, just as a city to visit.
I know that I would have no problem making that assessment between any two cities I have visited and giving my reasons why I came to that conclusion.

Thanks FT-ers.

sushanna1

What are your interests? What kind of food do you enjoy? Is money an issue? Lisbon will cost less than Milan.

tyn

You couldn't have picked two cities more different

Climate is very different, so what time of the year you will be going is a factor to be taken into account.
Also, as pointed out above, everything in Milan is way more expensive than in Lisbon.

I find Lisbon more laid back and charmingly old fashioned than Milan, Milan is your typical big bustling city.
Both have lovely works of art and nice places within reasonable distance for day trips.

Personally, I would choose LIsbon, it is more unusual.

stut

For me,

Milan: industrial city with a grand centre, amazing gothic cathedral (walk on the roof!), shops you can gawp at, impeccably dressed people with an uncanny ability to eat oversized ice creams on rickety old trams, nearby mountains, lakes and small historic cities within easy reach by train.

Lisbon: near-untouched, faded grandeur - a city where the laid-back disorganisation, dirt and graffiti don't matter one bit; hills, lifts and funiculars, tiny bars and restaurants in unlikely back streets, slippery tiled mosaic paving and shops that haven't changed since the 50s, rickety old trams that whizz up and down steep cobbled streets, the solid old moorish cathedral, views of the shimmering Tagus, trips out to the coast at Cascais, along the river to Bel�m (for custard tart paradise) or through the brutal housing estates of Benfica to grand old Sintra, the Pena palace and coastal national park, or even inland to the stunning Alentejo district.

I may have betrayed my immediate preference in this post... I like both cities, but have a real soft spot for Lisbon, having spent this New Year there (in a wonderful old Bairro Alto AirBnB apartment). Milan, I would say, has less to keep you in the city, but has rather wonderful surroundings.

Forrest Bump

Milan makes sense only for shopping.
Lisbon is a lovely place (as all Portugal) tons of bucks cheaper.
Different story if you come to compare Lisbon to Rome.

bigbuy

Lisbon with an easy train side trip to Porto for a night or two.

mattkorey

Awesome, thanks. Those are exactly the sorts of things I wanted to hear. Personal takes on it. Like if someone asked me which do you prefer, Berlin or Budapest? I could tell them in an instant and why, even if I liked both.

Thanks for the inside scoop.

JoelA

Another vote for Lisbon for all the reasons mentioned above.

Book a small hotel in the middle of it all. Toss away the map and just wander. Find some small cafe and enjoy some grilled sardines!

Oh, and if you have time Sintra is lovely too.

Enjoy!

Christopher

Unless you have some specific reason for going to Milan, I'd vote for Lisbon as well. Milan is a large, wealthy (on the whole), industrial city. It is noted for the opera (La Scala), its cathedral, da Vinci's painting "The Last Supper" (which is off the beaten track) and shopping. It is also very expensive. I have to say that I really think that, as a tourist, there are many other places in Italy that would repay a short visit much more. (That is not to say that Milan wouldn't be a better place than most to live in, but that's a different thing.)

Lisbon, on the other hand, is a much more unusual city, with a vibrancy that Milan lacks, and a faded grandeur that is all its own. It was, after all, the centre of one of the world's great empires and the capital of a proud sea-faring people. It is still (in my opinion) one of the most outward-looking cities in Europe. The physical setting is superb, on the River Tejo (which we know better, by its Latin name, as the River Tagus), by the sea, defined by its hills. It has some very interesting buildings, lots of history, good eating, and an equable climate pretty much all the year. [It is also the only place that I have ever been that has lifts (elevators) as part of its public transport system (albeit now largely used by tourists, but not entirely). ]

niceflyer1186

Having been to both cities numerous times, I would say Lisbon would be my go-to. No matter your interests, the culture, food and fun are more plentiful in Lisbon IMO.

Milan is known for a few things but really is a rich and underwhelming city.

olekorlo

Lisbon for sure - Milan is expensive, you can spend there a day and...it's enough.

Palal

I came to Milan for a weekend and went went back only 3.5 years later (and only to connect between 2 flights). Two weeks after my first Milan visit I came to Lisbon for a weekend, and ended up staying 3.5 years (so far).

There are more things to do in Lisbon than in Milan and weather's much nicer most of the year.

Milan can be seen in 1 day, 2 days tops and the rest of the time will be spent shopping.

keisari

Milan is fairly sterile aside from the center. Nice lakes within driving distance and you could take a day trip to Venice (if you have not been there)

Lisbon is great; the people are friendly, no pretenses, a little run down but has tons of "European" charm. Probably the best bacalau (cod fish done in a million different ways) and great prices when compared to other cities in Europe. I would also suggest something unusual; take a side trip to El Corte Ingles - the spanish department store - for a couple of hours of strolling and buying some interesting food.

stut

Oh yes, I can still taste the confit salt cod from my last trip.

And the past�is de Bel�m, covered in cinammon!

slawecki

people talk about milan being expensive, and it is. however, if one totals expenses from home airport and back, milan, london, paris, moscow and whatever are only 10-20% of total expense more than any econo city(?) whatever an econo city is in today's market.

i have not been to lisbon, but have been to milan twice for one week trade show. do not care for the place, and it is expensive.