World City Guide

Sport

Lisboetas have always been mad about football, but this is even more so now that the capital was at the heart of Portugal’s staging of the European Football Championships in 2004. The city has two main clubs – Sport Lisboa e Benfica (website: www.slbenfica.pt ), known as the ‘red devils’, and Sporting Clube de Portugal (website: www.sporting.pt ), known as the ‘lizards’, for their green and white stripes. Both are strong first-division contenders, although have often played in the shadow of FC Porto (website: www.fcporto.pt ), over the last decade. Over the last few seasons, Belem minnows Belenenses (tel: (21) 301 0461; website: www.cfbelenenses.pt ) has emerged as an unlikely title contender, much to the chagrin of the big two players.

Sport can get bloodthirsty in Portugal and Lisbon is no exception. Bullfighting (tourada) can be seen at the 9000-capacity Campo Pequeno (tel: (21) 793 2093) during the summer months on Thursdays. Tickets start at around ¬15.

Surrounding the city are beaches, sailing clubs and watersports facilities – the Estoril Tennis Open, Portuguese Golf Open and the World Windsurfing Championships all take place along the coast.

Tickets to sporting events are available for purchase at the Agência de Billetes para Espectáculos Públicos (ABEP). There is a kiosk located in the southeast corner of Praça dos Restauradores. Ticket Line (tel: (21) 003 6300) also offers tickets to many popular events.

Fitness Centres: The Health Club Soleil, in the Amoreiras Shopping Centre (tel: (21) 383 2908), has a leisure centre with squash courts.

Golf: There are over a dozen 18-hole courses in the Lisbon area, notably the Clube de Golf do Estoril, Avenida da República, in Estoril (tel: (21) 468 0176), and Campo de Golfe de Belas, Alameda do Aqueduto, near Quelez (tel: (21) 962 6640), a championship course designed by William ‘Rocky’ Roquemore. Green fees are approximately ¬30-50 and membership is not required. Portugal Golf (tel: (21) 396 5410; fax: (21) 396 5410; e-mail: portugalgolf@netcabo.pt; website: www.portugalgolf.pt ) can provide further information.

Swimming: The beaches to the west of Lisbon, notably at Estoril and Cascais, are popular but can become very crowded during the height of summer. At the Cabo da Roca, the water is rougher. Many Lisboetas prefer the beaches south of the River Tagus – there are dunes and sandy beaches south of Caparica. The Piscina do Ateneu, Rua das Portas de Santo Antão 102 (tel: (21) 343 0947), is a convenient swimming pool near the Rossio, open Monday to Friday 1530-1630 and 2100-2200 and Saturday 1530-1900.

Tennis: Tennis courts are located in the Jardim do Campo Grande, Campo Grande (tel: (21) 758 5192), as well as at the coastal resorts.