Can you really get a weekend in Lisbon for under £250pp? Including flights, food, drinks, sightseeing and a decent hotel? You can - if you know where to look...
Friday night
The late-night eat: Tuck in to a typical Portuguese dinner at Bonjardim (Travessa de Santo Antão 11; 00 351 21 342 7424), which dishes up piri-piri chicken and chips, plus a frosty beer, for £12.
The swish sleep: Lisbon’s deluxe hotels are currently slashing their prices. Find half-price rates online for the city’s bastion of opulence, Pestana Palace (Rua Jau 54; 00 351 21 361 5600, www.pestana.com; doubles from £100, B&B).
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Saturday
The on-the-go lunch: Lisbon’s latest culinary craze is Brazilian sushi. Sample it at Noori Sushi (Rua do Crucifixo 86). Grab a takeaway maki roll with a Latin twist: hot filadelfia, say – a thick cone of rice, deep-fried tuna, cream cheese, fried onions (£6).
The timeless tour: Hop on one of the century-old vintage trams. No. 28 (every 15 minutes from Praça Luís de Camões; 90p) trundles through the cobbled streets of the ornate Baixa and Chiado districts before lurching uphill to the Moorish Alfama neighbourhood.
The bargain BBQ: Fill up at the all-you-can-eat Brazilian barbecue A Picanha (Rua das Janelas Verdes 96; 00 351 21 397 5401). Piles of tender beef are flung on the table until diners are ready to pop. Throw in a bottle of wine and you’ll still have change from £30 for a taxi home.
The atmospheric drink: In the attractively raffish Bairro Alto district, kiosk-like bars sell plastic cups of icy lager for £1.70 to keep the perennial street party going. Start your bar crawl at Mahjong (Rua da Atalaia 3), a shabby-chic joint of bare concrete and table football.
Sunday
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The sweet treat: Pastéis de Belém (Rua de Belém 84) serves the city’s best custard tarts for only 70p each.
The A-list lunch spot: A chic cafe in the shopping district, Royale Café (Lg Rafael Bordalo Pinheiro, No. 29 R/C Esq Chiado; 00 351 213 469125) has good-value lunches – from salads to steak Royale – for around £9.
The bigger picture: For the city’s best views, stare along the barrels of the cannons poking out of the Medieval castle walls at Castelo de São Jorge (www.castelodesaojorge.pt; £6.20).
The pre-flight seaside supper: Head to beachy suburb Estoril for amê ijoas (clams) at Praia do Tamariz (00 351 21 468 1010, www.restaurantepraiatamariz.com; £15).
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Get me there: EasyJet (www.easyjet.com) has weekend flights from Gatwick and Luton from £53 return. Or try Bmibaby (www.bmibaby.com).