The Lisboa Brief — Week of 18 April 2026

From a EUR 48 million injection into the Metro Circular line to the reshuffling of short-term rental zones and 17 new restaurant distinctions in the Guia Repsol, it has been another packed week in the capital. Here is what happened in Lisbon.

Metro Gets EUR 48 Million to Finish the Circular Line

The Council of Ministers approved an additional EUR 48 million this week to complete the Yellow/Green Circular extension that will connect Rato to Cais do Sodré. The funding covers the two new stations — Estrela and Santos — that will finally close the loop on a project decades in the making. Once operational, commuters on the south side of the city centre will no longer need to backtrack through Marquês de Pombal to reach the riverfront, cutting journey times by up to 15 minutes on some routes.

Short-Term Rental Map Redrawn After 6,765 Licences Cancelled

Lisbon's alojamento local landscape shifted this month after the câmara cancelled 6,765 inactive registrations — roughly 40 per cent of all records on file. The clean-up triggered a recalibration of the city's containment zones. Arroios, Estrela, and São Vicente have been downgraded from absolute to relative containment, while Avenidas Novas has exited containment entirely. The historic tourism core — Santa Maria Maior, Misericórdia, and Santo António — remains locked under absolute containment. The city now counts 11,774 active AL registrations.

98 Social Housing Units Approved for Bairro Padre Cruz

The câmara approved EUR 15.7 million for the construction of 98 new social housing units in Carnide's Bairro Padre Cruz, one of Lisbon's largest municipal neighbourhoods with 1,420 existing homes and about 6,084 residents. Work on lots 5 through 10 will include new public spaces and infrastructure, with completion expected within two years. Separately, rehabilitation of 500 homes across Alta de Lisboa, Vale de Santo António, and Olaias has been completed at a cost of EUR 6.6 million, benefiting more than 1,450 residents.

Karl Lagerfeld Residences Get the Green Light — EUR 20,000 Per Square Metre

At the other end of the housing spectrum, the municipality approved the Karl Lagerfeld branded residences at Rua Braamcamp 48-50, near Avenida da Liberdade. The 12-storey building will contain just ten apartments starting at 240 square metres, with prices around EUR 20,000 per square metre — making them the most expensive homes in Portugal. Amenities include a wellness floor with a flotation pool, an underwater sound system, and a penthouse with a transparent-floor rooftop pool. Construction is set to begin in September, with completion in 2028.

Câmara Ordered to Pay EUR 40 Million for 1990s Planning Decisions

Two court-ordered payments totalling nearly EUR 40 million are landing on the city's balance sheet. The larger, EUR 19.7 million, relates to a Lumiar property acquisition connected to the Alvalade XXI complex — the site where Estádio José de Alvalade was built. The remaining EUR 17.3 million stems from the Avenida dos Estados Unidos da América extension contract. Both date back to urbanisation processes from the 1990s.

New Master Plan Debate Kicks Off

The first session of the "Encontro de Urbanismo 2026" conference series opened at the CIUL Auditorium this week, launching a public debate on Lisbon's new Plano Director Municipal. Seven sessions will analyse the pillars of the updated master plan that will shape land use, building regulations, and urban strategy for the coming decades. The opening session — focused on territorial context — featured Madrid's General Plan Office director sharing lessons from the Spanish capital's own planning overhaul.

Carris Orders 30 More Electric Buses

Carris signed a EUR 12.7 million order for 30 e.City Gold electric buses from CaetanoBus, along with 16 Siemens fast chargers. The purchase is part of the city's push to make 87 per cent of the Carris fleet "environmentally friendly" by 2027, with EUR 165 million in total investment committed. Meanwhile, the GIRA bike-sharing network is getting EUR 5 million for expansion, with a goal to reach all 24 freguesias. The 2026 city budget also includes EUR 35 million for 98 new buses and two new inter-municipal transit links to Loures and Oeiras.

Lisbon Restaurants Shine in Guia Repsol 2026

Greater Lisbon picked up 17 of the 41 new distinctions awarded at the Guia Repsol 2026 gala. José Avillez's Belcanto maintained its maximum three Sóis rating, while JNcQUOI Asia and Henrique Sá Pessoa's latest venture earned two Sóis. New one-Sol entries include Broto (Pedro Pena Bastos), Encanto (Avillez's vegetarian concept), Loco (Alexandra Silva), and Kanazawa. The guide also awarded the Sol Sustentável to Ciclo, run by José Neves and Cláudia Abreu da Silva. Brazilian chefs are increasingly prominent in Lisbon's high-end dining scene, with several new entries reflecting the city's culinary diversity.

Tram 28E Running Partial Bus Replacement

Lisbon's iconic Tram 28E is operating a mixed tram-and-bus service due to a road closure on Calçada da Estrela. Trams continue to run on unaffected sections, with replacement buses covering the gap. Carris has not announced a date for full tram service to resume.

What to Watch Next Week

Friday 25 April marks the 52nd anniversary of the Carnation Revolution, with citywide commemorations, parades, and cultural events. The SIL 2026 real estate fair opens at FIL in Parque das Nações on 23 April, running parallel to Tektonica, with panels dominated by the housing crisis and build-to-rent models. And the LVMH-linked L Catterton fund's acquisition of Sintra's Penha Longa Resort — a 204-room Ritz-Carlton property bought for a reported EUR 140 million — signals continued luxury investment appetite in the Greater Lisbon corridor.