As the largest city in Portugal, it makes sense that Lisbon is also the capital and home to almost 3 million people. Its location on the western coast of the Iberian Peninsula has made it a historically powerful hub for international trade across the Atlantic Ocean (once they realized it wasn’t the end of the world). Lisbon predates even Rome, making it the oldest city in Western Europe. It wears its age spectacularly, however, and continues to grow both in size and influence every year. Lisbon sports many styles of architecture featuring millennium-old buildings and is sure to inspire with rich historical significance and beautiful cityscapes.

One would use a word like “decadent” to describe Lisbon; classic beauty giving way to charming disrepair. It is famous for its pastel colors, steep and winding hills, trolley cars, and iconic pastries. You will notice that iconic blue tile façades, or “azulejo,” on many of the buildings is noticeably run-down, telling the story of the wealth brought by trade, the decline during a long period of economic crisis, and reemergence of commerce focused largely on modern-day tourism. Lisbon simply cannot be seen in a day, and is the kind of place one can find themselves returning to time and time again.

Lisbon is a big city, which means we are lucky enough to partner with three different hospitals: Centro Hospitalar Lisboa Norte, Centro Hospitalar Lisboa Central, and Centro Hospitalar de Lisboa Occidental (CHLO).

Centro Hospitalar Lisboa Norte is a public general hospital located in the university district and is easily accessible via the city's metro rail system. With a wide range of departments available, this teaching hospital is afforded a wealth of resources by the Faculty of Medicine of Lisbon and engages in extensive medical research.

Founded in the fifteenth century, Centro Hospitalar de Lisboa Central is located in Lisbon, where there are currently six different campuses. Open since 2007, the Centro Hospitalar provides treatment in a wide range of specialties and, as of 2013, CHLC had 7,322 employees, serving about 100 buildings, for a total of 1,352 beds.

Centro Hospitalar de Lisboa Ocidental (CHLO) is divided into 3 different hospitals: Hospital de Egas Moniz, Hospital de San Francisco Xavier, and Hospital de Santa Cruz. Egas Moniz hospital has around 380 beds and was initially founded in 1902 to serve the Portuguese military. The Hospital de San Francisco Xavier is a general hospital; it was founded in the 1970's as a result of overcrowding and poor conditions within other hospitals, and currently has over 300 beds. Hospital de Santa Cruz was founded in 1908, but underwent major reform between 1970 and 1990. Since then, it has continued to expand and now includes over 230 beds and over 900 employees. The mission of CHLO as a whole offers education, research, and training opportunities to health professionals and the surrounding community.

Lisbon offers no shortage of diverse activities for Friday excursions. For example, some day trips might include a Lisbon City Tour to help you get acclimated, and to introduce you to some of the historical landmarks in the city center: Largo Camões, Miradouro S. Pedro de Alcantara, Chiado, Baixa, and many more. On another excursion, you might visit the fairytale Palácio da Pena and Castelo dos Mouros, explore the palace and marvel at the views from the top. A light meal is included in your excursions, which might include a typical Portuguese dish followed by a local Portuguese pastry of Queijadas or Travesseiros.

Since Friday excursions are designed to be a daytime activity, you can plan to return back to your host city in time to catch a nighttime plane to your weekend destination.