Lisbon: European City of the Year 2012

In recent years Lisbon has won repeated accolades from the international community for its good quality of life and appeal to locals and visitors alike.

In the last few years it has been named Best European Destination, Best European City-Break and Best European Cruise Destination by the World Travel Association, Europe's Best Holiday Destination by the European Consumers Organisation, Europe's Most Affordable Destination by Tripadvisor and gained a place in the top ten world cities lists compiled by Lonely Planet and Yahoo to name just a few. It continues to climb Mercer's Quality of Life survey ranking 41st in 2011 ahead of many prominent cities such as Milan, Tokyo, New York, Rome and Madrid.

This month was no different with Lisbon being named European City of the Year 2012 by the Academy of Urbanism and one of Europe's Top Ten Shopping Destinations by the Economist Intelligence Unit.

The decision by the Academy of Urbanism is of particular interest to those thinking of moving to or investing in Lisbon as it follows an indepth study by multidisciplinary academics of the future direction of the city. The evaluation took into account the contribution of municipal policies and key architectural projects to the improvement of the urban environment and quality of life.

In conclusion Lisbon is thriving as a vibrant, international city with much to recommend it to both residents and tourists. This can only be good news for the property investor as property prices remain stable in this one of Europe's most affordable capitals.

Learn more about Lisbon and the surrounding area.