Comparing with Lisbon, it has a small walkable center, no high-rises (except for a few semi high rises in surrounding areas), pretty great weather year-round (o

Comparing with Lisbon, it has a small walkable center, no high-rises (except for a few semi high rises in surrounding areas), pretty great weather year-round (over 300 days of sun, I believe), lots of medium-sized plazas/parks and lots of lookout points over the city (both usually with one or more kiosk cafes). All in all, lots of compact green spaces, in addition to a few larger ones (parks and gardens). On the down side, the slippery cobblestone sidewalks are only big enough for one person, there's a lot of dog "doodoo" on them, and parking is hell (so they tell me). In fact most people in residential neighborhoods just park on the sidewalks (partially if not fully), as well as double-park. People pay parking meters and often even a homeless parking attendent as well. Luckily, the public transport (metro, bus, train, ferry) is quite good and reliable. I believe the govt was considering adding a downtown tax for cars entering the city center but I forget if that's been enacted. There was also something similar regarding older cars due to being less environmentally friendly.