Lisbon, Portugal: Itinerary & Tips
Overview
Who// me, my mom, & my grandparents
What// a three-day stretch of our twelve-day vacation
Where// lisbon, portugal
When// december 15-18, 2017
Why// when i studied abroad, lisbon was one of my friends' favorite destinations in all of europe, but i never made it there! we made it a priority on our spain/portugal trip.
How// we took a 3-hour train from porto to lisbon
My favorite photo I took in Lisbon. Captures the colors, history, and water.
Details
Where to stay:
- Neighborhood// Bairro Alto
- Airbnb// our Lisbon Airbnb was our favorite on the trip! Check it out here.
- Hostel// Poet's Hostel, recommended by a friend
The view out my bedroom window in our Airbnb was insane.
What to eat:
- Breakfast// make your own eggs, fruit, fresh squeezed OJ
- Lunch// Paco Real
- Lunch// Restaurante Cantinho da Rosa
- Lunch// LX Factory
- Lunch or Dinner// Time Out Market
- Dinner// ByTheWine
- Dinner// Bairro do Avillez
Incredible salted caramel dessert at Bairro do Avillez. A must.
Really cool ambiance at ByTheWine.
Our spread at Bairro do Avillez! Served family style.
What to do:
- Sandeman's free walking tour
- Bike to Belem
- Explore the LX Factory
- Take a tuk tuk tour
- "Cooking Lisbon" cooking class
- Drinks at PARK bar
- Day trip to Sintra
- Go out on The Pink Street
- Couple more ideas courtesy of Refinery 29 here
A church in Lisbon's historic Alfama district, which we toured on our tuk tuk ride.
The perfect three-day itinerary:
Day 1: Walking Tour & Belem
- Make or grab a quick breakfast
- Start with a free walking tour
- We did Sandeman's New Europe, starting at 11 am
- ~15-30 euros suggested donation
- Grab lunch at Paco Real
- Our tour guide took us here, just a few minute walk from Praco do Comercio
- Order the house cod! Cod is a specialty in Lisbon
- ~10 euros
- Bike to Belem
- Rent bikes at Lisbon Bike Rental (near Time Out Market) for nine hours
- Follow the bike path along the Tagas River to Belem
- Check out the monuments, tower, and monastery in Belem
- Take your time, grab coffee or a glass of wine at one of the waterfront cafes, maybe read a book in the park once you get to Belem
- 15 euros
- On the way back, stop at the LX Factory
- About halfway between Belem and Lisbon
- Warehouses renovated into shops, boutiques, and an open air market
- Tip: Allow at least an hour or two here, come hungry, and bring cash!
- Note: From the bike path, you have to cross a foot bridge over the train tracks to get to LX. There are bike rails on most of these bridges. Make sure to cross back over the bridge when you leave LX, as the paths get really narrow and are completely cobblestoned on the street side. Not enjoyable.
- Have dinner at Time Out Market
- There are so many options here, but I had two delicious meals below:
- Henrique Sa Pessoa: Green pea soup with jamon & herb croutons, mushrooms stuffed with chorizo, topped with jamon & quail egg, and red wine
Gourmet delicious, healthy, filling...zero complaints
15 euros
- O Prego Da Peixaria: Wagyu beef with bacon, cheddar, & basil mayo, sauteed veggies
SO GOOD, but one of the only things in Europe that made my tummy hurt after
11 euros
- Henrique Sa Pessoa: Green pea soup with jamon & herb croutons, mushrooms stuffed with chorizo, topped with jamon & quail egg, and red wine
- There are so many options here, but I had two delicious meals below:
Stop by Ginjinha Bar to try the establishment's namesake, ginjinha, which is a sour cherry liquor unique to Lisbon
Chafariz do Carmo, an 18th-century fountain in the middle of a little town square.
One of the monuments on the way to Belem.
Stop by the new MAAT museum, also on the way to Belem!
Lisbon's fake castle peeking through an ancient alleyway.
Little treats at the LX Factory.
And amazing ceramics like I've never seen before.
Your walking tour ends at Praca do Comercio, right on the water. During Christmas, there's a big tree in the center!
Lunch at Paco Real of house cod, veggies, salad & white wine.
Dinner at Henrique Sa Pessoa of soup, mushrooms, & red wine.
Day 2: Tuk Tuk Tour & Cooking Class
- Make or grab a quick breakfast
- Explore and shop
- Likely, you'll have passed a ton of cute stores and shops at this point in your explorations. Make sure to give yourself some time in Lisbon to take full advantage of the fashion and hand made goods!
- Get lunch at Restaurante Cantinho da Rosa
- Recommended by our tour guide as a local, yummy, and affordable spot in Bairro Alto
- Grab a tuk tuk in any of the popular tourist areas
- They're available down by the waterfront in Praca do Comercio or near the Armazéns do Chiado shopping mall
- Go for a tour that explores the Alfama and more historic Lisbon. Ask your driver to take you to the highest point in the city at sunset, and down the Avenida da Liberdade if it's during Christmas-time. Trust me on this one.
- If you're lucky like us, you'll have a driver that doubles as a tour guide. He even dropped us off at our cooking class at the end of our ride :')
- 40 euros total
- For dinner, take a cooking class at “Cooking Lisbon”
- We were the only people in our class (winter in Europe smh), but still a good idea to sign up beforehand
- For our meal, we made yummy duck/chicken croquettes, potato cabbage soup, cod fish casserole, & a light, fluffy cake. We drank lots of wine, too!
- Finish your night with a city-view drink at PARK Bar
- On the top/sixth floor of an active parking structure
- Very young & hip, but I also saw backpackers & families come through, so I think everyone is welcome
- Includes a glassed-in bar, plastic encased area, and outdoor rooftop view
- Tip: Need to take the dingy metal elevator to the fifth floor and walk the rest of the way up to the sixth floor
Awesome Portuguese shop called Feeting Room.
Street view of downtown Lisbon. We finally found the blue sky here!
A tram transports people up the steep hills of Lisbon. The graffitti is a staple of the country.
Incredible view from the highest point in the city. Our tuk tuk driver took us here to watch the sunset.
Cooking Lisbon course #1: cabbage soup with duck croquettes.
Cooking Lisbon course #2: codfish with potatoes.
Cooking Lisbon course #3: light & fluffy Portuguese cake.
The view from PARK Bar's rooftop. Not a great photo, but you can still feel the cool vibes of this place!
Day 3: Day Trip to Sintra
- Make/grab a quick breakfast
- Meet your tour group at the prescribed location
- We didnt actually have time to do Sintra (le sigh), and I'm sad about that
- I know you can book this through Sandeman's New Europe, who we did our walking tour with
- Spend the day exploring Sintra
- I have the below synopsis from a friend:
- There’s bunch of different castles and old forts etc. Through my tour group we only saw two, which apparently are the only two that are really worth seeing:
- Sintra Pena Castle: Beautiful, old, colorful castle with great views. 20 minute hike to the best ones, so wear comfy shoes.
- Quinta a Regaleira: Historic estate with a romantic palace and chapel. You can walk through their amazing gardens with grottos/caves built in. Very cool.
- Get dinner at Bairro do Avillez
- Recommended by the Airbnb host
- Huge space, including a restaurant, bar, patio, etc.
- Somewhat touristy/upscale Portuguese, but fun and delicious
Never stop getting fresh squeezed OJ! These machines are everywhere, including grocery stores & the airport!
Action shot of Mom & I from our walking tour. I need to get better at posing for photos. Until then, it will be selfies.
World's cutest grandparents, taken at dinner at Bairro do Avillez.
Why you'll love it:
- Shopping. It's just excellent here. Make sure you leave room in your bag.
- Veggies. It's not always easy to work these in while traveling, but I didn't have trouble at all in Lisbon!
- Climate. This was the farthest south and closest to the water we got on our trip, meaning it was the most temperate. This mattered very much to us after spending three frigid days in Madrid and two rainy ones in Porto.
- History. Their colorful streets are full of history. Even though most of the city was leveled in an earthquake in 1755, Portugal remained neutral during WWII, meaning much of their recent history remains intact.
- Reminiscent. If you've spent any time in San Francisco, Lisbon is kind of a trip. They're so similar! The red bridge, the marina built on nothing, the earthquake that leveled the city, all the hills and trams, the temperate climate and colorful homes...it's kind of crazy the commonalities between the two. I had fun comparing and contrasting.
If you're thinking about traveling to Portugal, check out my post on everything Porto here! For more travel guides as they come, sign up for monthly email updates.
