Lisbon, Portugal • Travel Guide
Lisbon really sole my heart when we visited. The colors, tiles, textures, food, people… I truly loved it all. It was one of the most inspiring places I’ve ever explored - Jesús and I truly wish we could have stayed longer than the 4 days we had there. Of our 3-country trip to N. Ireland, Barcelona and then Lisbon - Lisbon was our very favorite. So we at least plan to visit again some day.
I’ve listed below our personal advice/ things to know before visiting Lisbon, a whole bunch of recommendations for where to eat and drink, what to see, along with a round up of what I packed and wore during our stay.
I hope you’ll find all this information helpful during your next visit to this stunning city!!
Enjoy!
The view from our Airbnb
General Advice:
Wear shoes with a bit of tread - the streets and sidewalks are paved with beautiful, smooth tiles that I imagine would be pretty slippery in the rain. Especially on all the inclines!
Don’t forget some sunglasses - the city gets super bright on a clear/sunny day.
Almost all restaurant kitchens close in the middle of the day for a few hours (after lunch and before dinner).
The trolleys aren’t the cheapest means of transportation so I’d recommend saving them for the really long hikes.
This city will be quite a workout unless you Uber, use the Metro or take the tolleys. We walked (basically hiked) so much and enjoyed it, but it’s not for everyone.
Buy water at a corner store to carry around if you don’t want to pay for water at restaurants.
Ordering beer or wine at lunch is about the same cost as ordering water - which was quite fun.
The main train station in Lisbon will easily take you out to Sintra or Porto for a really fun day trip! Which I highly recommend. We visited Pena Palace in Sintra one day and really enjoyed the experience. Click HERE to see the full recap on that whole experience!
Please please try Pastéis de Nata - either from Manteigaria or Pastéis de Belém. We didn’t get to go to the one in Belém, but heard amazing things about that location!
We found our Airbnb in Biarro Alto and REALLY enjoyed the location. This neighborhood is definitely the popular, scenic part of town. Super centrally located in the city, around some of the best restaurants, cafes and shops AND it’s higher up on the hill, which means we weren’t necessarily hiking upward every single time we left our ‘house’.
If selecting an Airbnb, keep in mind that you may be walking up many flights of stairs unless otherwise noted ;). So many of the buildings here are old (and stunning), but lack elevators.
Spots to check out:
Coffee
Breakfast/ Lunch
Dinner
Água Pela Barba - Amazing little seafood spot. We ordered the Saucy Quinoa dish and Ceviche! It’s cash only.
Farés Lisboa - SO good!
Time Out Market - I wasn’t too impressed by this popular food hall, but it could have been the counter I chose! a lot of people like this spot.
Frangasqueira Nacional - the besttttt chicken and rice. Terrible customer service but we went back two nights in a row for this food. Worth the wait. Cash only!
Drinks
PARK rooftop bar - a bar on top of a parking garage in the center of Bairro Alto
Sweets
Manteigaria - for Pastel de Nata
PIC Perfect Ice Cream - I recommend the lemon basil or pistachio flavors!
Sights
Pink Street / Praça do comércio - super touristy, but still fun to check out and walk through.
Shopping/ Wandering along Avenida Liberdade
Palacio dos Marqueses da Fronteira - stunning garden outside of the city!
Miradouro da Nossa Senhora do Monte for Sunset
Day Trip to Pena Palace in Sintra ,Portugal
What I Packed!
Every day, I wore my Reebok Club C 85 sneakers - they were so comfortable for walking all over the city.
I brought plain t-shirts and button-ups for layering/ mixing and matching. 2 of these 4 were from Tradlands - one in Clay and one in Black - this brand is a go-to of mine for quality staples!
The weather was so sunny when we were there, and we did so much walking/hiking, that I was always the most comfortable in shorts, a dress or skirt.
A wore this pleated Sezane skirt a ton - dressed up with a button-up or tank, and dressed down with my t-shirts. I also brought a bright yellow summer dress from Sezane that I got this summer to match with all the colorful walls and tiles!
I wore some vintage black denim shorts on the warmer afternoons and this tank from Apero
And finally, my Medium Transport tote - the purse I quite literally take with me everywhere. It’s been the perfect size for traveling!
The view from our Airbnb (in the other direction)
Dress from Sezane
Praça Luís de Camões
Praça Luís de Camões
The metro
our Airbnb
