Lisbon, Portugal.
Day One: Explore The City
There are so many different ways to explore this beautiful city; by tram, bus, train or boat. If you decide to explore on foot then make sure to pack some comfy shoes, as Lisbon is very hilly, and start the trip nice and early. Begin in Rossio Square, a lively open space in the centre of the city. The square is laid with monochromatic wave-like paving that adds fun to the grand statues in the centre and is a the traditional place for people to meet, which makes a perfect place to start your trip!
From here, it is a very short walk (three minutes) to the Elevador de Santa Justa. This old metal lift is technically a part of the public transport system in the city, but is now mostly run a tourist attraction with a viewing platform on top. The lift can get very busy during the day (only 29 people are allowed on the platform at once) so try and visit this as early as possible. The lift is open between 07:00-23:00 in summer and runs every ten minutes, however it will run much more frequently depending on the volume of people at peak times. You can purchase tickets in the lift itself (€5.30 but you will need cash as no card payments are possible) or entry is included as part of the Yellow Bus ticket deal. Alternatively, you can also use the lift as part of the 24-hour public transport ticket (€6.40), which can be purchased from any metro station (Rossio metro is closest). Once at the top, the lift opens out onto a large platform, but don’t just stay on this floor as there is a better view from the floor above. Turn left out of the lift, through the electronic gates and up the spiral staircase to the platform at the top. This is one of the best views from the centre of the city over to São Jorge castle.
(As much as I love the view though, it is expensive and the queue for this elevator can be off-putting. I have included a hidden gem of mine at the end of this blog piece to show you how to get the same view for free…so keep reading!)
Once you have finished, leave the platform via the walkway at the top of the lift and head west to the Chiado district, and more specifically Livraria Bertrand. This bookshop on the corner of the Rua Anchieta plaza is the oldest running bookshop in the world. Inside is an almost tunnel-like network of alcoves filled with books of every topic and in many languages. There is also a small café at the back serving drinks and light snacks. Chiado is also the main shopping area in Lisbon so enjoy exploring the shops as you walk through. Often the streets can be the stage to many awesome street artists and musicians so be sure to check them out. I will often pause and perch on the fountains with the other locals to listen to the music, which really brings the district to life.
Pink street is an Instagram hotspot, and an eight minute walk from Livraria Bertrand. Once upon a time, this was the main street for Lisbon’s shadier nightlife, with brothels and erotic shops filling the buildings. The street was painted pink in 2013, as part of a hugely successful gentrification project. The brothels soon closed and the area has now become rather hipster, with quirky bars and clubs now in their place.
The street, officially called Cais do Sodre, is considered the main nightclub strip and so in the day may look a little tired, but the shocking pink road and yellow/blue buildings in the background liven up the place. It will get busy with people taking photographs, so try to be early but beware that may result in the cleaners still working on the street after the previous night’s partying!
Bica is my favourite part of Lisbon and this is the next stop on your journey. The district is a steep maze of narrow streets and stairways. Make sure to visit the Bica Funicular, one of the most photographed trams in the city. Start at the bottom of the funicular, which can be found in an archway off Rua de São Paulo, and ride the short tram ride to the top of the incredibly steep Rua de Bica de Duarte Belo. The tram runs every fifteen minutes and passes the colourful pop out restaurants and residential area. At the top, disembark and walk back down the street, weaving in and out of the alleyways. As you approach the bottom once again, turn right and a couple of streets out is the Miradouro de Santa Catarina, another spectacular viewpoint.
Top Tip: One of my favourite times of year to visit Bica is 12-14th June, when the narrow streets play host to the feast of St. Anthony, the matchmaker, or patron saint of single people! It is technically a sardine festival; locals decorate the streets and squares with bright colourful fish, while others open up their homes onto the pavement. There is music, dancing and singing on every corner and you won’t want to miss it! You can find grill stations and pop up bars, selling fresh sardines and sangria well into the night. Sardines are associated with poverty in Portugal and in the old days, a food of the poor. St Anthony took up a life of poverty and so the fish are used as a symbol of this. The Portuguese are said to consume 13 sardines per second during the festival! More information on this festival can be found at https://beportugal.com/lisbon-sardine-festival/.
After a couple of hours exploring, you will probably start to get hungry by this point, so why not visit the Time Out Market (https://www.timeoutmarket.com/lisboa/en/) for lunch? Located in the historic Mercado da Ribeira, less than five minutes walk to the south from the bottom of the Bica funicular, this buzzing market is the perfect place for a pit stop that ties in the culture of Lisbon, with fresh ideas and dishes produced by renowned chefs and small businesses from around the world. It houses 24 restaurants, 8 bars, 12 shops and a high end music venue, as well as still maintaining the traditional market, selling flowers, meat and vegetables. I would recommend the grilled octopus at Marlene Vieira, a work of art that tastes as good as it looks!
It is an eight minute walk from the Time Out Market to the Cais Sodré tram stop, where you can catch the 15 tram west-bound to Belém. Belém is a district on the outskirts of Lisbon, home to the famous pastel de nata(custard tarts). It is also an area of architectural delights, with the Torre de Belém being one of the most famous. Built in the 16th century as an entrance to the city, it is not only a wonder of the area but also is a defensive structure, key to the Portuguese empire. A more modern structure in the area is the Padrão dos Descobrimentios, which pays homage to thirty three of Portugal’s greatest explorers. The Mosteiro dos Jerónimos is also worth a visit, an elaborate former monastery that took almost one hundred years to complete but shows off the prosperity of the old empire. It was here where the monks created the first paséis de nata. Since the monastery was secularised, the same recipe has been used to make the tarts by the family run Pastéis de Belém. The patisserie produced over 20,000 tarts day and has grown to employ over one hundred people. Beware, the queues can be extremely long for here, and although they are the original, if you do not have time, it may be worth holding off and buying your patels de nata from a small coffee shop back in the main city (I often go to Fábrica da Nata!).
Take the train (Linha de Cascais) back from Belém to Cais do Sodré and turn towards the river. There is a small kiosk and terrace seating at the Quiosque Ribeira Das Naus on the edge of the water. Stop here while you take in the beautiful view of the Ponte 25 de Abril bridge and Christo Rei. There are both table and chairs set up as well as laid back deck chairs available, where you can put your feet up for the rest of the afternoon.
When ready for dinner, walk along the riverside ‘urban beach’ to the Praaça do Comércio, or ‘Terriro do Paço’ (the Palace Yard) as is it more colloquially known. The square is lined with outdoor cafes and shops and adored with intricate stone carvings and archways. A large statue of King Joseph I stands in the centre. Under the main archway you will be heading towards Rossio Square again, but before you reach there you will see lots of restaurants in the connecting streets either side. I would highly recommend trying the famous sardines!
Day Two: Visit The Palaces of Sintra
For your second day, get out of the busy city and head to the Sintra region. The train takes an hour from the Rossio station, along the ‘Linho de Sintra’ to SIntra station. As you wind your way out of the city, the landscape becomes for forested and hilly and before long you will feel a world away from the city lights of Lisbon.
This picturesque region stretches across the Sintra mountains as far as Roca Cape, the most Western point in Europe and it is bound to take your breath away. The charming main town (also called Sintra) seems like it is straight out of a fairy tale book and only a short walk from the train station. There is a castle and five palaces in the area, and although you won’t have time to visit them all in one day, it is well worth visiting a few of the most spectacular. Be aware that you will need to purchase entrance tickets for the palaces separately, so have an idea of which ones you want to visit before you go. I have summarised my three favourites which I would definitely recommend visiting:
I would suggest stating at the Palacio National de Pena (https://www.sintra-portugal.com/Attractions/palacio-pena-palace-sintra.html ). It is a long 50min hike to reach here from Sintra train station, so avoid this and take the 434 tourist bus (approx. €6.90) from the centre of Sintra town to the palace entrance. Pena is by far the most popular of the castles and as a result you can queue for a long time to enter. It is open between 09:30 and 1900, but try to make it here first thing and avoid entering between 10:00 and 15:00 if possible. Purchase your ticket at the palace bus stop. It is €14.00 for entry to the palace and park and €7.50 for just the park entrance (which I would recommend). I felt you could still get a real feel for the place without seeing the state rooms (no photos allowed inside). Also the queue for the palace inside is vast most of the day so it will save you time without skimping the experience. There is a small tea room in the gardens before you walk up to the palace, which is a nice place to stop on your way into the grounds or back to the bus. The palace itself is a multi-coloured spectacle, walls painted mustard yellow, bright red or tiles with bright blue azulejos (tiles). Even the stonework is moulded into patterns on archways and walls. The design was the brainchild of the King-consort Ferdinand II, who fell in love with Sintra and built the castle from the remains from an old monastery that had collapsed in an earthquake.
At the back of the palace is an open square, where the red, yellow and blue walls come together like a Lego castle. This is a great spot for photos with a fabulous yellow arched terrace, framing the outstretched view. From here you can see all the way past the Moorish castle to the coastline at the edge of the SIntra-Cascais National Park. Up the steps to the right of the entrance, you can follow a narrow outdoor walkway along the castle walls to follow the view further round to the north-west.
Hop back on the 434 bus and head west of the historic town centre, to Quinta de Regularia (https://www.sintra-portugal.com/Attractions/Quinta-Regaleirais-Sintra.html ). It is a UNESCO World Heritage site and was my favourite of the sites in Sintra. This quinta (estate) feels almost like a forgotten world, with intricate stone towers and gates blending into the colourful plants and greenery behind layers of moss. Tickets for entrance to the estate cost €10.00 and both the palace and gardens are open between 09:00-20:00 in the summer and 10:00-18:30 in the winter. One of the main attractions is the Initiation Well, a 27m subterranean tower which spirals its way into the ground. You can access the tower from the top (which I would recommend) or from the bottom, at the Portal of the Guardians entrance. By starting at the top, you get a wonderful visual down the intricate staircase and can follow the natural light down as it slowly disperses the deeper you go. The sound of water droplets echoes throughout this well, adding to the ambience and feeling of a hidden world. At the bottom of the well, follow the Gruta do Oriente (cave tunnels) to the Lago da Cascata. Here there are a number of hidden pathways, stepping stones (don’t fall in!) and alcoves to explore around the mysterious lake. Feel free to explore the rest of the gardens before finishing at the manor house. This grey stone building pierces through its soft, lush surroundings and is a reality check from this otherwise mysterious garden. Although it is a striking building, it is generally considered to be a side show to the gardens here so don’t feel as though you have to spend as much time around the house and I would follow the balcony round to the exit.
The final palace certainly worth visiting in Sintra is Monserrate (https://www.sintra-portugal.com/Attractions/Palacio-Monserrate-sintra.html ). This is the smallest of the three palaces but by no means the least impressive. Moorish influence flows through Sintra strongly but nowhere quite nods to this culture more than Monserrate.
In 2013 the palace was awarded the European Garden Award for Best Development of a Historic Park or Garden, and you can certainly see why. To get to Monserrate, you will have to travel further out of the town centre, beyond Quinta da Regaleria, and it is definitely worth taking one of the local buses (the 435 travels between the two). It takes approximately forty minutes to walk between the two palaces, but only five minutes to drive! The further distance from the town means that Monserrate is much quieter than the other palaces and you will be able to wander freely without seeing many others. Entrance to the palace is €8.00 and it is open between 9:30-18:30.
The gardens here are set on a slope, and are separated into different areas depending on their purpose. Waterfalls and ponds cut their way through the steep landscape and provide a calming sound as you walk deeper into the garden. There is a Mexican garden, Japanese garden, fern valley, English rose garden, ornamental lakes and a botanical garden that holds up to 1,000 different species.
The palace itself is small but beautiful, and although much of the original furniture is no longer there, the intricate detailing and latticework, both inside and out will take your breath away. As you wander inside, walk along the main gallery and enter each of the domes with your eyes up, as the ceiling looks as though it could be a box of Turkish delight. Symmetrical details in the octagonal walls draw your eyes up to the top, where rose coloured glass tints the natural light entering the room.
You can take the 435 bus for seven minutes back to the centre of Sintra town. Once you have finished exploring the area, it is a short walk to the main train station when you are ready to take the forty minute train ride back to Lisbon. The Rossio-Sintra line runs every ten minutes on weekdays and every half hour at weekends, so you have a lot of flexibility to return to the capital. Alternatively, you could chose to spend the evening in Cascias, the beach town in the Sintra region famous for its fishing and charming nature.
Day Three: Learn More About Portuguese Culture
The final day in Lisbon is all about delving into the city’s traditions. I believe that you can learn a lot about a place through its food and so what better way to understand the traditions than on a cookery course. The Lisbon Cooking Academy (https://lisboncookingacademy.com/en/) does a variety of Portuguese cooking classes. I would highly recommend the market experience/ cooking class, or the pastel de nata course. The market tour is a wonderful experience as you go with the chefs to the local market to purchase the ingredients before you cook. They will explain what to look for when choosing vegetables and how to pick the freshest meat and fish. The market itself feels local, without fuss but full of colour and life. Back at the kitchen, there is wine and nibbles to enjoy throughout the cookery class, but make sure to leave room for the spread you will have prepared! The course is a feast for all the senses and with your smells awakened and your tastebuds tingling, you will definitely be recreating the dishes when you return home.
Having filled up on delicious food, walk it off to the castle of São Jorge. This area, known as Alfama, is one of the the oldest in Lisbon and where you will find the most character in the city. The narrow streets up to the castle are steep and winding, but with every corner you turn, you uncover so many hidden gems and street art. Colours pop out in murals depicting people and activities, between which the roads will open out into squares with small tavernas nestled into the sides. This is one of my favourite areas for shopping too. The touristic plastic knick-knacks and high street shops all fade away and they become more artisan style outlets selling handmade crafts and pottery.
The castle of São Jorge is vast, and you can easily spend a couple of hours exploring here… once you catch your breath again from the walk! Much of the castle is outside and it is an interesting visit right in the heart of the city. The castle is open 09:00-18:00 and tickets cost €8.50. Having explored castles and palaces the previous day you may not wish to spend a long time here, but do make the journey to the top, even if you just go to have a look at the view. There is a café at the castle too, which can be a great place to stop for a refreshment while taking in the view of Lisbon.
On the way down, head towards the river and stop off at the Miraouro de Santa Luiza. This terrace and small garden is the prettiest photo spot in Lisbon. The terrace is decorated in the beautiful blue azulejo (tiles) and covered with vines and bougainvillea. The tiled walls of the Church de Santa Luiza display scenes of Lisbon before the earthquake and another shows a siege on St Jorge Castle in 1147. The view is spectacular overlooking the river and the garden is a great spot to stop and take a small pause.
Continue walking down to the river where you will meet the Avenia Infante Dom Henrique, hop on the 794 bus northbound from any of the many bus stops here for nine minutes to Igreja Madre Deus. Here is the Museu Nacional do Azulejo (National Tile Museum), dedicated to the famous art of the azulejo tiles. Entry is €5 and you can easily while away an hour or two exploring the galleries from azulejos over the centuries. The museum is open 10:00-18:00, but when I visited they had a lunch break between 13:00-14:00, so it is best to check this on the day (http://www.museudoazulejo.gov.pt). There is a one way system through the museum to make sure you don’t miss anything, and the further you go the more impressive the displays get! The galleries follow a timeline, starting with the original style patterns, followed by religiously painted tiles. The tour finished on the top floor, with modern tiles of bright colours and an impressive piece showing the whole skyline of Lisbon. I fell in love with the decadence of the Madre de Deus church (which lies within the museum), full of gold plated detailing on the walls, colourful paintings and unique azulejos. The café here is a work of art of its own, with a pretty courtyard area covered in greenery to keep you in the shad, and a couple of water fountains for ambience.
To return to the city centre, take the 759 bus for thirteen minutes to the Praça do Comércio and enjoy your last night at one of my favourite spots. I have saved this hidden gem for Lisbon until last, for those of you who have already read over 3500 words! I am so in love with this place that I partly hope it will stay hidden, but I also love to share these top tips and gems so others can experience them too. After a busy few days, head to the Hotel do Chiado. This hotel is located off Rua Nova do Almada, and if you take the hotel elevator to the top floor you will find the Entretanto Rooftop Bar. This bar is in line with the Elevador de Justo and in the evenings produces a spectacular view of the Rossio square, Castelo de Jorge and Praaça do Comércio. Trace your steps from the past few days while sipping chic cocktails and devouring delicious fresh food. A table can be reserved online at https://www.hoteldochiado.pt/bar-entretanto.html.
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