After this trip, Lisbon is most definitely my favorite city in Western Europe. There’s something for everyone there. It was the perfect balance of a relaxed sun holiday and an interesting history lesson. 

General Tips:

• Try to avoid the buses when possible. The trams and metro are frequent, but the buses are not to be relied upon. Now you may get REALLY lucky, and the bus might arrive at the scheduled time, but chances are they won’t stop even if you’re standing there and you could be waiting around for a couple of hours before one shows.
• Uber is a really cheap transportation option in Lisbon, especially when sharing the ride with another passenger. Scooters such as the Lime scooters are another great way to get around as well, so long as you feel comfortable speedily avoiding tourists with no helmet on. I must admit I was skeptical of them at first, but they’re actually a lot of fun, especially when there aren’t too many people around and you can race them.
• Google maps are to be used with caution in Lisbon. What may seem to be a close 10 minute walk, may really be 30 minutes due to the hills.

Sites:

Rua Augusta-

The Rua Augusta is hard to miss because it in the center of Lisbon. The triumphal arch opens up into the square which is right beside the water. If you take a walk along the water there are plenty of bars and cafes to sit outside of to enjoy both the sun and the view.

Elevador da Bica-

This is the iconic tram line. Although these trams were not operating when we were there, they were still open to the public to hop aboard and snap a quick picture.

Torre de Belém-

This is another classic tourist destination in Lisbon. We didn’t go into the tower because we went on a Saturday, but if you have any interest in going in an avoiding the lines, then I would recommend seeing it on a weekday. 

Mosteiro dos Jeronimos-

Another must see UNESCO site right beside the Torre de Belem. Because this is a very touristy area,  I would recommend buying tickets in advance to skip the lines. 

Miradouro Portas do Sol-

Miradouro, literally translated to English means gazebos. However, I feel that a terrace is a much better translation of the word. There are loads of them around Lisbon and there is actually a route that connects all of them, if you wanted to spend your day walking from one to another to get all the best views of Lisbon. Miradouro Portas do Sol, is the most popular one as it offers a spectacular view of the Alfama neighborhood. 

Food & Drinks:

LX Factory- 

This is an old fabric production plant that has been converted into a trendy spot, with loads of artsy shops, small cafes & restaurants. The main attraction here is it’s infamous bookstore, which you can conveniently also have a Superbock beer in.

Village Underground-

This is another trendy spot right beside the LX factory to get some lunch and a coffee. Unfortunately, all the cafes were closed when we arrived due construction on the building next door. Despite this it was still cool to walk around the ground, and something to look forward to seeing next time I go back.

Pasteis de Belém-

Pastéis de nata is a must try custard tart that Lisbon is known for. According to history, the recipe was kept secret by the monks at the monestary next door for years! For this reason this is THE place to go if you want to try the best pastéis de nata. It is also THE place to go if you want to wait in the longest line ever. We weren’t willing to spend the little time we had waiting in line for something we could easily get somewhere else, so we decided to skip it. However, if you’re a true foodie then it is an obvious must visit place of Lisbon.

Fábrica da nata-

This is the actual place we got to try the pastéis de nata, and they did not disappoint. It’s located right in the city center and is only a short walk from Rua Augusta. Also there was no line when we arrived, so it was just perfect for us!

Sama Sama-

The BEST vegan crepes ever! They have options for everyone: vegan, vegetarian, gluten free, or lactose intolerant. It’s run by a young couple who are really friendly and will advise you on the best thing to get for your pallet/ dietary needs.

Pop Cereal Cafe-

This is every millennial kid’s dream come to life. This place has every cereal brand imaginable, making it hard to decide.

Pão Pão Queijo Queijo-

Because of it’s location in Belem, this small sandwich shop always has a long line out the front. Although this line can be very intimidating (we even considered giving it a pass because clearly we hate lines), it does move fast and is well worth the wait!

Nannarella Gelato-

The best gelato in Lisbon! To be fair though I worked up quite an appetite, walking up the enormous hill to get there. When they ask if you would like cream on it, reply yes. Trust me, you’ll be happy you said yes.

Time Out Market-

Recently a lot of cities have gotten on board with this “food court kinda thing.” In Amsterdam it’s called the Foodhallen, and in San Francisco it’s called Off the Grid. It’s essentially a market where local restaurants set up a small stands. Groups of friends can go to the area and by different types of meals from each stand and then enjoy them together. Some of the popular restaurants features at Time Out Market that were recommended to us were:

• Ground Burger
• Café São Bento 

Ginjinha bars-

Like the pastéis de nata, Ginjinha is another unique treat to try only in Portugal. Ginjinha is a cherry liquor, but there are a lot of small one stop shops in Lisbon that only sell these shots for €1. These shops can easily be found by a quick google search, and you can pop into one on your way from one site to the next.

Pensão Amor-

This old brothel turned into a bar is a cool quirky place to grab a drink. They have every cocktail imaginable as well.

Day trips outside of Lisbon:

We decided to rent a car for the day which cost about €70 (not including petrol), to give us a bit of flexibility as we wanted to see both Sintra and drive up the coast. However, it is really easy to catch a train to Sintra. This option is also relatively cheap and takes only about 30 mins to get there from the train station in Lisbon. If you only plan on seeing Sintra, I would recommend skipping renting the car and just taking the train.

Sintra-

Palace of Pena –

We chose to skip this site due to lack of time and due to the fact that we didn’t buy the tickets in advance.  We decided to go to Quintra da Regaleria instead, but if you have a whole day dedicated to Sintra alone, then I would definitely recommend trying to visit both the palace and the park.

Palace and park admission prices:

Young (6 – 17 years old)	€12.50
Adult (18 – 64 years old)	€14
Senior (65 – 79 years old)	€12.50

*Admission to the Park alone is half the price.

Quinta da Regaleria-

A quinta is large estate, particularly know as a wine-growing estate in Portugal. This UNESCO site, is most known for the Initiation Well which spirals 88 feet underground. 

Admission prices:

Young (6 – 17 years old)	€5
Adult (18 – 64 years old)	€8
Senior (65 – 79 years old)	€5

Azenhas do Mar-

This was one of the most gorgeous coastal towns I’ve ever seen. We only stopped at the town for a quick pit stop, because our destination was Ericeira, but if you didn’t want to go as far as Ericeira, Azenhas do Mar is a nice beach spot to chill out for the day. Although be aware it is a trek down to the beach from the car park.

Ericeira-

This small Portuguese town is about an hour drive from Lisbon when traffic is light and assuming the driver makes no wrong turns. Unfortunately, wrong turns and traffic are going to be inevitable on Portuguese roads. The residents of this town consist mostly of surfers and retired fishermen. Both types of locals move at the same pace, so needless to say it’s a pretty relaxed town. 

Other recommendations that were missed:

We basically missed all of the rooftop bars. Although these were recommended and I’m sure they are worth visiting, they can also be a bit pricey. Lisbon has an open bottle policy, so you’re allowed have drinks out in the open. Luke and I felt for a quarter of the price we could buy a chilled beer at the corner shops and sit at the miradouros and still have a spectacular view of Lisbon. However in case you do want to go to them, these were the ones that were recommended to us:

• Park bar
• Noobai
• Topo

We also unfortunately missed:

• Castelo de São Jorge
• MAAT- Museum of Art, Architecture and Technology

*It’s also important to note that this post is seriously lacking in seafood recommendations. This is mostly because I’m not the biggest fan of seafood, and the places that we did go weren’t great. I don’t think we hit the right spots, but these were some of the places I would go for seafood the next time I’m there:

• Restaurante Esplanada Furnas (in Ericeira)
• A Marisqueira do Lis
• Ramiro