If you’ve only got a few days to explore Lisbon, these are the most essential things to do!

We spent three days in Lisbon, and this is the best of everything we did to get the most out of this beautiful city. There is so much to see from the many mosaic walls, historic buildings and seriously good food spots, the city is up there with one of my all time favourites.

Accommodation:

We chose an Airbnb in Alfama, the old town. We found a super quirky and cute apartment that was spaced out on three levels and it was actually pretty cheap, as were most of the other Airbnbs in the old town. The flights and the Airbnb were one of the cheapest options for a city break out of quite a few cities we looked at, so if you’re on a bit of a budget this was a good city to choose. If an Airbnb isn’t your choice, there were lots of hotels both budget and fancier.

Things to do:

The best thing we did was actually just outside of Lisbon, and it was Sintra. Super popular place to go and it was even more impressive than I expected – Lisbon exceeded all my expectations for sure. Heading here takes you to the cuteeeest parish in the Lisbon district and the incredible Peña Palace. The eye-catching palace is painted contrasting colours of yellow, orange and red and patterned walls, just so pretty. There might be longish queues to get in and around to explore but don’t be put off, they move fast and there is lots of space once you’re inside the palace walls. Hans Hint: take the longer walk up through the gardens to the palace if you’re able to as its much quieter as people tend to drive/get tuktuks up to the palace. We did get a tuktuk back down as we were short on time for the train back and it was definitely an experience.

Next up, is the famous Tram 28. The rickety 1930s trams pass through all the touristy districts which is fab and you can see the whole city easily without any stress so in my opinion, its the best way to see the whole city and get a bearing on where you are. Be careful for pickpockets though as they seem to target the trams – unfortunately Lisbon seems to have a reputation for it and although we didn’t have any issues, it is something to be aware of. Han’s Hint: get there early – we got there at nine (they start running from 6) and didn’t make it on the first one that came so start your day early. Also, board at Martim Moniz for a better chance of getting a seat.

If you want amazing views across the whole of the city, the Santa Justa Lift is the place to go. The lift price is included if you purchase the 24-hour public transport ticket. It is such a huge tourist attraction and it takes you from the Baixa district to the Bairro Alto district. The platform at the top offers allll the views but you don’t need to use the actual famous lift to reach it. So another Hans Hint – to get up there for less money, head up the stairs underneath the lift, to the souvenir shop opposite. Inside is a lift which exiting on the top level and following the paths up, you come to a restaurant on the Santa Justa lifts exit/top level. So if you’re happy to miss riding the famous lift itself, hop up here, where you can pay just €2.50 to access those beaut views without the queues.

Even more things to do include; the famous Pink Street – insta dreams and perfect for photos. The Glória Funicular, so good for photo opportunities, pricey for a ride as it just goes up and down one street but fun for the novelty. If you fancy hanging out with a few peacocks and exploring the ruins of a castle then head to Castelo de S. Jorge, only €5 entry and a good way to see views of the city and walk along some extremely scary castle walls. Or head out of the city centre on the tram, to Belém where you can get some more greenery, see the stunning Gothic Jerónimos Monastery, the 16th-century Tower of Belém – which even in the rain was so picturesque and if you’re lucky with the weather you can even sit on the mini beach. And finally, the famed Pastéis de Belém patisserie for the best custard tarts in Portugal.

Food and Drink:

Of course the food and drink was a focal point of our trip! Just so many lovely food spots and some lovely bars too. Restaurants varied hugely in price depending on the area and also in cuisines, there was tapas, fish, pizza places so many choices.

The most essential food of the whole of Lisbon though, that HAS to be tried – even if you think you won’t like it, I wasn’t convinced I would, is the famous Pastel de Natas. These absolutely dreamy treats are little cups of the loveliest, tastiest, lightest pastry are filled the most delicious custard. Even if you never have one again, its a local delicacy which must be tried! You can get them pretty much everywhere but the best ones we found were at Pastelaria Santo Antonio right near the castle, which is one of the oldest in the city. You’ll probably spot the queue before you see the shop. Alternatively, the other super famous one is the one I mentioned which is in Belém, so popular with tourists and again you’ll see the queue before you see the shop.

If you’re not sure what you fancy to eat, the Time Out Market is such a shout. We headed here on our first day as neither of us knew what we fancied for food but that we would spot something for sure here. Theres such a huge selection, so you’re almost guaranteed to find something you really want. It’s a good spot for lunch, if you fancy something smaller as there are options like a charcuterie board and tapas style plates, perfect for sharing over a glass (or two) of wine. The huge Aperol bar was a favourite from me!

Speaking of alcohol, we went to a few bars in Lisbon but there were two that were fab for views as well as drinks. Portas Do Sol a terrace bar with the most picturesque views over the city was a definite fave, plus they do delicious jugs of sangria – need i say more? PARK was the other bar, again rooftop with beaut views but this had a bit of a livelier feel, lots of young people, definitely popular with locals and tourists and pretty quirky as its set on the top level of a multi-storey car park. I wasn’t convinced that we were going to the right place, but if you’re climbing the slightly gross concrete staircase in the car park you will be on the path to this absolute gem.

Breakfasts we tended to eat in the Airbnb to save some money, but there was one brunch place we had to go to – and I highly recommend it, Dear Breakfast. Super insta-y, quirky and cute with really lovely food. We both had eggs and shared the pancakes because they just looked insane! Its not far from the Glória Funicular and we hopped off Tram 28 on the nearest stop as it was quite a distance from the Airbnb.

As it was my boyfriends birthday whilst in Lisbon we headed to a fancier seafood restaurant – Frade Dos Mares. It wasn’t ridiculously priced as it was in a hidden, less touristy area and seemed to be a local favourite. It was really good, but I wouldn’t head here if it wasn’t for an occasion. The menu was all sea food which we love, we had prawns and mussels for starters – SO good. Mains were sea bass on rice and prawn risotto, both so delicious!

Finally, the most important part of a holiday is ice cream! There is the amazing (although fairly spenny) gelataria Amorino. Theres a few dotted around the world and I was pretty excited to see one as I love their gelato and you can select as many flavours as you wish! If this isn’t for you, there were loads of smaller, independent gelatarias and ice cream shops dotted around.

How to get around:

We used the metro to get around most of the time and bought top up cards from the ticket machine. The metro was initially slightly tricky to work out but once we got the hang of it, it was really easy and once of the easiest ways to get round the city. Whilst we bought the tickets from the machine, we found that it was easier to check what ticket we actually needed from the manned booths so check there first if you’re not sure.

We also got the tram to Belém and the train to Sintra, which we bought specific tickets for. These tickets were really easy and straightforward as we purchased the tram ones once we had boarded and the Sintra tickets can be purchased at Rossio station where the train departs from. For the rest of our time in the city, we used the local electric scooters. They were actually hilarious, if not a bit dangerous so make sure you’ve got decent travel insurance.

We ended up using the scooters to get back to the Airbnb at night, as it was faster than the metro and way more fun. They’re pretty much dotted everywhere, and worked by downloading the relevant app (Lime or Bolt) so its super simple. Just make sure you check where you wanna take them as theres ‘out of bounds’ areas, as well as places you can’t park them.

Travelling from the airport, for ease with finding our Airbnb, we opted for an Uber which cost about €20. However, the metro takes you to the airport directly so we did that on our return and it was so simple. Alternatively, theres plenty of buses from the airport to the city as well as local taxis.

---

If you head to Lisbon and have found my blog helpful, Id love to hear from you and what you got up to. If you’ve been, let me know what your favourite things/places to go are below!

lots of love,

Han x