Lisbon’s miles of blue tiles, coastal landscape, and relatively inexpensive prices have been inspiring an influx of tourism to the city over the past decade.  This Fourth of July weekend, we finally decided to check it out for ourselves.  Over the course of 3 days, we fell in love with the city and are already planning future adventures in Portugal.  

Itinerary

Day 1

• Morning
  • Arrive in Portugal
  • Check into Avenida Palace
• Afternoon
  • Explore Alfama
  • Lunch at Time Out Market
  • 2-5PM Walking Tour
• Evening
  • 6 PM Red Frog Bar
  • 9 PM Dinner at KOB by Olivier

After arriving in Lisbon early Friday afternoon, we checked into our hotel (Avenida Palace) and immediately started exploring. We walked about 20 minutes to the Alfama District, famous for its tiled houses, winding streets, and yellow trams.  We stopped at the Portas do Sol and Miradouro de Santa Luzia for our first beautiful view of the city and water.  Warning – this area was incredibly crowded and freakishly sunny.  For a more enjoyable experience, go early in the morning to beat the crowds and the heat. 

From there, we walked to the Time Out Market for lunch.  The market had a fun and buzzy atmosphere with an abundance of food and drink options.  We tried a bunch of things from different vendors.  Across the board, the food was just okay but the experience was a lot of fun.

After lunch, we headed to the Camoes Monument in Praca Luis de Camoes to meet Bruno, our walking tour guide.  The tour lasted about 3 hours and was an entertaining way to learn more about Lisbon’s history, monuments, and architecture.  We try to do a walking tour in every new city we visit – typically on the first or second day of our trip.  I’ve found it’s a great way to get oriented in a new city and learn something new from a local’s perspective.  Along the way, we saw sights such as the Bica Elevator (via the free stairs behind the elevator) and the gorgeous Carmo Convent ruins.

To conclude the day, we stopped for drinks at the Red Frog and dinner at KOB by Olivier.  Red Frog is widely considered one of the best bars in Lisbon and does require an advance reservation if you are interested in checking it out.

Day 2

• Morning
  • 8:15 AM Uber to Sintra
  • 9 AM Pena Palace
  • 10:30 AM Moorish Castle
• Afternoon
  • 12 PM Uber to Lisbon
  • 12:30 PM Lunch at Rocco
  • 2:30 Museu Nacional do Azulejo
  • 3:30 Fado & Wine
  • 5 PM Bertrand Livreiros
• Evening
  • 7 PM Live Piano at Avenida Palace Hotel Bar
  • 9 PM Dinner at JNCQUI

Our second day in Lisbon was the most action packed.  We woke up early and headed to Sintra to explore Pena Palace and the Moorish Castle.  Definitely a must do in Lisbon! Read about our Day Trip to Sintra for tips on visiting the palaces.

After returning from Sintra, we had lunch at Rocco at the Ivens Hotel, a new Autograph hotel that opened in 2021.  If you have Marriott points, definitely consider staying at this hotel!  The hotel and restaurant were stunning and the food was shockingly just as tasty as the location was aesthetically pleasing.

Next up was the thing I was most excited about – the Museu Nacional do Azulejo – or “tile museum”.  Buildings in Lisbon are covered in predominantly blue and yellow tiles.  So I obviously had to check them out in their (un)natural habitat – a museum.  The museum is open from 10 AM to 5:30 PM on most days and was a wonderful way to spend an hour.  It’s also air conditioned and not particularly crowded – which are both big pluses in my book!

No visit to Portugal would be complete without trying the local wine.  We stopped at a shop called Fado & Wine to taste local Duros, Daos, and Ports.  This is a cute little shop where you can try wine by the glass and also purchase bottles to take home.  We may have done most of our “souvenir” shopping here… We then headed a couple blocks down the street to Bertrand Livreiros, which opened in 1732 and is the world’s oldest bookstore.  They have a large selection of English language books and if you purchase one, they stamp it with a Guinness World Record stamp to commemorate the occasion.

Dinner was at JNCQUI (pronounced like the French “je ne sais quoi”).  This was our favorite meal in Lisbon!  The restaurant has a glamorous decor, fun menu, and attentive service.  I highly recommend booking a dinner here during your Lisbon trip.

Day 3

• Morning
  • 10 AM Jeronimos Monestary
  • 12 PM Monument to the Discoveries, Belem Tower, Pasteis de Belem
• Afternoon
  • Drinks and snacks at Sky Bar at Tivoli Hotel
  • 4-6 PM Sailing
• Evening
  • 7 PM Live Piano at Avenida Palace Hotel Bar
  • 9 PM Dinner at Sala de Corte

Our last day in Lisbon was primarily spent in the Belem neighborhood.  This area along the coast was a little further from the city center and our hotel, so we took a 20 minute Uber ride to get there.  First stop was the gorgeous Jeronimos Monastery.  This monetary is a UNESCO World Heritage Site built in the 1400’s. We knew it would be beautiful after seeing some photos, but visiting in person just takes your breath away.  It was a highlight of the trip.

A short walk across the street from the monetary are Belem Tower and the Monument to the Discoveries.  You can purchase tickets to go up both structures but we chose to take in the view from below.  No trip to Belem would be complete without trying the Pasteis de Belem – a local sugar and egg treat invented by the monks.  While the pastries are available all over the city, locals claim the best are served in Belem where the original recipe was invented.  We indulged in these pastries in Belem and 2 other locations in Lisbon – personally, I thought they were all great!

Later in the day, we hopped on a sail boat in Belem Harbor and set sail with Palma Yachts.  Our captain and first mate were wonderful!  They taught us about Portugal’s history of naval exploration and provided additional insights into the monuments along the coast (Belem Tour, Monument to the Discoveries, Cristo Rei, etc.).  Wine was (of course) involved, so we were able to try Portuguese “green” wine, which (contrary to the name) is a local white wine.  The ”green” refers to the youthfulness of the grapes.

Our final dinner was at Sala de Corte, a charming steakhouse with an extensive wine list. 

Day 4

All good things must come to an end and on the morning of our 4th day, we boarded our flight to head home.  We loved our 3 day taste of Lisbon and have so many ideas for future trips!  While we had a very full 3 days, we definitely could have spent a week + just in Lisbon.  We‘d also love to check out Porto, the Douro Valley, and the Algarve in the near future.  Leave any Portugal recommendations in the comments below!

Practical Stuff

Hotel

We stayed at the beautiful hotel Avenida Palace, centrally located along the Av. Da Liberdade between Bairro Alto and Alfama.  This historical hotel was once a hotbed for spy activity during World War II.  It had old-world charming decor, a comfortable bed, and fantastic service. We particularly enjoyed the nightly live piano music in the bar.

Packing

Wear sneakers!  Lisbon sidewalks are made of very slippery tiles.  Heels are not your friend here. 

---

Subscribe for New Post Notifications!