Welcome to another post of helping a reader travel! Here are some travel tips and suggestions for things to do in Lisbon, Portugal.
Last week a reader wrote in asking for Portugal. I was able to cover Portugal as a whole, but wanted to hit on many of the major tourist spots within the country as well. This will include: Lisbon, Porto, Lagos, and any others that are requested.
Here are some things I am sure readers will want suggestions on:
- Where to stay
- How many days to stay
- Sites to see
- Recommended restaurants
- Anything else you might think is valuable!
If you’ve ever been to Portugal, specifically Lisbon, let’s help out reader Joe and I am sure many other interested readers! The goal of this weekly post is to help readers get a top of travel advice from the thousands of Deals We Like readers.
Also, if you have any upcoming travel where you need some help, feel free to email me at dealswelike@gmail.com to be a featured “Help a Reader Travel” Monday special. Thus far, we’ve been able to help other readers travel to a slew of domestic and international destinations. Check out recent destinations and comment on suggestions here.
Thanks!
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I was in Lisbon around a month ago! It was a great place.
As a tourist, stay in Baixa or on the south end of the Avenida da Liberdade. That is where all of the tourist driven areas are, as well as transportation and waterfront eating.
Lisbon is not that big. We were able to do it on a 24 hour layover and see most things. The airport is only 15 minutes away and getting around is very easy. Mostly walkable. I think 2 days would be ideal…3 would be long, 1 is doable if you are a quicker traveler.
The castelo de Sao Jorge is a great site…its an old castle and has some of the most spectacular views of the city. The other place worth treking out to is Belem. There is public transportation to get there. Eat Pasteis in Belem. There will be a huge line to get into the cloister…. look on trip advisor for the secret to skipping the line 🙂 It will save you an hour.
Food is all pretty standard. For some of the nicer/less touristy restaurants, make sure to check the hours and days they are open. A lot of places close early or arn’t open certain days of the week. Eating on Praca de comercio is the best view and is not that expensive.
Remember, Lisbon is a fairly small town. It is beautiful, but a lot slower paced and more run down that Barcelona. I’ve heard there are a lot of great places to see outside the city if you choose to spend more time.
I was just there a couple weeks ago and really liked Lisbon.
Here’s some highlights.
Lisbon Walking Tour: http://www.yourfriendinlisbon.com/ Ask for Alex, she does a GREAT Lisbon Private Walking Tour. You’ll see everything you need to see in a few hours and they’ll point out options of places to go with any extra time you have. You get a port wine and pastry tasting too. It’s very much worth your while.
Lisbo a Noite, restaurant: http://www.lisboanoite.com/ A bit pricey, but it was our last night and we had wonderful service and food.
YellowCabTT Tours: http://www.yellowcabtttours.pt/ If you want to go outside of Lisbon and see Sintra, you can easily do it in a day with this tour. It was gorgeous and fun. And super cheap for a whole day of sightseeing.
(Everything above is well rated on Trip Advisor too)
Hop-on-hop-off Bus: I did the Yellow Bus line company and it was great for the afternoon. If I remember, I did the blue line and went to see the Discovery Monument and Belém Tower.
Castle of St. George is the #1 pickpocketing area. Just be smart and you’ll be fine.
St. Catherine Church is beautiful.
I personally loved Alfama. Still had a great neighborhood, untouched feel. If you’re into photography, that’s a great place.
If you have any more questions, let me know!
We stayed at a B&B called Casa Amora near Rato which was extraordinary. 5-star breakfast and cushy accommodations with easy access to the tourist areas by train. I also recommend going to a dinner with Fado music in the Amalfa or Baixa – we had an all-included meal + fado show for about $25/person. Sintra was amazing – I highly highly suggest visiting, and a quick train ride from Lisbon. Belem was crowded but similarly cool – be sure to check out the top of the Monument of the Discoveries for a great view.
Try their wonderful custard tarts, pasteis de nata. They are even sold in boxes at the airport, though a little pricey. Also, go to a local supermarket and buy some tomato jam which is rather sweet.
We enjoyed Solar do Vinho do Porto, the port wine institute. Also go to Pastéis de Belém for the orginal Nata tarts. The Berardo Museum modern art museum is also close by and very cool as is the Torre de Belem. Also definitely walk through the Alfama neighborhood and try to make it to the Gulbenkian grounds and museum.
We had a lot of amazing food there as well but I can;t remember any restaurant names.
Hi there! Hope you are all doing great!
when looking for accommodation I recommend you to find a local home in a very typical and central neighborhood like Bica / Chiado. You can find any kind of apartments from more expensive to more affordable at https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/3923869 .
I’ll recommend you a 3 day trip to visit all the city landmarks and sight views and discover all wonders that Lisbon has to dig!
If you can stay longer, you should definitely visit Sintra! And if the weather is suitable you should visit the natural beaches of Costa da Caparica (just 30m away).
As to restaurants Lisbon has much to offer but I will recommend you a few:
– The Insolito (great view!!)
– Café de São Bento
– Sea Me
– La Paparrucha
If you wish to know more, please be in touch!
Best,
Nelson