Lisbon is one of the most beautiful capital cities in Europe – it captures and surprises any traveller. Its amazing location where river Tagus meets the Atlantic, its elegant avenues and monumental architecture, the nightlife of Bairro Alto and Cais do Sodré and great food and good prices will make you want to go back.
It is a city so full of life, day and night… every street, every corner, make it clear that lisboetas love enjoying their city!
To understand how modern Lisbon looks, you should think about one of the greatest natural disasters in modern history: the 1755 Lisbon Earthquake. It is estimated that it had a magnitude of 8.4! And, to make things worse, if provoked a tsunami and a fire.
Imagine how massive it was, that King José I, who was outside of the city, never wanted to sleep under a roof again. As it usually happens when an important city suffers such a disaster, reconstruction started right away. The prime minister, Marquis of Pombal, was in charge of it.
Thus, humankind lost a monument city but gained another one, built according to the principles of the Enlightenment, with a rational urban planning and the first aseismic buildings in Europe.
Arriving in Lisbon
Lisbon international airport has direct flights to hundreds of destinations in Europe, America, Asia and Africa.
You can search the best flights to Lisbon from your nearest airport in the search form below.
The most convenient way to arrive in the city from the airport is using the metro: it is the terminus station of the red line (linha Vermelha). It takes you to the city centre (Baixa) in 30 minutes, with one change.
Lisbon has great road connections from any place in Portugal and Spain, with many motorways arriving in the city. It is 620 km from Madrid (around 6h30 by car). Many motorways arriving in Lisbon, as well as the 25 de Abril bridge have tolls, but they are not expensive.
Renting a car can be a good idea if you want to explore the area around Lisbon, especially Sintra, Mafra or the Southern side of the Tagus river, or if you want to travel to other areas in Portugal. You can use this search form to secure the best rental car deals.
The train is a different story: it takes around 10 hours to go from Madrid to Lisbon, due to the poor quality of railroads in Extremadura (the oldest in Spain) and the low interest of Portuguese governments in building a high-speed rail network to connect to Spain.
Moving around
Lisbon metro has 4 lines and is open every day from 6:30 am to 1:00 am. The network still doesn’t cover some areas of the city (and, specifically, it doesn’t arrive to Belém), but it has some stations in the city centre. It is fast and frequent.
The public transport also comprises buses, trams, lifts (some free of charge) and funicular trains. These are managed by municipal company Carris. You can check information about line routes and timetables in their website.
Tram 28 is something else. It takes you from the city centre to the castle, and taking it is an experience in itself that no one visiting Lisbon should miss.
A single ticket costs 1.50 € (1.34 € if you use the pre-paid card viva viagem, that costs 0.50 €). A 1-day ticket costs 6.40 €.
Anyway, the best option to visit the city is buying a Lisboa Card, that includes all public transporte in Lisbon proper plus entrance tickets to most monuments and museums in Lisbon and its region.
Bear in mind that tourism in Lisbon is more expensive than what you could expect from the general price level, so this card will pay off easily.
Lisboa Card does not include tickets to the monuments in Sintra, just a small discount and a Lisbon – Sintra train return ticket. We bought a 48 h card for 34 € and organised our trip to make the most out of it.
Day 1: Baixa and Alfama
Baixa
Baixa is the central area of Lisbon, located between the hills of Alfama to the East, and Chiado-Bairro Alto to the West.
The easiest way to arrive in Baixa is by metro: the stations of Baixa-Chiado (green and blue lines), Rossio (green line) and Terreiro do Paço (blue line) cover the area.
The current Baixa is the outcome of the reconstruction after the 1755 earthquake. It is based on parallel streets that go from Praça Dom Pedro IV (Rossio) and Praça do Comércio.
The most important of these are rua Augusta, in the middle of the grid, rua Áurea (golden street) and rua da Prata (silver street).
This are is mostly pedestrian and full of bustling shops and bars with terraces.
The parallel streets of Baixa go towards the mouth of the Tagus, opening in Praça do Comércio. This square is also known as Terreiro do Paço (“Palace yard”) because here stood the main royal palace of Portugal, Paços da Ribeira, destroyed in 1755.
It its place, an arcade square was built to host administrative buildings. It reminisces the plaza mayor of Castilian (Spanish) cities, but with an end open to the estuary. In 1775, the statue of José I was erected in the middle of the square, the first monumental statue dedicated to a king in Lisbon.
The triumphal arch (Arco da Rua Augusta) in the centre of the main gallery was already conceived in the initial project for Praça do Comércio, but it was not built until 1875.
Its symbolism is interesting: it contains statues dedicated to Viriatus (lusitan leader against Rome), Nuno Álvares Pereira (general that ensured the independence from Castille in 1385), the explorer Vasco da Gama (who started the colonisation of Asia) and the Marquis of Pombal, who rebuilt Lisbon. Allegories of glory, ingenuity and valour top the arch decoration.
You can go up the arch for 3 € (or free if you hold a Lisboa Card) with a combination of lift and stairs. The view of Praça do Comércio and the mouth of the Tagus is great from there, and you can nearly touch some of the statues.
In Baixa we ate in Floresta das Escadinhas, a tavern that serves grilled fish and meat, including the typical sardines. The place was really crowded, probably thanks to a good feedback in TripAdvisor.
Both sardines and meat where great and at good prices, although its rank in TripAdvisor is exaggerated if you think of how many options there are in Lisbon.
You should know that in Portugal, sardines are grilled in whole pieces, without opening them to remove their bowels.
On the other said of Baixa’s main streets is Rossio. This square hosts the National Theatre and a monument to Pedro IV. Don’t miss the elegant art nouveau façade of the train station on its left. On the right side of Rossio, is Praça da Figueira, another pedestrian square with an open air market.
Alfama
Alfama is a traditional working class neighbourhood of Lisbon. It is really worth wandering around its streets, which are in a much better state that a couple of decades ago.
Built on a hill, it is the typical setting of many Lisbon fados. The hill is crowned by St. George’s Castle (Castelo de São Jorge). The castle only preserves its walls and external towers so it is now also a park. The entrance costs 10 € (and it is not included in Lisboa Card), which we found too expensive.
The best way to climb Alfama up to the castle is taking tram 28, that runs from Baixa to Martim Moniz. This line still uses old trams from the 1930s, optimal for its steep streets and sharp curves. The ride is an experience that you can’t miss!
Tram 28 stops at two of the several terraces in Lisbon which provide fantastic views. Miradouro de Santa Luzia y Miradouro das Portas do Sol. From there, two buildings with a great historical significance can be seen.
The closest is the Monastery of São Vicente de Fora (“St. Vincent outside the walls”). Built in the 17th century, it is one of the few buildings that survived the earthquake and hosts the royal pantheon of the Bragança dynasty.
A little further you can see the Church of Santa Engrácia. Its construction started in the 17th century, but did not finish until 1966, turned into the National Pantheon for important Portuguese personalities.
On the base of Alfama stands the Cathedral of Lisbon (Sé). This is one of the oldest buildings in the city, as its construction started in the 12th century, as show its Romanesque naves.
Day 2: Belém; Bairro Alto and Chiado
Belém
Belém is Bethlehem in Portuguese. The 1755 earthquake barely affected this neighbourhood, so visiting this area you will get an idea of how the powerful Lisbon that dominated the Atlantic and Indian Oceans was.
Belém is about 6 km West of Lisbon city centre. To arrive there, you can take tram 15 or buses 714 and 728 from Praça do Comércio.
Mosteiro dos Jerónimos (Hieronymites Monastery)
We started with the Hieronymites Monastery (Mosteiro dos Jerónimos), one of the great works of Portuguese Manueline style, a transition between Gothic and Renaissance with Islamic and oriental elements. The monastery is one of the largest and most beautiful historical buildings in Lisbon.
Its construction started in 1514, under Manuel I, and continued after his death. By the way, the Treaty of Lisbon, the last treaty of the European Union, was signed here in 2007.
Entrance to the monastery church is free, but a ticket to the cloister costs 10 € (included in Lisboa Card). The cloister is what makes this monastery really special, so it is something you should not miss when you go to Lisbon.
It would not be an overstatement to say that this is the most beautiful cloister in Europe. Its elegant arcades and columns full of details entice you to get lost in it.
It also contains many references to Manuel I and the nascent Portuguese overseas empire: medallions with an M, armillary spheres…
Actually, the visit to the monastery includes only a small part of this grandiose building. The West wing hosts the Navy Museum and the National Archaeological Museum.
Belém Tower
Close to the Monastery, by the mouth of the Tagus is the Belém Tower (Torre de Belém), probably the most famous building in Lisbon. The tower was built at the same time as the Monastery and partly by the same architects. It is a defensive tower of a new style, that abandons mediaeval fortress engineering.
Portuguese explorers like Vasco da Gama said farewell here before setting off to know and conquer the world. This is why close to the tower a Monument of the Discoveries was built in the 1950s.
Entrance to the tower costs 6 €. We think it is too expensive for what you can see inside, but it is included in the Lisboa Card.
Belém is also the birthplace of the most famous sweet treat from the Portuguese capital: pastéis de nata or pastéis de Belém (custard tarts).
These pastéis originated in the Jerónimos Monastery. After the 1820 Liberal Revolution, they started selling them to the public and then sold the recipe to the sugar refinery, which opened the Pastéis de Belém factory in 1837.
Therefore, even if they can be found anywhere in Lisbon, the original from Pastéis de Belém are still the best. The shop is located in rua de Belém, the main avenue of the neighbourhood, very close to the Monastery.
25th April Bridge (Ponte 25 de Abril)
Ponte 25 de Abril spans the mouth of the Tagus between Lisbon and Almada, on the South. Until its construction, the estuary had to be crossed by boat.
This steel suspension bridge is 2 km long and was inaugurated in 1966 as Salazar Bridge. Then, it was renamed with the date of the Carnation Revolution, which restored democracy in Portugal in 1974.
Seriously, Pilar 7 Bridge Experience provides a really exciting visit to this engineering masterpiece. It costs 6 € (included in Lisboa Card). After taking a close look at the suspension cables and its anchors, a lift takes you up to the level of the roadway on pillar 7.
The 360º view of the Tagus and the city is really amazing. The viewpoint has a glass floor so you can also look below, so it is not recommended for those afraid of heights.
Elevador de Santa Justa and Convento do Carmo
Bairro Alto and Chiado stand on a hill just West of Baixa. These are traditional quarters of fados and one of the main nightlife hotspots.
To arrive, you can take elevador de Santa Justa from Rua Áurea. This is a steel street lift built in 1902 to cover the height difference between Baixa and Bairro Alto.
Nowadays it is a popular tourist attraction, so public transport tickets are not valid. A return ticket costs 5.15 € (and an additional 1.50 € to access the viewpoint). It is included in Lisboa Card so take advantage of it if you have one.
Otherwise, you may find it too expensive, but don’t worry: there are better viewpoints in the city and you can go to Bairro Alto on food, by bus, or, better, with the funicular train Elevador da Glória (included in the public transport system), that departs next to Rossio.
Upon exiting the Elevador de Santa Justa is Convento do Carmo, a Gothic church that was heavily damaged by the earthquake. It was left in ruins to remember the destruction of 1755 and now it hosts an Archaeological Museum.
Later, you can go up rua da Misericordia to Bairro Alto. Seeing a nightlife hotstop by day is always interesting, but what is really worth the walk are the gardens of São Pedro de Alcântara, that provide a fantastic view of Lisbon (for free). Elevador da Glória brings you here right away.
Chiado
Chiado is located between Bairro Alto and Baixa. This is known as the bohemian quarter of Lisbon, were many writers have lived.
Its main square is Praça Luis de Camões, where lisboetas meet to have a drink in Chiado’s cafés or go out in Bairro Alto. There are also two noteworthy Baroque churches in this square.
Rua Garrett is one of the most interesting streets in Chiado, with its art déco buildings. Check out A Brasileira, a beautiful café in which you can have a coffee (with a statue of poet) Fernando Pessoa.
Chiado is the writer’s neighbourhood of the city with most bookstores per capita in the world. There are many art institutions here, such as National Theatre São Carlos or the Museum of Contemporary Art. But also many bars and restaurants to enjoy good food and drinks day and night.
Chiado is a charming neighbourhood, but it gets better towards the evening. You can start in Miradouro de Santa Catarina, a terrace where you can admire the sunset over the mouth of the Tagus and, at night, have dinner and then go out in Bairro Alto.
Bairro Alto: nightlife and fado
On Saturday night, we went out in Bairro Alto. The area has a great atmosphere, around the streets Diário de Notícias and do Norte, that start at Praça Luis de Camões. Lisbon has certainly one of the best nightlife scenes in Europe. If you want to continue the party until late, you can go to Cais do Sodré.
Looking for something different, we wanted to go to a bar with live fado. We entered in Retiro dos Sentidos, a tavern in rua Diário de Notícias, where we had some beers while we listened to these beautiful melancholic songs from Lisbon.
Day 3
National Tile Museum (Museu Nacional do Azulejo)
The National Tile Museum is a unique place, and is really interesting. It is in a 16th-century Monastery, whose chapel walls are covered with tiles. Tickets cost 5 € (included in Lisboa Card). The museum is 3 km to the East of the city centre. Buses 759 and 794 take you there from Baixa.
The museum has a large collection of Portugese azulejos (tiles), and some Spanish ones too, from the 16th-century on. Azulejos were very common in interior and exterior wall decoration of Portuguese buildings. The industry developed a high artistic and technical quality.
Mafra National Palace (Palácio Nacional de Mafra)
Later, we visited the royal palace at Mafra (Palácio Nacional de Mafra), 40 km Northwest of Lisbon. This is a monumental palace built in the 18th century, when massive quantities of Brazilian gold started to arrive in Portugal. In the beginning, it was going to be just a Franciscan monastery, but then a palace was built along with it.
Mafra was a palace meant for leisure, and especially for hunting, and not a permanent residence. Its interior is sober and strikingly symmetrical, with some beautiful Baroque frescoes and stuccos. Even if many art works and furniture where taken to Brazil, where the Portuguese royal family fled during Napoleon’s invasion, there are still some valuable works.
The library of the royal palace at Mafra is one of the most important and beautiful in Portugal, with over 40.000 books. It is a pity that you can only see it from the entrance, but not walk through it…
We were surprised to see very few visitors in Mafra, being so close to Lisbon and with such a palace. This is probably why there are very few options to eat, so we advice you to have lunch elsewhere. We ate there and had the most mediocre meal ever in Portugal.
Day 4: Sintra
Our last day in Portugal, we went to Sintra, an incredible place where you could easily stay 2 days.
Palácio da Pena
First, we visited Palácio da Pena, the fantastic romantic dream of king consort Fernando II. Its location in a beautiful natural landscape captiavated the husband of Maria II of Portugal, who came from Saxony.
Dom Fernando bought an old monastery destroyed in 1755 and built in its place a fantasy taking the Romantic style of the time to its limits: colourful walls and towers, stone carved following different European historical styles, including typical Portuguese azulejos and mudéjar gates, cheerful terraces and secret passages.
If you are in Lisbon, you have to come here. We went by car, but you can also arrive easily by train from Lisbon to Sintra, and then take abus to the palace.
There are two kinds of tickets: park (7.50 €) and park + palace (14 €), that includes the entrance of the Chalet of the Countess of Edla.
Actually, the “park only” ticket allows you to visit the whole palace on its outside and even go out some towers, as well as enjoy the view from its terraces. Anyway, we think that it is worth paying the full ticket, even if we cannot show it to you because photos are not allowed inside the building.
The palace rooms and its furniture follow the overtly Romantic style of the exterior. The last kings of Portugal spent more and more time in Sintra, until the Republic was established in 1910.
If you don’t feel like walking uphill to the palace, there is a bus that takes you there quickly.
Palácio da Pena is part of the artistic and natural complex Parques de Sintra – Monte da Lua. This includes many other monuments:
Quinta da Regaleira, which is really wonderful, but we did not have time to visit it.
Castelo dos Mouros, an Arabic castle from the 9th c. restored by Fernando II.
Sintra National Palace, that we visited later.
Other monuments are Palace and Farmyard of Monserrate, Chalet of the Countess of Edla, Convent of the Capuchos. Actually, the National Palace of Queluz, between Sintra and Lisbon, is also within its domains.
The important thing is that if you are planning to visit some of these places, they offer combined tickets with discounts. It is always a good idea to buy the ticket online to avoid queues and to get a small discount. You can even doing it when you arrive with your smartphone, as we did.
As we did not have time for everything, we decided to visit Palácio da Pena, have lunch in Sintra and then go to Palácio Nacional de Sintra.
We had the best meal of our trip by far in Incomum by Luis Santos. Modern cuisine with local, high-quality ingredients: their guinea fowl with mushrooms, pumpkin and chestnuts is amazing, as their duck breast with cassava purée, but the best was the oxtail, foie gras and sweet potato hachis parmentier. All for 25 € per person, including a starter and a dessert to share. It is certainly one of the best value for money restaurants we have tried in Western Europe!
Sintra National Palace (Palácio Nacional de Sintra)
After lunch, we visited Palacio Nacional de Sintra, located in the parish of São Martinho, above Sintra. The construction of this palace started in the 15th c. and it is considered the best-preserved mediaeval royal residence in Portugal. Its elegant white and yellow façade reminds of Andalusia and the enormous conical chimneys of its kitchen are seen from far away.
Tickets for the palace cost 10 €, and they are worth it. It has some amazing rooms, especially the Swan Room (Sala dos Cisnes), Magpie Room (Sala das Pegas) and the Coat of Arms Room (Sala dos Brasões).
The Magpie Room gets its name from the paintings on the wooden ceiling, that depict 136 magpies carrying João I motto (por bem) on the beak and a red rose, symbol of the House of Lancaster, to which his consort belong.
According to the legend, the king ordered this ceiling as a revenge against the palace maids, after he was seen kissing one of them.
The Coat of Arms Room is probably the most impressive. Its walls are decorated with azulejos and its high domed ceiling bears paintings of the coats of arms of 72 Portuguese noble families.
After a short walk in the picturesque parish of São Martinho, where the palace is located, we went back to Lisbon and made our bags to say goodbye the next day to one of the most beautiful and comforting cities in Europe. But we will see each other again soon!
We wanted a sweet goodbye so before leaving for Madrid, we stopped at Belém to buy the original pastéis de nata.
