Lisbon, Portugal
View of the Alfama district of Lisbon, one of the city’s most charming neighborhoods.
Atlantic Beauty
Lisbon, the westernmost capital of Europe, is probably one of the easiest to reach from the mainland United States. It’s also one of the hilliest places you’ll ever visit; touring this city is a constant workout! But the rewards are high, for Lisbon’s charm pours forth from every winding alleyway, broken cobblestone, and colorful building you happen across. The capital city of Portugal is known for its fantastic food, azulejo (ceramic tile art) and fado (the city’s heritage music form), and impressive architecture. The best part is you can partake in all of it for a fraction of what you would spend in other European cities. There’s never a bad time to soak up some Portuguese sun, so get yourself a plane ticket and see for yourself!
One of the famous Lisbon trams, which glide on a complex network of lines throughout the city.
Official Languages: Portuguese
Best time to visit: Year-round, but summer months will be more crowded.
Budget: $$ (Portugal is a great place to travel because it’s cheap! Mid-range travelers can expect to spend about $90 dollars per day, including hotel/AirBNB, food, and sights. Budget travellers even less.)
English Level: Very good. You will hear English, Spanish, French, and Portuguese all spoken in the capital.
Lisbon Sights and Culture
Colorful apartment buildings in Lisbon.
Lisbon is a cultural powerhouse and best experienced over several long days. The city itself is large and spread out into distinct neighborhoods, each with its own flavor and style. It’s hard to eat better anywhere else, so slow down and enjoy the marvelous views and the breeze from the bay while you sample local Portuguese cuisine.
Lisbon is a city best experienced outdoors, both in summer and winter, due to the abundant sunshine it receives year round. That sunshine has a marvelous impact on the colorful buildings scattered across the city, which shine with an unforgettable radiance. When you’ve finished sauntering through the capital, you can take a short train ride away from Lisbon to Sintra, a lovely Portuguese town where you can find spectacular castles and palaces to explore. (We will explore Sintra in a later post!)
Jerónimos Monastery
Mary (my mom) visited me for her first trip to Portugal. Here we are in the courtyard of the Jerónimos Monastery.
One of the most famous tourist sites in the city is the Mosteiro dos Jerónimos, or the Jerónimos Monastery, founded by the Catholic Order of Saint Jerome and constructed for 100 years from 1501-1601. It was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1983. The Jerónimos Monastery is an excellent example of the Late-Gothic Manueline style of architecture, represented by grand ornamentation or detail in the archways and towers. This coincides with the Portuguese Age of Exploration, where many Portuguese explorers were charting the oceans around Africa and America for the first time in European history.
One of the towers of the Jerónimos Monastery.
Belém Neighborhood
The Portuguese custard tart, known as Pastel de Nata, is Lisbon’s most famous dessert.
The Belém neighborhood is one of the main areas of the city of Lisbon to explore, just a few kilometers from the city center. Easily accessible by either taxi or streetcar, Belém is where you will find the Monastery and several other impressive monuments. One of the most popular is the Torre de Belém, the symbolic entry point to the city of Lisbon, and the embarkment point for the famous Portuguese explorers.
One of my favorite monuments in the city is just across the street from the Monastery, called the Padrão dos Descobrimentos. The Monument of the Discoveries looks out on the Tagus River, with some truly impressive stone statues of famous Portuguese explorers who look as if they are being beckoned to the sea one more time. If you climb to the top of the monument, you will see the beautiful compass rose and a map of the world, which was gifted to the Portuguese by the government of South Africa.
And a trip to Belém wouldn’t be complete without trying the pastel de nata at the famous pastry shop Pastéis de Belém. Just next to the Jerónimos Monastery, this famous bakery sells some of the best custard tarts in the city. Anyone with a sweet tooth should grab a number from the turnstile and taste this fantastic dessert!
The 25 de Abril Bridge is a suspension bridge very similar to the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. It is named after the date of the Carnation Revolution, when the dictatorship of Antonio Salazar was overthrown in 1974 and Portugal became a democracy.
Finally, you’ll notice the 25 de Abril Bridge almost anywhere from Lisbon, but you can see it up and close and personal from the Belém neighborhood. It looks just like the Golden Gate Bridge, and on the other side of the river you can see a version of the Christ the Redeemer statue, the more famous one of which is in Rio de Janeiro.
Castelo de São Jorge
The Castelo de São Jorge (St. George’s Castle), sitting atop one of the hills of Lisbon.
The São Jorge Castle is one of the premier monuments of Lisbon, with construction beginning in the 1st century BC. Situated at the top of a large hill (the walk up which is actually very pleasant and charming), the castle has some of the best views of the whole city. You can see nearly every major architectural site and building of interest from one of the castle walls, which makes for a fun activity to try and spot everything Lisbon has to offer from a birds eye view!
Praça do Comércio
The Praça do Comércio, or Market Square, is an impressive plaza near the waterfront, painted in bright yellow.
The Praça do Comércio, or Market Square, is a wide, open air plaza in the center of Lisbon. It’s hard to capture the monumental size of the plaza in one photo, but you get a glimpse of its scope when you walk underneath the gigantic clock arch that leads into the square. In the middle of the square stands a statue of the Portuguese King Jose I. If you walk to the end of the square, you can feel the sea breeze and the waves from the bay gently lap against the shore.
Funky Bairro Alto
A man plays the Portuguese guitar and sings Fado, the traditional music that originated in Lisbon.
Bairro Alto is one of the most famous neighborhoods in all of Lisbon, and a great place to explore the funkier areas of the city. First constructed in the 1500s, Bairro Alto is the Montmartre of Lisbon; a very Bohemian, artistic atmosphere fills streets painted with graffiti and other colorful decorations. Bairro Alto is the best place in Lisbon to catch a local Fado show, the musical heritage of the city of Lisbon. Walk down cobbled streets, hop through local bars, and immerse yourself in the melancholic beauty that is the sound of Fado.
Colorful apartment buildings near the Bairro Alto.
My favorite Fado bar in Bairro Alto is called Mascote da Atalaia. It’s a tiny bar with an intimate atmosphere, which is the best way to experience a Fado show. Be sure to arrive early and get a seat, because it can fill up quickly due to its small size! Alfama District Alfama is one of the prettiest districts in all of Lisbon, and it’s also the oldest neighborhood in the city. Coming from the Arabic Al-hamma (الحَمّة) , meaning "hot fountains", Alfama consists of steep, narrow streets that wind through tightly packed buildings. Within the Alfama you can find the Sé Cathedral, the oldest church in the city.
Azulejo tiles from Alfama.
Bica Funicular
One of the famous Lisbon trams, called the Bica funicular.
The Bica Funicular is one of the cooler trams to take in Lisbon, along with number 28 in the Alfama. The Bica takes you up and down a very steep hill, with graffiti and colored walls all along the route.
Delicious Food: Not to Miss!
Lisbon is famous for its fantastic food scene, with many great restaurants to try and enjoy the local cuisine. Here are a few of my favorites.
Tapisco: Selling Spanish and Portuguese style tapas (small plates) in an upscale diner, Tapisco was one of our favorite restaurants we visited.
Bastardo: Located near the Rossio square, Bastardo is a traditional Portuguese restaurant with cool décor and a great menu. They also serve amazing cocktails!
Bairro do Avillez: From famous Portuguese chef José Avillez, this taberna style restaurant serves the best of Portuguese cuisine, from seafood and meats to other interesting inventions.