A Quick Guide to Lisbon | How to Spend a Weekend

Lisbon seems to be cropping up everywhere at the moment. Either at work, with friends or even out and about, I keep hearing about this lovely city. With its beautiful architecture, Mediterranean climate, delicious cuisine and rich history, it is really no surprise that it has become a favourite with holiday makers. After a quick look over my blog, I realised I’ve never once written about the beautiful Portuguese capital. Considering it has become one of the ‘places to go’ in Europe over the last few years, it’s about time I added a quick guide to Lisbon to the blog.

A Quick Guide to Lisbon – Getting There

Getting to Lisbon from the UK is super easy. There are several flights a day departing from the London terminals, as well as other airports across the country. Lisbon Airport, also known as Lisbon Portela Airport, is the main international gateway to Portugal. It is well connected to the city by bus, taxi or tram. I always find it simple to get to and from. The airport’s website offers useful information (here).

A Quick Guide to Lisbon – Where to Stay and the Main Neighbourhoods

When I have stayed in Lisbon before, I’ve opted for self-catering. In larger European cities nowadays you can find some awesome places. When I’ve stayed here before, I’ve chosen the old town district. This is mostly because of the convenience and the charming surrounding buildings. However, there are plenty of different neighbourhoods that off something for everyone. These are known as Lisbon’s historic bairros – or neighbourhoods to you and I.

Alcântara

Known for its clubs and bars housed in converted dock warehouses. This riverfront area is commonly known as docas (docks). Although today Alcântara is quite central, it was once just a suburb of the city. In fact, it was made up mostly of farms and vast estates owned by the nobility.

Alfama

The oldest district of Lisbon. It cascades down the southern slope from the medieval Castle of São Jorge to the mighty River Tagus. Comprised of a compact labyrinth of narrow amber-coloured streets and small squares, the historic quarter is home to a variety of establishments. You can find Fado bars, restaurants, and homes with small shops downstairs.

Mouraria

Although most of the buildings in Lisbon’s Moorish quarter were demolished by the Estado Novo (“New State”), the area is still one of the city’s most traditional neighbourhoods.

Bairro Alto

This lively neighbourhood in central Lisbon is where everything happens. Literally meaning ‘the upper quarter’, Bairro Alto functions as a residential, shopping and entertainment district. It is also the centre of the capital’s nightlife scene.

Belém

Famous as the place from which many of the great Portuguese explorers, including Vasco da Gama, set off on their voyages of discovery. Belém was once also a former royal residence and features the 17th–18th century Belém Palace. Belém is one of the most visited Lisbon districts.

Baixa

In the heart of the city is the Baixa or city centre. It is here that you can experience the best of the city’s bygone heritage by wandering along the district’s streets. It is here where age-old herbalists, haberdashers and tailors rub shoulders in the baroque streets of this ornate city centre.

Chiado

A traditional shopping area that mixes old and modern, mainly along the Rua do Carma and the Rua Garrett. Locals and tourists alike flock to the Chiado to shop for books, clothing and pottery. Another popular pastime here is to have a cup of coffee (possibly in the famous A Brasileira café). Chiado is also one of the city’s important cultural areas, with a number of museums, theatres and also the opera.

Estrela

Focused around the ornate Estrela Basilica, the district is home to the São Bento Palace. This is the seat of the Portuguese parliament, and the official residences of the Prime Minister of Portugal and the President of the Assembly of the Republic of Portugal. Visitors can also stroll through the oh so pretty Estrela Park. You can see lots of exotic plants and trees here too.

A Quick Guide to Lisbon – What to See

In comparison to other major European cities, Lisbon does not have an incredibly long list of world-renowned tourist attractions. Instead visitors take it easy and spend their time in the city. You can explore the pretty streets, admire the architecture, and traverse the city’s districts in the iconic yellow trams. That being said, there are still plenty of things to see. Here are just a few of those..

Elevador de Santa Justa

Travel from the Baixa distict up to the ruins of the Igreja do Carmo church in Lisbon’s beautifully crafted lift. The Elevador de Santa Justa is one of Lisbon’s most unique tourist attractions. In my opinon, the top platform has the best views of Lisbon.

Se Cathedral

The imposing gothic Se Cathedral is Lisbon’s most important and iconic religious building. You can actually see medieval statues and decorative altars in the alcoves here. It is a wonderfully ancient complex which has a lot of history. No holiday to Lisbon is complete without visiting this magnificent monument.

Praça Dom Pedro IV/ Rossio Square

Praça Dom Pedro (commonly referred to by its much older name of Rossio), is the true heart of the city. It serves as the main central square of Lisbon. The great square with its grand fountains and statue of Dom Pedro IV is a place of great national pride. It is also a location to where students, workers and tourists all gather.

Avenida da Liberdade

The 90 metre-wide, 1100 m long boulevard is Lisbon’s main boulevard and is the location for designer shops, expensive restaurants and trendy bars. Between the luxurious and exclusive decadence, there are fine examples of classical 19th-century Portuguese architecture and the two central plazas contain charming water features and grand statues.

Praça do Comércio and Rua Augusta Arch

Positioned on the edge of the Tagus estuary within the Baixa district, is one of Lisbon’s largest plazas, the bright and airy Praça do Comércio. This is where historically traders would sell goods they had picked up on their travels and rich financiers would come to offer them funds for their perilous discovery voyages. To the northern side of the grand square is the decorative and ornate Arco da Rua Augusta, built to commemorate the city’s reconstruction after the 1755 earthquake.

São Jorge Castle

The Moorish castle of São Jorge sits proudly atop one of Lisbon’s hills overlooking the centre of the city and out to the Tagus River beyond. The strongly fortified citadel dates back to the medieval period and offers tourists an insight into that period of Portuguese history.

Torre de Belém

This Gothic tower was built to guard the entrance to the city’s harbour and has some fine examples of Portuguese stonework dating from the 1500s. Not only is the Torre de Belém one of Portugal’s most famous monuments, but it is also a UNESCO world heritage site.

Jerónimos Monastery

The lavish monastery is one of the most prominent examples of the Portuguese Late Gothic Manueline style of architecture in Lisbon. It was classified a UNESCO World Heritage Site, along with the nearby Tower of Belém, in 1983.

Padrão dos Descobrimentos

Built in 1940 and located along the river where ships used to depart to explore and trade with India and the Orient, this huge stone statue marks 500 years since Henry the Navigator’s death and celebrates the Portuguese Age of Discovery during the 15th and 16th centuries.

Eduardo VII Park

If you are looking for a bit of green space in the city, head out to the Eduardo VII Park to the north of the Avenida da Liberdade and the Marquess of Pombal Square, in the centre of the city. The public park’s name pays homage to Edward VII of the United Kingdom who visited Portugal in 1902, to strengthen the relations between the two countries.

What and Where to Eat

Pastéis de Nata at Pastéis de Belém – totally touristy but totally authentic, the popular custard dessert can be found all over the city but the place to go is the pastry shop Pastéis de Belém. Whilst it might mean waiting in line, you will be rewarded with a warm, custard tart, sweet and creamy, crispy and dusted with sugar and cinnamon. Sounds good, right?

Bacalhau – the Portuguese national dish, salt cod, can be found in restaurants across the city. Indeed it’s difficult to find any Lisbon restaurant that doesn’t serve some form of it—the most popular is probably ‘bacalhau a bras’, a stir fry of cod, rice, scrambled eggs, and onions, garnished with black olives.

Caldo Verde – a rival to bacalhau for national dish status, this green soup is based on a cabbage, onion and thinly-sliced potato broth, sometimes accompanied by chourico sausage. You will be able to find it in many of the city’s restaurants or, if you head into one of Lisbon’s night- or music clubs, you will no doubt be offered a bowl as part of the meal accompanying the fado (traditional Portuguese music)show.

Getting Around

First things first, you should ‘invest’ in a Viva Viagem card for €0.50. Once you have this you can top it up with whatever type of ticket you’re interested in. You can buy a €6 ticket that lets you use the Metro, Bus and Tram for a period of 24 hours. However if you are staying longer, there is also a more cost-effective 5 day pass, which you can find out about when buying a ticket. Fares here.

Staying Longer?

Before our trip, anyone we spoke to about visiting Lisbon, insisted that we visit to Sintra and Cascais. We took the advice and were not at all disappointed.

Sintra and Pena Palace

An extremely easy and worthwhile day out to make is the trip to Sintra, to visit the magical Pena Palace and the Castle of the Moors, both of which provide fantastic views of the cityscape below. A train to Sintra from Lisbon’s Rossio station departs every 20 minutes or so. When you arrive at Sintra, don’t buy a tourist bus ticket to take you to the sights, but instead hop onto the public bus (turn right after you step out of the train station) and buy a hop-on-hop-off ticket for €5.

Cascais

Cascais is a popular place for Lisboners to escape to when the sun is shining and the weather is warm. With turquoise water and golden sandy beaches, do you blame them? You can easily spend half a day in the pretty seaside town, dipping your toes into the waters of the Atlantic and meandering through the pretty streets. There is a train to Cascais from Lisbon (Cais do Sodré train station) every 30 minutes.

A Quick Guide to Lisbon | How to Spend a Weekend

A Quick Guide to Lisbon – Getting There