City trip Lisbon: our four-day guide!
Posted on January 10, 2023
Looking for a destination for your next city break? Lisbon has everything you’re looking for! Cozy streets, delicious food, beautiful sights and often sunshine. We visited the city in January and we can say that for northern Europeans, this is definitely a must-see if you want to escape the cold. In this blog you’ll find our four-day itinerary to Lisbon, with tips for allergy-testing restaurants as well as a relaxed pace of travel, especially for those who need to take it easy when it comes to stimuli.
Accommodation & Tips
Lisboa Card
From Amsterdam, you can be in Lisbon in just under three hours! Arriving at the airport, I recommend that you buy a Lisboa Card directly at the Visit Lisboa info point, of course you can also do this online in advance. For just 44 euros, you have a pass that allows you to visit attractions and museums for free or at a discount for three days and travel free on public transport. The card activates at the first attraction you visit or the first time you board public transport and is valid for 72 hours after that. So plan carefully when to use the card for the first time!
From airport to hotel
Portugal still has a true taxi culture! Before departure, download the Bolt or Free Now app to make sure you can order a taxi at the push of a button. We took a taxi from the airport to our hotel in the Principe Real district and only lost a tenner. Want to use your Lisboa Card already? Then take the metro or bus to the city centre!
Lisbon Sao Bento Hotel
We stayed at the lovely Lisbon Sao Bento Hotel in the Principe Real district. Highly recommended in our opinion, the hotel is centrally located and the tram, bus ánd metro are just around the corner. In addition, breakfast is included. If you arrive in Lisbon later in the evening (like us) and don’t feel like going into the centre for a bite to eat? Restaurant Rodas comes highly recommended. The interior may not be Instagrammable, but the food is delicious. The large number of locals who go to eat here every night confirms this.
Day 1: Explore the beautiful streets of Alfalma
Tram 28
The best way to discover the old town and Alfalma district is to take a ride on tram 28! The starting point for this ride can be found at the Martim Moniz stop. Get to this stop early to avoid long queues. Check in with your Lisboa Card and enjoy the 50-minute ride. After the tram ride, you’ll have some idea of how the different districts in the historic centre are connected. Get off at Graça stop and explore the historic Alfalma district from here.
Wander around Alfalma
Alfama is Lisbon’s historic district! In this district, you’ll have great views of the city at places like:
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Graça
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Miradouro de Santa Luzia
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Castelo de Sao Jorge
Alfama is also the district that breathes Fado, as this is where Portuguese music originated. In the evening, go to one of the fado houses and enjoy the music. In addition, wander endlessly through the streets where you will find beautiful Portuguese tiles on every corner.
Feira da Ladra
On Tuesdays and Saturdays, Alfama hosts the Feira da Ladra, a fun market with stalls selling antiques as well as second-hand clothes and stuff! Sniff around and then settle down on the terrace of Copenhagen Coffee Lab. Here you can enjoy coffee and sweets. The chain can be found in several places in Lisbon. Check out the menu here. Experience shows that indicating an allergy is taken seriously here!
From Alfama to Baixa
After stopping at Copehagen Coffee Lab, walk towards the Sé Cathedral and from there follow the route taken by tram 28 to end up in the Baixa district. Here you’ll find Praca de Comercio, one of Lisbon’s most famous squares, and Arco de Rua Augusta, a beautiful arch found at the head of the city’s most famous shopping street.
From Baixa, we took the public transport to rest at our hotel for a few hours until it was time for dinner!
Diner at Tapa Bucho
Tapa Bucho can be found in the cosy Bairro Alto district! You’ll find a combination of Portuguese and Spanish tapas here. The menu very clearly indicates which allergens can be found in which dish. A real gem!
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Day 2: Strolling around Bélem
Mosteiro dos Jerónimos
From the city centre, travel by metro or bus to the Bélem district, where there are several places of interest. We recommend going to the Jerónimos Monastery first. This is because the queue can be quite long. Skip the line tickets can be found online. Once inside the monastery, be surprised by the beautifully decorated pillars and the beautiful light. The 16-century monastery was built in memory of explorer Vasco da Gama. As far as we are concerned, a real must visit, because there is indeed plenty to explore and see!
Spot wildlife
Between the monastery and Bélem’s other highlight; the Tower of Belém, you can spot wildlife! Namely the street art work ‘the big racoon‘ by artist Bordalo II. This raccoon is made of leftover rubbish. Special works by Bordalo II can be found in several places in Lisbon.
Torre Bélem
Continue your way to the magnificent Torre Bélem. Built in 1515, the tower is very important to many Portuguese. Indeed, the tower stands on the spot where explorer Vasco da Gama began his voyage of discovery. With the Lisboa card, you can visit the tower for free. Is there a long queue for the tower and are you short of time? Then we recommend admiring the tower from the mainland. Even if you have some difficulty walking, we don’t recommend entering the tower. This is because Torre Belém has no lift but lots of steps.
Confeitaira de Bélem
Strolling around makes you hungry! Find a spot on the terrace of Confeitaira Nacional Bélem and enjoy the view of the Tagus River and, more importantly, delicious pastel de natas and other sweets. By the way, do not confuse this café on the Tagus with Pasteis de Bélem where you can taste the only real pastels de Bélem. The bakery can be found near the monastery.
Ponte de 25 abril & Estátuo do Cristo
Walking around Bélem, you will often see the imposing Ponte de 25 abril in the background! This bridge is very similar to the famous Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco! Another copy can be found nearby namely the statue of Christ, as you probably know it from Rio de Janeiro! A nice mix of influences!
Padrão dos Descobrimentos
From Confeitaira Nacional Bélem, walk along the Tagus River to Padrão dos Descobrimentos. This is a monument honouring the most important Portuguese sailors. These sailors are also depicted on the monument. The monument is accessible and a lift allows you to get to the roof of the building, where you have a great view of the Tagus and the port.
LX Factory
From the monument, walk along the Tagus River or through the cosy streets of Bélem towards the LX Factory. The LX Factory consists of concept stores, restaurants and studios. We ate a tasty Italian snack at Messe Pizzeria after which we continued our way to our hotel.
Time Out Market
The Time Out Market is Lisbon’s premier market hall. Under one roof you will find several restaurants and bars. From traditional Portuguese cuisine to Italian cuisine, you’ll find it all here.
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Day 3: To Magical Sintra
Near Lisbon lies the beautiful town of Sintra! The city has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1995 and for good reason in the city you will find beautiful castles more than 2,000 years old.
Accessibility
Sintra is easy to reach by public transport from Lisbon. Take the bus or metro to Rossio train station and check in here with your Lisboa card. The train journey to Sintra is free with your card! After about 40 minutes you will arrive at Sintra train station. From here, you can take bus line 434 to Sintra’s most famous attraction: Pena Palace. Bus line 435 will take you to the other sights. Bus tickets valid for both bus lines 434 and 435 can be bought here.
An alternative to the bus are the tuktuks and taxis that drive around the city. However, these are a lot more expensive. Make sure you leave Lisbon for Sintra on time to get ahead of the crowds.
Pena Palace
Sintra’s most famous landmark is Pena Palace, so visit it first. Avoid queues and buy your tickets online. Do bear in mind that the time slot on your ticket is valid and that you have to walk up the mountain after the main entrance for another 10 minutes to reach Sintra Palace. Despite the crowds, Pena Palace is a real must-visit as far as we are concerned. The palace has a beautiful architectural style and lovely colours, turrets and gates. As such, Pena Palace is the former summer retreat of the Portuguese royal family! There is plenty to see and do around the palace too, as Parque de Pena is some 200 hectares in size. So don’t forget to take a walk through the garden before or after your visit to the palace.
Moorish Castle
Bus line 434 runs on a one-way street. First you come across the Moorish Castle stop, followed by the Pena Palace stop. Stay put until Pena Palace, visit the palace first and then walk back to Moorish Castle. This is a castle with a totally different architectural style and is also the oldest castle in Sintra. The castle’s name stems from the fact that the Moors conquered the area in the 9th and 10th centuries and built this castle on this spot to properly conquer the area. Vertigo? We recommend skipping this castle then.
After visiting these two castles, we unfortunately had to wait a very long time for bus 434 after which we decided to skip the other castles. Do you have more time? Then also visit the following palaces on bus 435:
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Quinta da Regaleira
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Palacio de Monserrate
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Palácio Nacional de Sintra
Mama Restaurant
Once back in Lisbon, we ate at Mama Restaurant. The restaurant is fantastically decorated and also has delicious dishes. Don’t forget to have a nice cocktail too. Check out the menu here.
Day 4: A last glimpse of Lisbon
The last day in Lisbon has arrived! We enjoyed another morning in this beautiful city, checking out the sights we hadn't seen yet.
Santa Justa elevator
The Santa Justa lift is perhaps the most famous lift in Europe! The elevator, built in 1902, is mainly made of iron and connects the Bairro Alto and Baixa districts. Once at the top you have a beautiful view of the historic center of Lisbon. The lift also applies: get there on time to avoid long lines. The lift is accessible free of charge with the Lisboa card.
Pink Street
Rua Nova do Carvalho also called Pink Street is the place to be if you want to party until the early hours! During the day, the street has become one of the city's Instagram hotspots. Go here if you want to give your feed some more color.
Shopping
A city trip also includes shopping, in addition to all the sights, there are also very nice shops in the Bairro Alto and Baixa districts! Stroll through the neighborhoods and find pearls!
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