How to Spend a 2-3 days in Lisbon, Portugal
DYK: Lisbon is one of the oldest cities in Europe. I spent 3 full days in Lisbon. It’s big enough that a week would be a good amount of time (& include some day trips to smaller cities). It’s only a three-hour bus ride from Porto, where I spent most of December. Grab your comfy tennis shoes but leave your heavy jacket at home. The winter weather is perfect, with no rain in the forecast and lots of sunshine. Added bonus: direct flight from the US, so why not give Lisbon a try?
STAY
Hotel Borges Chiado: in the middle of the city center, right next to the metro and multiple tram stops. Our room looked a little worn, but the bed and bathroom were clean and comfortable. This is a perfect hotel if you want to be right in the middle of everything. With that said, because of the hotel’s location, you pay for the touristy restaurants that are right outside the hotel.
San Jardi Hostel: great hostel with breakfast available for a price and two bars (one inside and one out) with a good happy hour. The room I stayed in had an ensuite bathroom and luggage storage, with curtains on each bed. Click here to book via HostelWorld!
NH Lisboa: Nice, large, clean rooms, complimentary water throughout the lobby. The breakfast included was immaculate with made-to-order omelets. It’s a 30-minute straight shot walking into the city with very little incline. Not as close as our other stays but less than 8 minutes from the airport by taxi.
SEE
Lisbon by boat: We took a 35 euro boat tour with BYX tours that lasted 2 hrs. It ended up being a private sunset boat ride since it was close to Christmas and off season. Wine and snacks included as well as Manuel’s humorous commentary of all the museums you should and should not see while in Lisbon. For the price, this was well worth it. Link here -> Sunset Lisbon tour with Manuel!
Sao Jorge Castle: located atop the highest hill in Lisbon, this castle is an essential part of the city’s landscape (and a great view for sunset!). The cost is $10 per person, and as it can take a few hours to explore, the cost is well worth it.
Santa Justa Lift: a curious elevator in the middle of historic Lisbon. So what is so great about an elevator? This particular lift was inaugurated in 1902 as a public transportation system. Lisbon is built on multiple hills so elevators were built to get to different neighborhoods. This one is a funicular viewpoint for many tourists. The cost is 5.30 euros for the return trip.
Take the Tram 28 up to the viewpoint: 3.80 euros round trip. Situated on one of the steepest inclines, the ride itself is nothing special but the view is worth it.
EAT
Laurentina: recommended by our taxi driver. True Portuguese restaurant. We did not have a reservation but got there as soon as they opened for dinner at 7pm and were seated right away. The dishes included every way to cook bacalhau, or salted cod fish, creamed spinach, chickpeas and octopus. The dishes were definitely sharing portions, which we realized after we asked for 4 takeaway boxes. It was just as good the next day. At 7pm, we were the only table there, by the time we left at 9pm the restaurant was full of groups of Portuguese families enjoying a nice Friday dinner. click here for more -> Laurentina Instagram
Mercado Oriental Martim: So good, I went twice! A variety of Asian cuisine set up in booths. It’s a not frills eatery, you get a beeper after ordering, find a table and clean up your tray at the end. If you fancy cooking yourself, there is an entire Asian market on the first floor. Luckily, the first time I went was with a friend so we were down to try a lot of food. We started with seafood dim sum, tofu pho and for the after dinner course, an assortment of sushi. To top it off, we left with our first bubble teas. click here for more -> Mercado Oriental Martim Instagram
THE DIRTY DETAILS:
- Do not go out of your way to see Lisbon Pink Street, located near the port, used to be Lisbon’s red light district. Now, it’s a sad tourist trap. The street itself is fairly dirt (at all hours of the day) and only has a few restaurants. I would not go out of your way to see this.
- Be aware of your surroundings. With any major city comes a bigger homeless population. In the main city center, this was very obvious. I was asked, in Portuguese, if I wanted drugs (I think that’s what he said at least) without any aggression but I after breaking his heart and saying no, he promptly left me alone.
- If you want to see the majority of the city, you will need to use transportation. The metro is very clean and easily accessible. While one way ticket cost $1.50 (which is actually higher priced than other cities) the routes are easy to read.
- If you have more than a few days, be sure to take a day trip over to Santos, Nazare or Obidos – this GetYourGuide link can help (be sure to check out my post about how to spend Christmas in Obidos!)
