Portugal
Lisbon
6 days / 7 nights, September 2023
4 days Lisbon, 2-day trips: Evora, Queluz National Palace
We normally don’t love big cities, but Lisbon was a nice exception. It was charming. Lots of narrow streets, wrought iron balconies, tile on buildings (pretty and insulating, brought to area by the Arabs), cobblestone sidewalks, squares/plazas, many tiny restaurants & coffee shops, bars on every corner, lots of outdoor seating. There were lovely views all over town, seven hills, red tile roofs, river, mountains, bridge similar to Golden Gate (same designer), huge hilltop Christ the Redeemer (similar to Rio). It was very easy to get around with friendly people, most able to speak English. We felt safe walking around. Do note the steep elevations are no joke. There is a lot of hill climbing, stairs, slippery limestone cobblestones and uneven surfaces.
One side trip we did not do from Lisbon that we will do when we come back is visiting the seaside town of Cascais.
Arrival
We arrived at the international airport and getting through customs was swift. We easily found a cab and took it to our Airbnb. Turned out there was a water leak in our Airbnb from the apartment above it, so our host Sandra offered her personal apartment to us, while she stayed in the Airbnb. She didn’t hesitate to make it right and let complete strangers stay in her home. So glad she didn’t cancel and leave us scrambling to find a place. She was very welcoming and gracious.
Bistro Atalaia 👍- dinner at a very small tapas restaurant. Recommended by a restaurant we couldn’t get into, and our timing was perfect with only a five minute wait. Staff and food were wonderful. Great vibe.
Day 1 - Central Lisbon
In the morning we followed Rick Steves Baxia stroll taking a break for lunch and a beer
To. B -To burger or not Burger - Tasty salad
Beer at Lisbon's oldest beer hall - Trinada
The afternoon was the Seven hills ebike tour (Airbnb experience)👍 Covered much more than we would have walking, including old and new parts of the city with amazing views. Small section of ride in newer part of the city had bike lanes. The rest was somewhat challenging to navigate the hills, narrow roads, people, cars, tram tracks and cobblestones. But we miraculously survived and would recommend it, but not for the faint of heart
Highest point in Lisbon
Dinner at Casanostra👍- pasta was fresh and amazing Italian food. Menu only in Italian and Portuguese. Friendly servers, but got super busy when service understandably declined. Make a reservation. Opens at 7:30pm.
Day 2 - Central Lisbon
Portuguese cuisine : 17 food tasting (Airbnb experience). 👍Very informative. Good balance between walking, talking and stops. Plenty of food and drink. New favorites grilled sardines and octopus salad. 4 hours went by very quickly.
Lumi Rooftop bar - 👌balcony overlooking river. Unfortunately seat lip blocks some views while sitting down. Good to sit and have a drink but wouldn't go out of my way to find this bar.
Grau Douro Tapas and Wine Bar 👍 Loved the food. Reasonable prices. Very friendly owner. Opens at 5pm. No reservations. Good size portions. Enjoyed a bottle of 100 Hectares Touriga Nacional Tinto wine.
Day 3 - Central Lisbon
Changed to Airbnb in Alfama area. Loved this area. Small apartments on top of each other amongst a maze of narrow cobblestone streets with restaurants popping out on a square or onto the sidewalks. It's loud, old and sometimes smelly but has more character than other areas.
Joined Kickstart Street Art Walk (Airbnb Experience) 1.5 hours that went by in a blink of the eye. Guide was very friendly and super knowledgeable of the local street artists. She talks to all the artists to understand first hand what they are conveying in their work. Would highly recommend. Tour ended up on one of the hills from the day before, where we again soaked in the view from the highest point in Lisbon, marveling at the bridge and Christ statue.
Dinner at a neighborhood Italian restaurant a stone's throw from our Airbnb, Osteria Bellosguardo. Owner is Italian and food was deliciously authentic. Note we also ate at O Beco. Had pataniscas (cod fish fritters) with rice and beans. Absolutely delicious.
Day 4 - Day trip to Evora
Easy day trip from Lisbon by train. We caught the 9am train to Evora and the 5pm train back. Plenty of time to wander around the narrow streets, see the sights, and have lunch. Our highlights below:
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Chapel of bones
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Roman temple
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Aqueduct
Back in Lisbon we had dinner at Solar 31. Unfortunately, it didn’t measure up even close to its high ratings and rave reviews. Octopus was chewy and tough. Downstairs ambience was uninspired. Maybe our expectations were too high or it was an off night for the kitchen.
Day 5 - Bike to Belem
Lisbon City center to Belem bike tour (Airbnb experience) - 4 hours on bike. This was an enjoyable much more relaxed (FLAT) bike tour than our earlier bike tour. No need for e-bikes, very little traffic and people. Nice reward was the flaky, crispy, yummy and famous Pasteis de Belem.
Pasteis de Belem
Belem Tower
Monument of the Discoveries
Tile Museum - Maybe of interest, if you are really into tile. Mostly a walk through for us. Interesting geometric patterns or painted scenes.
Dinner at RD's Restaurante e Cafe - wonderful, inexpensive Nepalese food followed by amazing gelato at Mu.
Day 6 - Day trip to Queluz National Palace
Caught the train from Rossi to visit Palace of Queluz. It is an 18th-century palace with ornate interior and large gardens. It is a short train ride then a 10 minute walk to the palace from the train station. We were able to download the audio guide as there was free WiFi. Enjoyable to walk through interior and the gardens. Way less crowded then Pena Palace. Took us about 3 hours including train from Lisbon and back. We were in no hurry.
Ferry across the river to Cacilhas to eat at Porto Final - we arrived around 2:45pm without a reservation. Waited about 30 - 45 minutes for a table. Worth the wait! We were one of the last tables to be seated before they closed their kitchen to reopen again at 7pm. Food was great, and it was fantastic to sit right next to the river watching the jellyfish and fish swim by with Lisbon in the background. Perfect way to end our stay in Lisbon.
