Lisbon Travel Guide
What to know about Lisbon:
Lisbon is full of cobbled footpaths, colourful houses, yellow trams, and graffiti on many streets and corners. It is steeped in culture, history, beautiful architecture, and of course the famous custard pie Pastel de Nata. This capital will capture your heart.
Fun Facts about Lisbon:
Lisbon City is built on seven hills
It is the second oldest city in Europe.
It is known to be the best budget capital city in Europe
It wasn’t always the capital of Portugal
Lisbon was once known as the city of spies
Best time of year to visit (weather wise):
April-October
Where to stay:
There are a lot of Hotels in the Saldanha area so it is well worth checking out this area. I stayed in TURIM Saldanha Hotel which is about a ten minute drive from the main center. It was reasonably priced. Now, it’s important to note that I stayed in the off-peak season so it might be expensive in the Summer.
What to do in Lisbon:
Hop -on hop off Bus is probably the easiest way to get around so that you can see as much as possible. It’s not like your usual hop-on hop-off bus though, it has four lines.The green line, the red line, the blue line, and the orange line. You need to pick two lines, which costs €22 for 48 hours.
My advice to you is to take the red and green lines. This is where you are going to experience the old town, the older buildings, the unique Portuguese tiled houses, and the graffiti. The blue line and the orange lines will give you the experience of newer buildings.
Another piece of advice would be to spread out the lines. Do the red bus one day (there are a lot of stops on this line) and do the green another day. Make sure you have plenty of time to enjoy both lines because you will want to stop every five minutes to take a photo of every beautiful street and every corner.
Recommended stops:
First Stop: Time Out Café (This is on the red line).
The Time Out Café is a massive food market. What is so fantastic about this place is that you can look around, sit down whenever you want and eat whatever you want. Oh my God have I mentioned the cakes yet? I think this is where Cake Heaven is. Your mouth will be watering.
A place I would highly recommend you visit while you are in the Time Out Café is in Manteigaria. This is where you will taste the famous Pastel de Nata (custard pie).
Now you may not be a custard kind of person like me BUT I promise you, you won’t regret tasting this. The pies are freshly made and they cost only €1.00.
The next spot I would recommend is Belém. Belém is 6km outside of Lisbon City. It means Bethlehem in Portugal. It is here you will find Belém Tower. The Tower was built in the 16th century. It was built as a fort to protect Lisbon raids.
Top Tip: Get up early to avoid the tourist crowds.
The next stop on your list should be Miradouro da Senhora do Monte. This is a viewing point of the whole of Lisbon. Perfect for any romantic partners.
Lisbon by foot:
If you are not up for the Hop-on hop-off bus then you can experience Lisbon by foot which they say is the best way to explore the City.
I booked a Tour Guide with HiHi Guide. I found this a great help because I wanted to see places that I probably wouldn’t have been able to find by myself.
First Stop by foot: Elevador da Bica is the most photographed tram in the Capital. It carries 23 passengers and the journey itself only takes less than 5 minutes. It’s a Tram that climbs up and down a steep hill so people can get a picture and experience the famous yellow tram.
This is a popular Instagram spot so again be up early to avoid the tourists.
Next Stop by foot: Rua Nova do Carvalho ( Pink Street)
This is another famous Instagram spot. Lisbon was an important port city for sailors. This street was a street where sailors used to come and well you know yourself what sailors got up to in those days… It was also a popular street for criminals to meet as well.
It doesn’t exactly scream glamorous back in the day but nowadays every person in the world wants a picture of this street. The brothels have long gone and you will now find new bars around the area and a hipster vibe. It’s not every day you get to walk on a Pink Street so take advantage of it when visiting. P.S. don’t forget “on Wednesday we wear pink.” ;)
Last Stop:
Where you definitely need to go is the LX Factory. We took the bus to see the popular attraction. This used to be a Factory but was done up a few years ago. There are now Bars, Restaurants, and Shops here, and quite a funky Library may I add. Instagram famous may I also add. If you are quirky and slightly hipster then you will love LX Factory. But it can also be enjoyed by all types of personalities.
Top Tip: A place you must definitely visit whilst visiting LX Factory is Rio Maravilha (A Restaurant/Bar). This place has the best view of the famous Ponte 25 de Abril.
Top Tip: Buy yourself a cocktail and sit down and take it all in.
Ponte 25 de Abril is a bridge in Lisbon that connects the city of Lisbon,, to the municipality of Almadaon the left bank of the Tagusriver. The bridge is a copy of the San Francisco Bridge. San Francisco wanted to give another Country in the world the exact make of their Bridge so they chose Lisbon.
Where to eat in Lisbon:
Lisbon loves their fish so expect a lot of it. Our local guide recommended Pastel De Bacalhau. It is here that you will taste delicious cod fish cakes. If you’re on a budget then I would suggest that you eat in the food courts in the shopping centers.
If you are staying in the Saldanha area and again you’re on a budget then go to Rodízio Boi Preto. This is a Steakhouse. You can get a lunch buffet for €6.50. There is everything in this Buffet! Shepherd's Pie, Noodles, Rice, Bread, Chicken Skewers, Cheese, ham, etc.
The staff are lovely here too which was an added bonus.
Other costs to know:
Costs of drinks in Lisbon: Cocktails €7-10, Beer €3, A bottle of wine €4.50
Transport: The Minimum fare of a taxi starts at €3.25 then each additional kilometer costs €0.47
Top Tip: Buy a ticket at the Metro Station so that you can use the Metro, Train, Tram, and Bus for 24 hours. This will only cost you €10.50.
Tram 28 is the most famous Tram in Lisbon. This brings you around the City. It costs about €1.90 but if you have your 24 hour metro ticket then this will do.
Warning: This tram is known for pickpockets. If you want to do it then I suggest that you should leave important belongings in a safe at the accommodation you’re staying at.
In my opinion Lisbon should be a must seen place on everyone's travel bucket list. You can be certain it will leave a special place in your heart and you will want to go back again. I’ll leave you with this quote.