Lisbon in 5 Days

I have said it before (to literally anyone who will listen lol) and I will say it again. For us, it was the people. The tiles of Lisbon are stunning and true works of art. The cliffs and gorgeous waters of The Algarve lead to audible gasps. But, the most inspiring part of our trip was the Portuguese people. We were greeted with genuine kindness and understanding and patience again and again and again. And since it is difficult to put into words the feeling of a place, you will just have to go to experience it for yourselves! In the meantime, here is a guide of things that you can put on your Portugal list. Specific to this post… Lisbon.

This is not an exhaustive list. That is part of what makes Lisbon so intriguing. You could go again and again and again and likely always come across something new (and get lost in a hundred new ways too). We traveled to Portugal at the end of March/beginning of April with our two children (ages 10 and 12). The weather was a bit cool (light jacket and pants weather) for the first part of our trip but got into the 70s later in the week. It was beautiful!

Where We Stayed

We stayed at The Vintage Pestana Lisboa. The four of us had a small suite which was nice for some separation. The decor was mainly Art Deco, which I may be slightly obsessed with/racking my brain for how to incorporate into the Beach Cabin.

While not in any of what I would consider the main areas (Baxia, Barrio Alto, Chiado, Alfama), the location was perfect for us! We were one block from the Metro at Marques de Pombal which made for easy transportation. Better yet, the Avenida de Liberdade was about two blocks away. The Avenida is a lovely stretch which overarching trees and upscale stores on either side. We were able to walk on the Avenida de Liberdade into Baxia and Chiado and all the way to the Tejo River.

Day 1 in Lisbon

Avenida de Liberdade

Time Out Market

Day 1 in Lisbon was a bit of a blur. We flew through the night and arrived bleary eyed but did our best to stay awake until early evening. We walked up the Avenida de Liberdade into the main parts of town and the Time Out Market in Barrio Alto. This is a great place for communal eating and an array of restaurants from which to choose. As my mom reminded me, don’t forget to look down too! The Portuguese cobblestone streets and patterns are works of art.

Day 2 in Lisbon

Futbol tickets

Tuk Tuk Tour of Alfama

St. Vincent

Pizzeria Lisboa

Our son is a huge futbol fan, so we of course had a futbol match on our list. Because we had such difficulty getting tickets online, we decided to take the Metro up to the stadium to purchase tickets the day before the match. A bonus of this morning trip was that we were able to get the lay of the land and do some shopping to gear up for the game. (And get a photo by Cristiano Ronaldo’s Sporting Club kit!)

Side note: the Metro was clean and had cork seats. Even the tile in the Metro stations was beautiful. Double side note: it was so fun to watch our kids navigate the Metro and even tell us how to buy tickets, etc. I love that part of family travel!

Once back by the Avenida de Liberdade, we began walking and found an electric Tuk Tuk. In order to minimize complaining, we decided that a Tuk Tuk tour would be a great way to see the city, specifically, hilly and narrow Alfama and its surrounding area. Alfama is the oldest part of Lisbon and is a labyrinth of steep and windy streets. We were fortunate that our driver lived in Alfama and did a great job navigating the streets and showing us her favorite spots.

She took us to wonderful view points. The first was from Largos das Portas do Sol, which was up the road from the Se Cathedral (our first stop). Here we took a lot of pictures and treated ourselves to some pineapple refreshments. The red buds against the colorful buildings felt like the spring we have been waiting for back in Michigan.

We also stopped at Monsteiro De Sao Vicente De Fora (St. Vincent on the Outside), which was founded by the first Portuguese king in the 12th century. I could have spent a couple of hours there, except for the two children who have yet to master the ability to stroll. So, instead I took 500 photos- haha. It was beautiful. St. Vincent houses the world’s most extensive collection of Baroque tiles. The Sao Vicente also has the original cistern (which miracle of miracles, we did actually see) and the pantheon of Braganca Dynasty (which did stop the kids from their brisk walking for a beat).

Our second vista point was Miradouro da Senhora do Monte which had gorgeous panoramic views of the city. You can see the 25th April Bridge in the background. If  it reminds you of another west coast suspension bridge, it could be because they were designed by the same company. You can also see St. George’s Castle from this viewpoint.

After the tour, we did some shopping and then walked to Chiado for our dinner reservation at Pizzaria Lisboa. Pizzeria Lisboa is one of several restaurants in the same building by the well-known Portuguese chef and restauranteur Jose Avillez. The building is called Bairro de Avillez. We were seated in a balcony above the Pateo. Even the waiting area was charming.

After dinner, we wandered back toward the Avenida, stopping in a sardine-circus store of sorts. It was entertaining to say the least and, having watched Somebody Feed Phil about the canned fish (among other things), we felt the need to buy a couple cans (of salmon, though, not sardines).

While the Pasteis de Nata are a famous dessert in Portugal (more on that in a bit), gelato after almost every meal had our kids’ hearts. There was always a plethora of gelato shops from which to choose.

Day 3 in Lisbon

Zenith

Belem

Futbol Match

On the recommendation from the front desk, we headed to brunch at Zenith. It was wonderful! There was a line to get in but it moved quickly and was worth the wait.

Fueled up for the day, we took a train to the Belem district on the western outskirts of Lisbon. Belem used to serve as a shipyard and docks from which the discoverers would depart to explore places like India, Brazil, and Africa. The Monument to the Discoveries showcases Henry the Navigator with all the great explorers behind him. It is impressive! Because it is equally important to look down when in Portugal (the sidewalks deserve their own blog post), you cannot help but notice the gorgeous marble map in the pavement.

We were able to see the 25th April Bridge and the Christ the King (inspired by the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro) in the distance.

Our kids dutifully took this in (some day, they will remember and appreciate this) and then persisted to ask to scooter. So, we rented a scooter and our lives became easier. It was windy and cold and, as such, we headed away from the water in search of Pasteis de Belém and the Monastery de Jeronimos.

After allowing for some scootering around a lovely park, we headed deeper into town to Casa Pasteis de Belém. If you get only one of these custard tarts while in Portugal, this is the place to go. There are two lines. A (at the time we visited) long line to sit in the cafe and eat and (for us) a shorter line to order a to go/take away pastel de Belem. We sprinkled the powdered sugar and cinnamon on the warm pastry and enjoyed the deliciousness. Pasteis de Belém is where the tart originated in 1837.

The Mosteiro dos Jeronimos was very large, spanning about 300 yards. It was built by King Manuel in gratitude to the early explorers and was largely financed by the spice trade. Its architectural style is Manueline. We did not tour the interior but were able to get a sense of the grandeur from the exterior.

We did not make it to the Belem Tower and this is a regret. The Belem Tower was built to protect Lisbon’s harbor. The Tower and the Monastery are both UNESCO sites.

That afternoon we took the train back, refreshed at the hotel and headed via the Metro to Estádio José Alvalade, home of the Sporting Club of Lisbon. We got there early enough to enjoy some futbol entertainment and to eat a quick dinner before heading to our seats. There were songs (maybe ballads is more accurate) sung by the fans, scarf swinging, and so much enthusiasm. It was an amazing experience!

Day 4 in Lisbon

Principe Real

Cafe A Brasileira

Tapas N’ Friends Se

Due to the late night futbol game, we decided to have a relaxing 4th day in Lisbon. We walked from our hotel to Principe Real Shopping District with its fashionable boutiques and beautiful art galleries. It was lovely! The boys played soccer in the park and our daughter and I popped into several shops. Because it was Palm Sunday, many of the stores were closed. We then walked to  the Principe Real Garden under cedar tree shade, overlooking the city and river. There were several huts selling food, drinks and souvenirs as well as outdoor eating spaces.

We wandered through the streets looking for a place to eat lunch/brunch and landed on Cafe A Brasileira, a 100 year old coffee house with Art Nouveau decor. This lovely restaurant used to be a gathering place for writers and poets, including Fernando Pessoa. We ate outside and listened to the street musicians.

We continued shopping for a bit in the area and then headed down to the water. It was a beautiful day and some people were even dipping their toes in the river.

Having spent the day mainly in the Barrio Alto and Baixa-Chiado areas, we headed toward Alfama for dinner. It felt dreamlike to be eating tapas (including Octopus Salad) under the Se orange trees. (Tapas n’ Friends Se).

Day 5, 6, 7

Days 5, 6, and 7 were spent in The Algarve (blog post coming soon). We made it back into Lisbon on Day 7 in time for dinner by the Praça do Comércio. The kids were able to kick the ball around in the large square while the adults finished dinner on the edge of the square.

Here are some photos of the Praça do Comércio during the day. This dazzling plaza is surrounded on three sides by Pombaline style buildings. The fourth side faces out on the river. The statue in the center is of King Joseph I. The square demonstrates the wealth and ambitions of the country and its explorers in the 18th century.

The Rua Augusta Arch is a lovely neoclassical architectural entrance into the city from the river. It was built in commemoration of the rebuilding of Lisbon after the 1775 Earthquake.

Day 5 (8) in Lisbon (Sort of)

Sintra

Cascais

Our plans for Day 5 (8) in Lisbon included sharing a driver with our friends and heading out the Sintra to see the castles. Unfortunately, there was a strike and the castles were closed. We were, however, able to enjoy walking through town. We also were able to tour the Quinta da Regaleira (a designated World Heritage site by UNSECO) gardens and view the 1912 mansion from the outside. This mansion has a little bit of everything Neo- Renaissance/Gothic/Manueline. We all enjoyed the gardens. It felt like we were in the middle of a fairytale. The old tennis courts, towers, fountains and especially the Initiation Well were fascinating. (The Initiation Well looks like an underground tower, goes 88 feet underground to tunnels and was apparently used for ceremonial purposes. We did not wait in the long line to go into the well but were able to view down into it.)

Even the entry into the grounds had beautiful details.

The next stop of the day was Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in Europe. There were trails for some hiking and an old lighthouse. It was windy and a bit cold so it was a quick stop before heading to lunch.

Mar do Guincho was a very nice seaside restaurant. While it was a bit fancier than any of us would have chosen (our driver determined the lunch location), the views were breathtaking and the kids were able to happily roll around in the sand just outside the restaurant and within view (and with strict instructions to stay out of the water) while the adults finished eating.

Our last stop of the day was Cascais, which embodied that beach town vibe. Cascais is about 17 miles west of Lisbon and has all the vacation feels including a city beach, boutiques, and a wide array of restaurants. The shop owners were all very friendly and I purchased many of our family gifts in town before heading back to Lisbon.

Back in Lisbon, we decided on Alfama for dinner. We ended up at a wonderful little restaurant called Cantina do Cellar. The wait staff were amazing with the children and food was excellent. We wandered down to a gelato shop (our second time being there- Gelato Artigianale) to get a little treat for the walk back. They had flavors like Lemon Rosemary & Honey as well as more kid fan favorites such as Oreo. All good stuff! The ease and confidence that our kids demonstrated heading back to the hotel was amazing (albeit, slightly terrifying).

What to Wear

I was very happy with my selection from this Packing List for Portugal in April.

What to Watch

Somebody Feed Phil, a travel documentary, that follows Phil Rosenthal (creator of Everyone Love Raymond) to different cities as he tries the local cuisine definitely got us excited for our trip. Lisbon is Season 1, Episode 4.

On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, a James Bond film, was mostly filmed in Portugal. It’s been awhile and I need to rewatch it.

What to Read

This section contains affiliate links, meaning that if you click and purchase, I may receive some compensation. Thank you!

Fodor’s Lisbon– We loved this for the maps and short synopsis of various places.

Rick Steves Portugal– We loved Rick Steves thoughts on places to visit and what to skip. He really tells it like it is, which we were both enthralled and mildly irritated with lol.

Happy Travels!