Lisbon, Portugal

Oh Lisbon (Lisboa if you want to feel like a local), your candy colored backdrop is one that I’ll likely have on my computer background for years to come. And I’d be lying if I spent the entire week after our trip Googling “how to make pastéis de nata”.

Lisbon is a great weekend trip if you’re visiting Porto, though if you’re planning to visit both – we’d recommend spending a day or two more in Lisbon, as theres much more ground to cover (and yes, you do NEED a day trip to Sintra in there)!

Lisbon was truly breathtaking, in so many ways. You’ve got a bustling city feel, that has so much to see and do, but has managed to maintain the beautiful culture within it! AND THE TILE. Every corner is different, and pictures just don’t do it justice! Plus – it’s a really affordable city, as was all of Portugal – which made it such a great, quick, week trip!

We stayed in the Martim Monez area, in the most darling AirBNB on a quiet hill. The apartment was perfect for two people, affordable and THE VIEW from our living room just could not be beat! We also just loved opening up the windows in the morning surrounded by local Portugese grandmothers putting out their lines of laundry and taking in the chirping of the birds while they drank their morning tea. Does it get more authentic?!

(Fair warning: if you book this spot, be ready to walk up a large hill to get your luggage to the apartment – though I’d venture to say this will be the case in many spots in Portugal). You can book the apartment, here: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/7345120?guests=1&adults=1

If you prefer the hotel life – we’d still recommend this area! Use the Booking.com link at the bottom of this post to see what’s available in the part of town we stayed in!

Many of the things you want to do in Lisbon will be further than they seem. We put in 13 miles our first day (actual stat, #overachievers), and you FEEL IT from those hills. Do yourself a favor and hit the stair stepper at the gym a few weeks before heading to Portugal 🙂 The place is hills galore, plus the cobblestone makes it even worse. We’d recommend a good pair of shoes, and taking public transit! The train was easy to navigate, cheap and super convenient. We did utilize Uber while we were there, and it was very cheap also, but said streets make rides bumpy and long because the roads aren’t the easiest to navigate by car.

When in the Martim Monez area, you’re in the prime spot to hit a good amount of the “tourist spots”. The map below will help you see the layout of the major spots. These areas are bustling, and you’ll spend a good amount of time here. Between the Santa Justa Lift and Comercio Plaza, there are tons of shops, restaurants, bakeries and street performances. We spent half the day popping in and out of shops, and taking in the perfect tile-lined streets, as we made our way to each location on the map.

Note: if you want to do the full tours of Santa Justa Lift and Castelo de S. Jorge – go early, and get tickets!

Next stop? Bairro Alto. Another area to get lost in! Make sure to check out Time Out Market. It’s a bustling food market with 35 kiosks selling regional specialties. They also offer cooking classes! We tried out various items from a few of the stalls, but the real start of the show here is Manteigerra. You HAVE to try the pasteis de nata. Get two, and don’t look back. Dust a little cinnamon on top and ask for warm ones right out of the oven (tell them it’s your first time and they will make it happen). Yep, salivating as I write this. Biggest regret is not eating more of them while we were there.

After eating all that nata, if you’re looking for a run, stroll, or bike ride – next you’ll want to head to Santa Maria de Belém. You can start at the Docas de Santo Amaro, where there are also plenty of dock-side restaurants with a view! There were many scooters and bikes around to rent in that area to continue toward Bélem. Or, you can take the train right to the Belém stop. Most notable is the Tower of Belém, but on this water side strip that follows along Avenida de Brasília there are lots of other sights, and a few museums! Pro tip: get the best view from the top of the MAAT!

Lisbon is truly a city you can get lost in (figuratively – well, and literally). Sure you’ll want to see the notable things, but as we recommend with all cities – explore every new turn! We went to Lisbon before we got the hang of this whole blogging world and we happened to stumbled upon one of the most instagrammed streets of Lisbon (Pink Street) on an early morning run! You never know what you’ll turn the corner to here – and that’s the beauty of taking our recommendations but making the trip your own, too!

If you’re looking to catch this amazing spot – it’s at the intersection of Ruo Nova do Carvalho and Rua do Alercrim – and get there before 8am for an empty street! Another option is to go late night – as the street is home to countless bars!

We did a lot of “pop-ins” at Cafés for quick bites and pasteis, but below are some notable restaurants that were to die for!!
-Mesa Com Pao (traditional, but amazing, Portuguese breakfast)
-Bairro Da Avillez (get the cheese board, with allll the meats)
-A Cevicheria (get the surf & turf sandwich and the tartare beef tacos)

Last but not least – if you’re looking to get into the Lisbon mood before you go – watch the Lisbon episode of Somebody Feed Phil – and check out our Instagram story highlights from the trip!