I went to Lisbon for a week during April of 2017. Since then, I think there was a bit of a surge in tourism in Lisbon. I personally had a great week there and didn’t find anything to be so overly crowded or touristed, but I’ve heard feedback from multiple travelers in recent years sharing experiences that were very different from my own. However, I love the experience of spending a full week in one city. While it can be typical to travel around Europe by spending a few days in each city to see the main sites, spending more time in a place can help you immerse in the place. I thought Lisbon had beautiful sites, interesting culture, and awesome food.

My Itinerary

Day 1- Arrive and explore, visit Castle of Sao Jorge

Day 2- Explore city center, waterside walk, Fado Museum

Day 3- Go to Belem (Walk to Tower, Museum of Contemporary Art, Pasteis de Belem)

Day 4- Explore the Alfama neighborhood

Day 5- Visit National Tile Museum

Day 6- Day trip to Sintra (via train)

Day 7- Last day in Lisbon

Tips & Highlights

I left for this Lisbon trip feeling inspired by Anthony Bourdain. When I arrived, my first stop was getting the same sandwich as him (bifana) at O Trevo. After that, I enjoyed going to the Castle of Sao Jorge, where you can walk around and explore the grounds. I stayed at the Behotelisboa which was very centrally located, and I had a good experience there. There were basically strips of restaurants in this touristy center and I just ate a snack-like dinner of meat and cheese snacks before falling asleep after a long travel day.

The next day, I walked around the city center to explore, and took time to relax waterside and take in the beautiful view with some fresh sangria and a book. Then, I walked around more and visited the Fado Museum to learn more about the culture through the lens of music and tradition. Later in the trip, I checked out live Fado at a fado club one night! It was cool to go in understanding some background.

It’s a trip out of the city center, but Belem is a must-do! Not only is it home to arguably the best spot for my favorite pastry ever, the pastel de nata, but there are other lovely things to do while you’re there. I took a walk down the pier to see the tower, then I went to the Contemporary Art Museum, which had a really nice selection of art. After that, I got on line at Pasteis de Belem to pick up some delicious pastries. The line is always long, but it moves very quickly and efficiently. You can eat them in the cafe, but I just took some to go and ate one in the little park across the street.

Another excursion I’d recommend is taking the train to Sintra. It has a few castles you can visit. The most fancy is the Pena Palace, which has a colorful exterior and intricate interior you can check out. My friend and I hiked around Sintra, toured the Pena Palace, and also got to see the Moorish Castle before heading back to Lisbon.

On a free day, I decided to entertain myself by taking a cab to the National Tile Museum. I found the tile art throughout the city to be so cool, so I really enjoyed seeing more of it at this museum.

One standout thing about Libson was the dining experiences I had throughout the trip. I went to Cervejaria Ramiro (the Bourdain-featured seafood spot) twice during the week for some no-frills plates of crab and garlic shrimp, perfect with a beer and their addicting plates of buttered bread. Yes, you have to wait in line for a while, but this is a must for seafood fans. A lunch highlight was Taberna Sal Grosso, an awesome little spot in the Alfama area. I had fresh and delicious fish and tomato rice. I also had a great lunch at Cantinho Do Avillez, where I had delicious porco preto. One night, after a very long wait, we went to A Cevicheria which was also excellent for ceviches. Last but certainly not least, an unforgettable dinner was at A Venda Lusitana, a small spot located in a shop where I had an amazing tasting menu. I highly recommend it! All of these places, really. I could come back here and be perfectly content if I visited each of these restaurants again! Lastly, I have to mention the quirky cocktail bar I visited, Pavilhao Chines, decorated like a museum of old toys. It was a unique place to visit and the cocktails were good!

Next Time?

I did return to Portugal (once since this trip, so far).. I love Portugal so much, I actually consider it to be one of my favorite countries. Although I cherished the opportunity to spend the full week in Lisbon, I’d also recommend taking advantage of Portugal’s well-connected train system and seeing more of this amazing country if you can. Porto is an incredible city with lots to do (plus more amazing food and port wineries).. and there are so many smaller, dreamy destinations I’d also love to spend time in like Obidos, Guimaraes, and Viana do Castelo. If you have the opportunity, I’d also recommend looking into a flight stopover in the Azores islands (which I did on my next trip), an incredible place to spend at least a few days on your way to and from Portugal.