Linda Lisboa

Lisbon happened 3 years ago, but I remember almost everything we did, every place we visited and every food we ate (because we spent a lot of euros on our food). Whenever I think of Lisbon, I get a collective memory of yellow trams, narrow streets and pastel-coloured buildings of the old city, the 25 de Abril bridge shining bright over the Tagus river, the Belem tower standing tall with the glowing colours of sunset and finally us singing in the streets of Lisbon after spending a bomb on dinner.

Time to visit: 

Spring (March-May) and Autumn (September-October) are the best time to visit Lisbon, as it gets really hot during summers. Hence during those two seasons you can expect a pleasant weather in and around the city.

Getting around in the city:

Buying a Lisboa Card is probably the most economic way to explore the city. You can avail unlimited public transport, including CP train lines for day trips to Sintra/Cascais. Getting on a tram is a must when you are in the city. You can also get discounts on few of the tourist attractions. Therefore, don't forget to check for discounts before buying any tickets. You can buy the card online and pick it up from their office at the Airport.

Staying in the city:

Lisbon has some really affordable apartments that you can book depending on your group size. We stayed in Tagus Palace and it was a pretty good deal. Don't forget to ensure that it is at a walking distance from the nearest metro station.

2 days in the city:

Day 1:

Once you pick up your lisboa card from the airport, take the metro to come to the city centre. Get down at the Rossio metro station. Outside the metro station is the beautiful Rossio square. On your way to the Santa Justa lift, you will walk past one of the most charming neighbourhoods with pretty houses and glimpse of the upper town.

Santa Justa lift provides one of the best views of the city overlooking the lower town. You can also choose to come in the evening when the castle is illuminated.

Let's move on to Rua Augusta or Augusta street which is one of the busiest streets of Lisbon. You will find loads of places to shop here with quirky decors.

Keep walking till you reach the Rua Augusta Arch.

Once you cross the road you will be on the Praça do Comércio, a popular tourist spot near the Tagus river. Sit for a while and embrace the charm of this place. Seagulls, street performances and the view of the 25 de Abril bridge - this place was such a refreshing pit stop for us.

 Next stop is the Castle of S Jorge. Catch a tram to reach the spot. It is located at the hilltop overlooking the city centre, the river and the bridge. The castle definitely offers the best view of Lisbon.

The upper town is astonishingly charming with the cobbled streets and colourful houses. Once you are done with the exploration, you can come down to visit Sé or Lisbon Cathedral, which is about 10-15 minutes walk from the castle. 

 Lisbon is famous for its street art. If you have more time, you can search on the internet and explore.

Airport metro station

Near the Castle of S. Jorge

Alcântara-Mar station

Alcântara-Mar station

 If you have been able to start early and visit Santa Justa lift-Praça do Comércio-Castle of S Jorge-Sé by afternoon, it's time to have lunch and traverse the other part of the city. Doca de Santo does not only serve good food, but also offers a spectacular view of the 25 de Abril bridge. You can also spot the statue of Christ the King, located in Almada which is on the other side of the river. The restaurant is about 10 minutes walk from the Alcântara-Mar station.

Come back to Alcântara - Av. 24 de Julho station and take a tram to Mosteiro dos Jerónimos to visit the Jerónimos Monastery and Belem Tower.

Enjoy the rest of the Sunset by the river Tagus.

So when I say "backpacking", I really mean carrying just a backpack (camera bag doesn't count, right?) 

Keep strolling around the Av. Brasília.

 

No, we didn't crash into the bed after such an eventful day. Instead we dressed up and headed out to watching a Fado performance. We had reserved our table at Clube de Fado. People around us got really emotional during the performance whereas we were only enjoying tune as the lyrics did not make much sense to us.

 

Day 2:

Sintra

If you have covered all the places in Lisbon on day 1, you can go for a day trip to Sintra-Cabo da Roca-Cascais on day 2.

Sintra is an enchanting Portuguese town with beautiful palaces. You can board a CP train from Rossio station and you don't have to buy the tickets if you already have the Lisboa card. Get down at Sintra which is the terminal station. Taking the bus 434 is the best way to reach the city centre and the palaces. 3 years ago the frequency of this bus was less and you had to wait for 40 minutes for the next bus. However, considering the increasing no of tourists every year, the frequency has been enhanced now and you hardly have to wait for the next bus. 

The first stop of the bus is the Palacio Nacional de Sintra and historic centre of Sintra.

The next stop is for Moors Castle and the Pena Palace. If you want to spend the whole day in Sintra you can get down at any stop and explore, but if you want to visit other places as well I recommend that you start with Pena palace and then visit Moors Castle and National Palace of Sintra based on how much time you are left with.

Moors Castle, viewed from Pena Palace

The Pena Palace is the most vibrant palace you will ever visit. Every corner of the palace is a perfect frame you would want to capture. The interior is also very intriguing.

 

Cabo da Roca

We were really not sure if we would be able to make it, but thank God we did. It is the westernmost point of mainland Europe. You need to take the 403 bus from Sintra station to get there. You can easily spend an hour (we ended up spending two because we loved the place so much) watching the lighthouse and the windswept cliffs. We tried to even climb down as far as we could. There is a souvenir shop and a coffee shop if you want to have a cuppa with local snacks. Don't forget to check the bus timetable at the tourist centre so that you can come back on time.

Cascais

Last stop of the day is Cascais. You need to board the same 403 bus and the journey is beautiful with scenic views of the Atlantic and coastal houses.

Palm trees and sea breeze - the city is so delightful. You can wander around till your reach the beach area.

A few minutes on the beach and all our exhaustion disappeared into thin air. You could sit here for hours watching the waves roll in, ships sail and birds fly back to their nests and most importantly enjoying the silence (or rather listening to the sound of the ocean).

We took the rest of the evening easy and spent it watching a lovely sunset by the sea.

 As much as we hated to bid adieu to the ocean, we had to take the train back to Lisbon. Yes, again you will not have to pay if you have your Lisboa card with you.

Now, sane people would have called it a day, but since we had decent dose of vitamin sea, we were all energised to roam around in Lisbon for a little more time. We picked up some souvenirs from the shops near Rossio square and went on to visit the other major railway station - Gare do Oriente. No, we weren't going to any other place (phew!). We visited this place because of its unusual architecture. On the other side of the road there was one of the most popular shopping malls of Lisbon - Centro Vasco Da Gama. We had our dinner and finally headed back to our apartment to have the much needed second round of sleep before we had to get up early in the morning for our flight back to London (we had the first round in the metro itself whilst returning to the apartment; You can't blame us can you?).