Save this on Pinterest so you can read this article later!
There are so many fun things to do in Lisbon that it was one of those love at first sight places for us! The city has remarkably laid back vibes and is really easy to navigate. There are so many things to do that could keep you busy for weeks, but it’s also the perfect spot for a weekend!
Top 7 things to do & eat in Lisbon
#1. Day trip to Sintra
Sintra is an absolutely magical place that certainly makes you feel like you’re in a story book, and is an official UNESCO World Heritage site. It’s about a 40 min Uber or train ride away from Lisbon, so it makes for the perfect day trip.
Here are a few must-do’s in Sintra:
Pena Palace
While you’re at Pena Palace, you HAVE to get the Broas de Mel cookies – seriously incredible!
Quinta de Regeleria
Take a Tuk Tuk between castles
Also don’t forget to check out the town center of Sintra! It is super cute with tons of places to eat & drink after you’re done living your lifelong princess dreams in all the castles.
#2. Find a viewpoint (“Miradouro”)
Pro tip for my #doitforthegram folks (team Kylie) or just anyone who is a sucker for views (team Scott): Miradouro means viewpoint in Portuguese, so whenever you see a sign that says that… FOLLOW IT!
While we fell in love with the views of the city at Miradouro das portas do sol, we also had the most magical time at this bar cafe right above it, Bar Terraço de Santa Luzia. It’s the perfect spot to grab a glass of wine, watch the sunset and, for us, write our life plans & wildest dreams on their napkins (more on that in a #StoryTime blog coming soon).
#3. Check out the Belem Area
Take an Uber or bus to Belem tower and then take a nice walk past Padrao dos Descobrimentos & Jeronimos Monastery.
Don’t forget to grab a pastry at Pasteis de Belem while you’re there! There will definitely be a line but their famous custard pastry, Pastel de nata, is worth the wait!
#4. Walk around Alfama
Alfama is an amazing neighborhood in Lisbon, and you’ll certainly find a ton of locals and tons of amazing hole in the wall restaurants here! It is so fun to roam around and just see how the locals live.
#5. Eat the fish & drink the wine!
Portugal is particularly known for their fish, so as a vegetarian I didn’t partake much in their local cuisine. However, Scott did! One of their local delicacy is sardines which he claimed were delicious and consequently ordered at every little hole in the wall restaurant we went to. And since we left he can’t stop talking about them… so I’ll take his word for it that they were amazing!
Here’s an accurate description of His & Hers meals (def not complaining – 10/10 would recommend this rose as an entreé).
#6. Explore all the cuisines at Time Out Market
The Time Out Market has rows and rows of booths of local restaurants in one big food hall, so it’s the perfect place to try lots of different foods and find something for everyone!
#7. Explore Bairro Alto
Bairro Alto is a super fun area and a great place to wander around in the day, but it’s also the nightlife epicenter of Lisbon! At night you’ll see the crowds roll in to this area to go to everything from wine bars to clubs.
We also found this amazing Italian joint Restaurante Esperança in Bairro Alto and it was so good we went back twice! It was so cute – we always order 2 pizzas to split and they actually cut each in half and served us a plate with half and half. Plus their tiramisu was to.die.for. (Pro tip: don’t go here if you’re in a rush, it ended up being around 2 hours for dinner)
Where to stay in Lisbon
We stayed at the Lisboa Pessoa Hotel near Bairro Alto and loved it! The location was great, they had a great breakfast with a gorgeous view, and they put Port wine tasters in our room as a welcome gift! At the hotel there was also a fitness room (small but got the job done!) and a nice spa.
Quick tips
- They have Uber in the city and it’s for some reason super affordable. We decided not to bother with the trains and buses and either walked or took Uber everywhere the whole weekend.
- Never have I ever been offered so many drugs while walking around town or sitting on a patio at a restaurant. Holy cow. Good news is no one was pushy and you can just kindly say no thank you and they’ll leave you alone.
- We didn’t have time to add Porto to our Portugal trip, but if you have a couple more days I’d totally recommend going there! From our research it’s less than 3 hours away from Lisbon by train and there are over 30 trains per day there.
- It’s really easy to get to Marrakech, Morocco from Lisbon if you’re looking to add another country to your trip! Here’s our Marrakech Travel Guide if you want to do that!
Happy Traveling!
Kylie & Scott
(Want to know more? Comment below! And make sure to follow along on Instagram @LoveHardTravelOften)
