Lisbon is more than just a country`s capital. It is indeed a very special and beautiful city. It has so much to offer, and even during a short stay you want to make sure not to miss anything. I can tell you, it is possible! However, for a real experience, you have to be willing to walk quite a bit, downhill, and up again, of course. Keep reading to get a detailed description of my handmade itinerary for this fantastic city.
day 1
Here is an overview of what you are going to see during this day: miraduoro de santa catarina,
mercado da riberia/timeout market, rua do alcerim, miraduoro de sao pedro de alcantara, igreja de sao roque.
This route is not too long and as such perfect for the day you arrive in Lisbon. We started this route at about 4:30 pm and still managed to go to all the sites.
Most of you will probably arrive at Lisbon`s airport. It is quite small and very well organized, so that getting around is pretty easy, especially for experienced travellers. From here, you can simply get on the metro to get to town. The best quarter to stay in is Bairro Alto, the most central area is around Baixo Chiado. Here you find plenty of bakeries you can go to to get breakfast as well as great public transport connections and shopping opportunities as well as a number of sights.
After you arrived in your accomodation (I´d recommend staying in one of the amazing newly refurbished Airbnbs in one of the historic, typical houses rather than an expensive hotel with full service), you can start the first journey around Lisbon.
From your apartment it is probably only a few minutes by foot to miraduoro de santa catarina, which is very central and offers a first impression of what you are going to see a lot: the breathtaking views over Lisbon! From here you will be able to see the San Francisco-like bridge ponte de 25 abril, the christo rei statue on the south side of the river Tejo and the harbour. Santa catarina is a popular meeting point for young locals as well, so don`t be surprised to catch a certain distinctive smell around here...
Having sit in the sun for a little while, absorbing this great perspective of a number of world famous sights, you can continue your walk downhill heading towards cais do sodre, the central train as well as ferry station at the river.
However, you will have to make a turn right before reaching the station to enter the timeout market. This is a huge hall with lots of different stalls all around and several seating areas in the middle. Here both tourists and locals alike, come to have dinner, get a drink and enjoy the evening in good company. You can choose from a variety of different cuisines, or you might even want to go to the historic part of the market, mercado da ribeira and look for something special over there.
Refreshed and recovered you can now make your way back up the hill. You will walk towards cais do sodre, where you might want to see the sunset, depending on the time you arrived in Lisbon, and enjoy the street musicians playing all evening.
Then you go inland, and follow the rua do alcerim all the way up. But be careful not to miss the actual site. Some meters up, you have to look down to see the little alley, famous for its pink coloured ground. During daytime the alley is nothing special, but as soon as it turns dark, all the little bars open up and you can sip a drink sitting on a pink road and listening to the typical portuguese music "fado".
You can either take another stop here, or you simply continue all the way up (yes, it is going to feel like eternity, but you will see, it is worth it) until you come past the igreja de sao roque. It is beautiful to look at from the outside alone, but it is said to have a really interesting exhibition on the inside. Unfortunately, I only came there after the closing hour, so I cannot tell you how I liked it. I would suggest, you see how you feel and how your time management is going and then you decide about going in or not.
Now, the bad news: you need to keep going up the hill a little bit further. But don`t worry, you are almost there and the stunning views form miraduoro de sao pedro de alcantara are definitely worth it! When you arrive, you will see the top station of one of the typically yellow funiculars, which is a great motive already. If you walk across the little plaza you will have a more than 180° view all over the city. You can marvel at the bairro alto, next to alfama, the aristocratic district, and even parts of the river Tejo.
Simply sit here for a while on one of the benches or in the garden a little below. Take a look at all these sparkling lights and shining rooftops of all the houses you can see. It really is a fantastic view in the dark.
This is already the last stop for today`s journey. So now, let`s get some rest for tomorrow`s exhausting discovery walk through the impressive Lisbon!
Go ahead and read what`s on the list for day 2 of the itinerary!