Lisbon, Portugal
Lisboa!
Lisbon has been one of the most popular travel destinations in recent years. Most of our friends had been there and mentioned how awesome the city is. With Chris being half Portuguese and a foodie, after hearing all the praises and watching food shows on Lisbon, we knew we had to go there ourselves. Not to mention how cheap the flight with TAP Air Portugal was when it was on sale in the beginning of the year! It only costs $550 per person! However, after the trip, we would advise you not to travel with TAP. *We will blog about the “whys” and if you were to book with them, some tips and tricks in the later posts. Anyway, in this post we are going to focus on the places we visited in Lisbon and our impression of the city.
Tiles, tiles, tiles!
When people mention Lisbon, the first couple of things they think of are food, port wine and the beautiful azulejo tiles. The azulejo are ceramic decorative tiles that are used as tapestry for the buildings and can be dated back to the 15th century. You can see them everywhere from residential buildings to even metro stations. Best of all, they all have unique designs!
Leg Day Everyday!
Lisbon is called the city of Seven Hills. It’s literally built on 7 hills and trust me, after a couple days of walking around the city, you will feel each and every muscle in your calves begging you to just sit down! Sometimes you don’t need the legs to tell you but you can see it!
Trams
But fear not! There are trams that will do the work for you (which we discovered on our last day in Lisbon). Speaking of trams, it’s a very popular mode of transportation amongst the locals and visitors. It brings you to almost anywhere in the city. If you were to do a tour of the city, the go-to is the infamous tram 28. However, we didn’t really do the full route because it’s always packed with tourists. You’re lucky if you can get on the tram, let alone a seat.
TIP: If you think about riding this tram, make sure to board at the terminal station before 10am or after 6pm. This is the only way to guarantee a seat.
Airbnb/Hotel
Lisbon is divided in six main districts. We booked an Airbnb which is in the Bairro Alto & Chiado (the nightlife district) which is also near the heart of the city. However, it’s a bit difficult to sleep at night since people drink and party all night…. Every night. When we first arrived, our host was really friendly and welcoming. She even passed on a lot of tips on how to navigate the city and places locals like to visit.
TIP: If you forgot to buy a Lisboa Card/city pass (like us), which you can ride free around the city for max. 3 days and see attractions with a discounted price, one of her tips was to buy a transit pass (it’s called Vivo and cost about 2 euros) which can be used on any of the numerous transit options in the city. However, there are several “types” of passes you can buy and they can only be used on a specific transit type. So, you should just add money onto a Vivo card (Similar to Presto) so you can use it on buses, trams, ferries and etc.
On the last night we stayed in Lisbon, we also stayed in the same area but with a hotel - Anjo Anzul. As you can see. It’s a typical European 2-300 sq. feet room: tiny and cozy, plus a little terrace all to ourselves!
Padrao dos Descobrimentos
We started with the famous attractions first. Almost anyone who visits Lisbon will have a photo here. This monument is dedicated to the explorers who helped establish Portugal in the 14th century. With an entrance fee, you can climb up to the top and get a good look at the city, including the Belem tower and Jeronimos Monastery.
Entrance Fee: 6 euros
Belem tower
With a short walk, you will reach the Belem tower. As you can see, there was a line to get in and was way too long for us so we decided to take a couple photos of the exterior, have a drink, listen to live music and enjoy some sun. In case you’re wondering, yes, there is a fee to get in the tower.
Entrance Fee: 6 euros
Jeronimos Monastery
In the same district, we visited Jeronimos Monastery, which notably is the birthplace of the infamous Belem Portuguese tarts! The cathedral is free to visit but the courtyard needs a fee to enter.
Entrance fee to Chapel: FREE
Entrance fee to Monastery: 10 euros
LX Factory
Coming back from Belem district, along the way, we visited the LX Factory. It’s under the Ponte de 25 Abril Bridge and is one of the city’s hippest and coolest spots. It’s filled with restaurants, bars (also rooftop bar: Rio Maravilha which sadly we didn’t get to go), boutique shops and Instagramable graffiti/street art.
We also discovered a really cool pop up store that sells canned sardines called “The Fantastic World Of Portuguese Sardines”. Not only are the store designed so visually appealing like a Harry potter/circus theme, but they sell canned sea bass, sea beam, eel and scampi! We definitely bought a few and can’t wait to try them.
Rossio Station
Another popular district is definitely the Baixa Districts. One of the squares that’s super popular and well-known is the Rossio Square. It’s also served as a popular way to connect between train and subway stations. The ground is elegantly designed with tiles that looked like waves. I’ve seen this in Macau (once a colony of Portugal) and now I got to see where the influence comes from!
Santa Justa Lift
Another attraction in this district is the Santa Justa Lift. This lift can take you to the top to see other parts of the city at a higher elevation. Again, the line was really long so we decided to pass. Did I mention there is a fee?
Return Ride: 5.30 euros
Entrance Fee: 1.30 euros
Carmo Convent
Just a couple steps away, you can visit the Carmo Convent for 4 euros. It’s a gothic styled church that’s built in the 13-14th century. It has now become the ruins due to the disaster that happened in the 17th century - fire, earthquake and tsunami. There is also an archaeological museum inside with pre-historical objects (no photography allowed). I can’t tell you how impressed I was with the sculptures and type imprinted on stone plates.
Entrance Fee: 4 euros
Praca do comercio
This is another famous attraction located near the Tagus river. On Saturday during the summer season, there’s a flea market at this square where they sell antiques, books, collection items, fruits and hand crafted jewelry.
You can also go up the arch (with another fee of course) and see the whole square. On the other side, you can walk down the street and do some shopping!
If you LOVE graphic Ts, you have to visit “Typographia”. It’s a way cooler version of Threadless. We bought a couple Ts there and it costs around 20 euros (no tax!) Even the stuff in H&M is considerably better than the product they sell in Toronto.
Almada
Crossing the river, we went to the Almada district by ferry. We went there for a particular restaurant that we saw on the show Somebody Feed Phil (we will talk about this in our next post, which will focus more on food). It has an amazing view of the river and the bridge especially around sunset. Along the water, you can see amazing street art and locals fishing on the docks.
Panoramic Elevator of Boca Do vento
After dinner, we went up the elevator to see the Lisbon skyline and walked towards the residential area for a stroll. It was very calm and quiet with only one or two people in sight until we heard music from afar. I immediately turned into Uncle Toucan, instead of following my nose, I followed my ears and went towards the music. Suddenly we discovered a street party with people dancing and having food and drinks on the streets. A total surprise!
Final Thought
Lisbon overall was great for sightseeing. We were there for about 3.5 days and we were physically defeated. On one hand, we underestimated the energy that needs to be spent walking up and down around the city. Second, there were just way too much we wanted to do and these places are spread across the city. All in all, Lisbon is an amazing city. (Especially in June because it’s their festival month!) There’s always something to do, new restaurants to go to and even surprise street party that you might encounter. When I was doing my research, a lot of people or blogs recommended, “3 days is enough”. I would say no! Stay longer! If the attractions don’t keep you entertained, at least the amazing food will. I mean...you can only eat so many meals per day… which we will talk about in our next post. Stay tuned!