GuideLisbon, Lisboa, Portugal9 min read
A Long Weekend in Lisbon
Trams, tiles and custard tarts on seven hills
Average rating 5.0 out of 5
5.01 review
Four days in Lisbon: Alfama at dawn, Belém for pastries, a fado night and a day out to Sintra.
A city built for walking slowly
Lisbon is a city of hills, and the hills decide the pace. Streets that look short on the map turn into staircases, trams grind up gradients that would defeat a bus, and every climb ends at a miradouro where the whole city falls away to the Tagus. Accept it early: you will see less than you planned, and you will enjoy it more.
We plan a first visit around four days. Base yourself in Alfama, Graça or Chiado so that the best of the old city is a walk away, and keep one day for Belém and one for Sintra. Evenings are long and late here; dinner before nine is for visitors, and a fado house rarely starts its first set before half past.
Spring and autumn are the sweet spots. In March the jacarandas are still bare but the light is extraordinary and the queues are short; by October the sea is warm enough for an afternoon in Cascais. July and August are hot, crowded and, in Alfama, loud with the Santos Populares street parties of June spilling over into summer.
Buy a rechargeable Viva Viagem card on arrival. It works on the metro, trams, buses, the ferries across the river and the train to Sintra, and saves you queueing for single tickets at every stop.
Lisbon in pictures
Four days, one plan
- Day 1: Alfama on foot, from the cathedral up to the Miradouro de Santa Luzia and the castle walls
- Day 2: an early Tram 28, then Chiado, Bairro Alto and sunset at São Pedro de Alcântara
- Day 3: Belém for the Jerónimos Monastery, the riverfront and a warm pastel de nata
- Day 4: the train from Rossio to Sintra for Pena Palace and the Moorish Castle
Ride the tram before nine
Lisbon is not a city you see. It is a city you climb, and then sit down in.Emma, Senior Travel Editor
Start in Alfama
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Reviews
Write a reviewAverage rating 5.0 out of 5
1 review- HTHiroshi Tanaka5 out of 5 stars5 Oct
Exactly the kind of guide I want: opinionated, practical and honest about what to skip. Both places we booked from it were highlights.
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- Noah Williams
Saving this for our trip in the spring. Does the route work with a toddler in a carrier?
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