Travel - 24 hours in Lisbon

Written by: Amanda Mitchell

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Time to read 2 min

Travel - Where to Stay, Visit and Eat when in Lisbon

Well it wasn't exactly 24 hours in Lisbon..as it was flanked at each end with a nights stay in a very lovely hotel, perfect for the solo traveller like myself.


What first struck me about Lisbon was the size and the history. Small like Edinburgh, but with many more hills. Luckily there are fun ways that you can bypass the hills, either by tram, elevator (yes there is a giant historic lift in the centre), metro or tuk tuk; the options for transport in Lisbon are endless.


TOP TIP = buy a day card called a Navigate and this will enable you to travel on all the public transport in Lisbon for €6.50. It is a bargain.


Secondly, the sounds and smells of the city. From the strumming of fado music on the streets to the wafting smell of grilled seafood. My senses were on high alert.


Tram in Lisbon
Shop Front Lisbon
Shop Interior Lisbon

The centre of Lisbon is split into districts - from the famous shopping district with wide cobbled and bustling streets of Baixa, to the more intimate higeldy pigeldy streets of the Alfama, where to be honest I ambled down whist stopping for lunch and a further pastel de nata stop towards the rivers edge of the Tagus. Try and find Casa São Miguel for the most delicious sticky bites..I have perfected the pastel in one technique!!! Not pretty I can assure you! 


Best to be honest with yourself and start at the top of a hill


and work yourself down. I began in Castello São Jorge, the castle on the hill with walkable ramparts showing off the sights of Lisbon towards the sea and beyond.


Equally I can recommend the funicular Gloria up to Miradouro de São Pedro Alcântara for the views and then a walk around the Chaida district before heading towards Belem.

Balcony with Fish Lisbon
Pretty Door in Lisbon
Colourful Street Decorations Lisbon

The Lisbonais take their food and drink very seriously and the city is awash with the smells of freshly grilled sardines and their renowned pastries, so it isn't long before you break your walk for a bite to eat.


WHERE TO EAT


Lunch was in a family run restaurant of long tables squeezed in a shaded Lisbon courtyard with grilled sardines and salad washed down with a glass of vino verde, a young white wine, slightly sparkling but very refreshing on a hot day. Supper for one was again in a wonderfully bustling restaurant of rows of white table cloths, with what can only be described as a tureen of delicious Arros de Marisco (seafood rice) with great chunks of lobster, prawns and clams.


MY SUGGESTIONS


  • Lautasco - the family run Alfama restaurant
  • Pinóquio - In the Baixa district
  • JNcQuoi - a bar and restaurant for every fashionista, they even have a dedicated shop for the publisher Assouline
  • Trinidade - an old historical brewery house from a 13th convent, oh the irony!
  • Lumi rooftop bar - perfect for sundowners
Restaurant Lisbon
Teracotta Building in Lisbon
Floral Street Tiles
Landcape Scene Tiles

WHERE TO STAY IN LISBON




There are a multitude of places to stay in Lisbon Centre and I was very happy with my hotel and it even had a swimming pool on the roof.






Hotel


WHERE TO SHOP



  • Livarie sa Da Costa ; a fun bookshop emporium of old and wonderful books and illustrations.
  • Sardinha Português ; walls of pretty tins of sardines, prawns, tuna.. you name it they have tinned it!!
  • Together ; sadly not open but I so wanted to go in for their carefully curated interiors and fashion!
  • Claus Porto for the delights of Portuguese soap.
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