Lisboa, Portugal

Lisbon & Sintra

Lisbon, Portugal 

I have just finished visiting Lisbon for my second time and wanted to share my favorite activities, restaurants, bars, sunset spots, and places to stay! Portugal is one of my favorite countries I have ever visited! I have been to Porto, Lisbon, the Algarve, the island of Madeira, and the Azores. I also just had my parents finish their 17-day trip to Portugal that I planned for them including destinations like Nazarre and Evora. For more information about Portugal visit my website here. 

How Long Should I Plan to Visit Lisbon Portugal?

I recommend staying at least 4 days to experience Lisbon. Within those four days, one should include a day trip to Sintra. Whether that is you doing a bike tour or taking the train to and from Sintra, I highly recommend including that in a part of your 4 days. You could easily enjoy a slower pace week in Lisbon but having at least 4 days gives you enough time to feel like you really got to enjoy the city.

Lisbon Activities:

There is so much to do in Lisbon from shopping, dining, exploring museums or churches, or just relaxing on the beach. I’ve listed my top activities including a day trip to Sintra.

• Bike tour:  There are so many bike tour options to choose from. We have done two fabulous bike tours of Lisbon with the same company, Free Bike Tours Lisbon. Our first bike tour with them was last year when we did the full-day e-bike tour to Sintra.

  The Sintra bike tour started earlier in the morning where we biked to the train station to train out to Sintra. We then biked through the small town in Sintra where we had time for a coffee and Cherry liquor shot. We then biked around all the different viewpoints in Sintra. This tour did not include entry into the Pena Palace, so if you want a more detailed tour, I don’t recommend the biking tour. We then biked along this scenic route to stop for lunch at one of their favorite local restaurants. Miguel, our guide, ordered all the traditional food and we enjoyed the company of our guide and other tour-goers over a few glasses of wine at lunch. (Lunch was not included in the price). After this lunch break, we continued and went through some other small towns, trained back, and biked along the beach. Our group was having so much fun, Miguel had our tour go over almost 2 hrs (which we felt so lucky to see more). Overall we biked 30 miles with our e-bike and felt like it was very doable for any moderately active individual. I’ve done a lot of bike tours across the world and this has been my favorite thus far. When we returned to Lisbon with my family, we wanted to try out one of their other bike tours. We decided on their “7 Hills & 14 Viewpoints” e-bike tour. This small group 4-hour tour was also really great because we got to see some great views of Lisbon while being active on the bike and learning some facts about the city along the

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• Food tour:  We did a private food tour with my family the last time we visited Portugal and it was wonderful. Our guide, Pedro, asked at the beginning if we wanted more history or food information to which my parents answered history. I thought we got to see a lot of the city and try some great cuisine along the way. I thought it was a great tour but could see how some foodies would be left wanting more (maybe if we asked to focus more on food instead of history it would’ve been more food facts. We still learned about and tired a lot of the local cuisine). I still highly recommend this tour, especially at the earlier time of your Portugal stay. Our guide was very knowledgeable and spent almost 2 hours extra with us showing us all the best spots. 

  
  
  
  
  

  

  
  
  

• Walking & TukTuk Tours: There are so many tours of the churches and the great history of Lisbon. I personally felt like we covered a lot of ground between our food & bike tour but if you want more of the history of churches and other historical spots, consider an additional walking or TukTuk tour. 

  
  

• Surfing: Portugal is known for their surf, specifically their famous big waves in Nazarre. While my husband is very much a surfer bro, I am still at beginner level. During our first trip to Portugal, I took lessons in the Algarve. My husband picked the spot in Lisbon based on his research (Reddit). We rented surfboards from this location. Lisbon isn’t the biggest surf spot in Portugal and you can find much better spots if you drive up the coast, but the surf was still good where we went. Be mindful of the time of year you go. The bigger waves come in the winter time which is not the best for beginners but it’s still worth trying while you’re in Portugal. 

  
  

• Coasteering: Due to a minor car mishap (my fault), we never made it to our coasteering activity. We were excited (me slightly less due to my dislike towards cliff jumping) but unfortunately, we didn't get to participate in the activity. The company did provide us with a refund when we had to cancel the nice day. The pictures and videos looked cool if you want to try it out. We had booked the coasteering with Aventura em Coasteering na Arrábida. 

  
  

• Getting lost in the city: Everyone is so friendly in Portugal, so go get lost in Lisbon! Walking down the main streets or squares to do some shopping or stopping at some of their museums or churches. Lisbon has activities for everyone. I highly recommend leaving some downtime to be no place at all and “get lost”. 

  
  

• Visit the Oldest Bookstore: You can even visit Livraria & Cafe, apparently the oldest operating bookstore in the world. 

  
  

• Chasing Sunsets: Any viewpoint of the city or the water will not disappoint as a sunset spot. However, some of the top sunset spots include: Miradouro da Senhora do Monte and Miradouro de Santa Luiza (view of the city & water but cruise ships might block the view). 

Lisbon Accommodations:

I’ve stayed in 3 different accommodations in Lisbon. I think my favorite ended up being the most recent place, H10 Duque de Loule, due to its overall ranking of location, amenities, and views. However, the nicest one we stayed at was the Pestana Palace. A little outside the hustle & bustle of inner city Lisbon, it felt like we were royal Kings ;). I have a comprehensive list of ALL the top accommodations in Lisbon, that can be found in a detailed spreadsheet here. For this blog, I’ll just share my thoughts on the three accommodations I stayed in Lisbon:

H10 Duque de Loule, Lisbon Portugal

• H10 Duque de Loule:  Best All Around - amenities, location, views, price. 

• Pestana Palace Lisboa- Nicest Hotel - definitely luxurious, location is average.

  • You’re staying in a castle turned into a 5-star hotel, of course, it wins for the best amenities. You feel like you’re getting the royal treatment as soon as you pull up to this 5-star hotel. We’ve been fortunate enough to stay at a few 5-star hotels now and I feel like this hotel earns every star. You enter the vast lobby and can immediately appreciate the architecture. It is also a National monument, which explains how beautiful it is. There are great meal options here or you can end your night at the hotel bar which has comfortable seating and beautiful artwork surrounding you. I can’t emphasize enough how beautiful this hotel is, especially the garden you can explore during the day. The location is only one thing to consider. It’s not extremely far but you would need to taxi into the city center. At the time, we had a rental car and it was much nicer pulling up to the valet in comparison to driving through Lisbon center city and navigating the parking there. Overall, I think it is worth the price but definitely a splurge and not a must-do unless you love the idea of staying in a glamorous castle. You could always visit for drinks and explore their garden. 

•  Art Inn Lisbon: Best Location- In the center of it - within walking distance to all the main attractions

  • Nothing like having your window cracked in your bedroom and listening to beautiful live music being played down in the streets below. This location is prime walking distance from the main plaza and shopping streets. It has a rooftop bar and a really cool art decor. It’s in a prime spot but felt like the bar attracted a younger crowd. The bedrooms were nice but there was no elevator so we had to carry our suitcases up a few flights of stairs and there was a bouncer at our entrance for the rooftop bar. This hotel was great but it depends if you are looking for a prime location. 

Again, I have a much more detailed list of Lisbon accommodations that can be found here. I don’t think you can go wrong with any of them!

Lisbon Restaurants:

• Invicta Madragoa: A small family-run restaurant with absolutely delicious food. Highly recommend the seafood & ordering the fish of the day. A “Must Stop”- CASH ONLY.

• Ludo’s: Great for coffee, breakfast, cocktails, and small bites. Also has a viewpoint on the city close by (Miradouro do Recolhimento).

• Taberna da Baixa: Great for Tapas and wine but also serves lunch.

• O Trevo: A good lunch spot. Order the infamous A Bifana (Steak Sandwich)

• O Cacho Dourado: Packed with locals. We never got to eat here because it was so busy when we went.

• Manteigaria- Pasteis de Nata Factory: Bakery that sells the famous Portuguese dessert Pasteis de Nata

Lisbon Bars:

• Cocktail Bars:

  • Supimpa Wine Bar

  • Cinco Lounge

  • Matiz Pombalina 

  • Red Frog

  • SEEN Sky Bar (Rooftop)

  • Silk Club (Rooftop) Cocktails, club at night

  • The Rooftop at Art INN

• Party Bars / Clubs:

  • Pink Street: Ultimate stop for a variety of bars and clubs in Lisbon. You’ll be entertained no matter where you stop on this street.  

  • Pens Amor: Old brothel turned bar on pink street. Areas to sit & talk, dance & more. Not a place you want your little brother to take you with your parents.

  • Ministerium Club: closed when we tried going (Sunday) but recommended by a bartender for a “disco club” 

• Casual Day Bars:

  • O’Gilins Irish Pub: Karaoke on Sunday nights - arrive by 9pm if you want a seat (it gets packed for karaoke).

  • A Ginjinha: Historic open-fronted by selling the local ginjinha cherry liqueur. Typically has a line during the day but worth stopping by for 1 shot.

  • Delirium Cafe Lisboa: Local brews, outside window seating for 2, pool, and back porch area great for casual drinks.

For any other questions when planning a trip to Lisbon or anywhere else in Portugal, feel free to contact me via my website.