This past summer, I had the opportunity of spending two weeks in the beautiful country of Portugal.

Portugal is a country of diverse, stunning landscapes, good food and kind locals. It is also very affordable for western Europe which (in my opinion) is the perfect recipe for an incredible vacation.

During our visit, we stayed in four different cities in three different regions so I will be dividing my Portugal Series into three parts.

The first part will cover Lisbon and its surrounding areas such as Sintra, Cascais and Cabo da Roca. The second part with cover Lagos and Albufeira in the Algarve. And the third part will cover Porto and the Duoro Valley Region.

Now let’s get into why Lisbon is a MUST when you are visiting Portugal!

Lisbon is a beautiful and warm city with a lot to do and a lot to see. The colours and the Azulejos themselves are enough to keep you coming back but there’s also so much more to see in Lisbon.

We stayed a total of four days here.

Four days is certainly is not enough to see it all but it is definitely enough to cover a majority of the tourist spots

I’ll start off by providing you with our actual Lisbon Itinerary and then provide you with a suggested itinerary that I have come up with after having visited Lisbon.

I will then list where we stayed as well as some recommendations of places to eat that I either experienced myself or picked up from friends while trip planning or other tourists/locals during my trip.

My Actual Itinerary

Day 1 – Settling in Lisbon

Vasco da Gama Mall (got SIM card here - can also be bought at the airport)
Parque das Nações
Uber to the LX Factory
Uber to eat at Pão Pão Queijo Queijo where you can eat sandwiches for under 6 euros.
Walk next door to Pasteis de Belem to try world famous Pasteis de Nata (Portuguese Custard Tart)
Go out in Barrio Alto/Pink Street – we chose Copenhagen Bar Lisbon for its hip hop music

Sintra. A must-do when visiting Portugal.

Day 2 - Sintra

Miradouro da Graça
Visit Castelo de Sao Jorge
Take the train to Sintra
Visit Pena Palace
Quinta da Regaleira
Castle of Moors (Ran out of time and did not get to visit)
Took a cab back with Rui from Tour’s 4 You
On the way back to Liscon he stopped by so we could visit Cabo de Roca and Boca da Inferno
Ate at the Time Out Market

Day 3 - Explored the Baixa/Chiado District/Belem

Elevador do Santa Justa
Convento da Ordem do Carmo
Praca do Comercio
LX Factory for Lunch
Village Underground Lisbon
Walked along the waterfront and saw:
Ponte Abril 25 (San Fran Bridge)
The MAAT (did not have time to go inside)
Padrão dos Descobrimentos
Mosteiro dos Jeronimos
Pasteis de Belem
Torre de Belem

Day 4 - Alfama & Cascais

Free walking Alfama tour with Wild Walkers Lisbon
Took the train to Cascais
Gelato at Santini
Hung out at the Beach
Sama’s friend Carla drove us to Boca da Inferno and Cabo de Roca

Hipster Vibes and Village Underground Lisboa. Steps away from LX factory.

As you can see we had some areas of overlap. The reason was that we had five girls who has overlapping trips which involved waiting for one another to land on different days. We also had a friend’s coworker show us around as well.

With that all being said, I rearranged what I did to create a four day in Lisbon Itinerary that makes more sense logistically and allows you to see more with less fatigue.

My Suggested Lisbon Itinerary

Day 1 - Baixa/Chiado District

Either choose a free walking tour or do it on your own and visit:
Elevador do Santa Justa
Convento da Ordem do Carmo - 4 Euros
Relax by the square listen to the music or go right behind the church and you’ll find a restaurant called la Bella vista where you can grab a bite or head over to the bar in the area and enjoy an incredible view complete with beach chairs if you feel like soaking in the Portuguese sun before you continue to explore the city
Praca do Comercio - Take advantage of shopping here
Time out Market to eat in the evening OR if you want to fit it in but it is not a must:
Parque das Nações
Vasco da Gama Mall

Convento do Carmo (Carmo Convent). Entrance fee = 4 Euros.

Day 2 - Explore LX Factory and Belem

LX Factory for Lunch
Village Underground Lisbon
Walk along the waterfront and see:
Ponte Abril 25 (San Fran Bridge)
The MAAT (actually go inside)
Padrao dos Descobrimentos
Monasterio dos Jeronimos
Torre de Belem
Eat at Pijo Pijo Quijo Quejo (get proper name)
Eat Pasteis de Nata at Pasteis de Belem
Go out in Barrio Alto

Pena Palace on a very foggy day in Sintra.

Day 3 - Sintra

Take the train to Sintra or a tour to
Pena Palace
Castle of Moors
Quinta da regaleira
Can choose to take a tour (Tour’s for you is an option) to include Cabo da Roca, Boca da Inferno as part of your return

Day 4 - Alfama District

Free walking Alfama tour with Wild Walkers Lisbon
Miradouro da Graça
Visit Castelo de Sao Jorge - 8.50 Euros
Try out the Tram 28 (I did not bother, it was nice to look at) Can also take Tram 24 or 25 to get the same experience.

Note: If you are short on time, you can spend the afternoon in Cascais and take the train there or spend an entire day there.

Breathtaking and very windy Cabo da Roca.

Here are some places to visit while in Lisbon that I did not get the time to visit but you may be interested in!

· Museo de Azulejo (National Tile Museum)

· Museo de Oriente (Museum of the Orient, historical)

· Centro de Art Moderna (Modern Art Museum)

· Walk along the Tangus River

· Visit Old Lisbon

Accommodations

We stayed in three separate accommodations during our time in Lisbon because it became our hub in Portugal.

They were an Airbnb called “Castelo Sao Jorge and Tram 28” with Alexandre, Lost Inn Lisbon and Hub New Hostel.I would return to Alexandre’s place and Lost Inn Lisbon without a doubt.

Alexandre’s place was spacious, beautiful and perfect for five people. It had two rooms, two bathrooms, a spacious living room and a washing room to do laundry! Location wise, this Airbnb was close to Miraduoro da Graca to give you a sense of location.

Lost inn Lisbon is one of my favourite hostels that I have visited. If you are travelling alone, with a smaller group or if you’re like me and like hostels to meet new people, Lost Inn Lisbon is where you need to stay!

Bookstore at the LX Factory in Portugal.

We stayed in a room for eight women and it was very spacious and did not feel like you were staying with seven other people. It was super affordable and the staff were super kind, knowledgeable, accommodating and made you feel right at home. Location wise, Lost inn Lisbon is right beside the pink street so it is very close to all the nightlife.

I personally was not a fan of Hub New Hostel. Though it had a ball pit, it is not worth staying here. It felt grimy and I did not like the bathrooms at all. I was really glad I only had three hours to sleep here because it was my least favourite accommodation on my trip.

Another thing to note: Next time, I would look into staying at Airbnbs for more of my stay. The only thing to consider is having to arrange for luggage storage which is far easier to coordinate at a hotel or hostel.

Here is a list of hostels I researched that were on my “short list” during trip planning that you could also explore:

Goodmorning Lisbon Hostel (Restauradores) - free breakfast (waffles and nutella) , free wifi. Location: Restauradores Square
Lisbon Destination Hostel -free breakfast, free wifi and won an award. Location: Rossio train station (20 mins from Sintra)
Sunset destination hostel (really cool rooftop) - free wifi and free breakfast. Location: cais do sodre

Food

A tip: If you are travelling with people and you want to save money, order only one plate to share. Portions are huge in Lisbon (and everywhere in Portugal).

Time out Market Lisboa is a good option is you have a group with a diversity of food preferences. There is something here for everyone!

I mainly ate my meals without much prior planning so here are a list of restaurants you can look into dining while in Lisbon. I personally have not visited these restaurants.

Santini’s is a must while in Portugal and there’s no better place to enjoy it than in Cascais, where it all began for them.

Pastelaria Versailles (Cafe)
Double 9 (Bar)
Confeitaria Nacional (Cafe)
Mercado de Campo de Ourique (Market similar to TimeOut)
Ao 26 (Vegetarian/Vegan)
Jardim dos Sentidos (Vegetarian/Vegan)

It is also suggested to eat at a restaurants that plays Fado music.

That’s it for now. Stay tuned for Portugal Series: Part Two - Porto!

Yours Truly,

Mahreen

P.S. If you are looking for some video inspo about Portugal, check out my friend’s Portugal Video that she so beautifully shot and edited during our trip!