Planning Your Next Trip to Lisbon
Portugal is such a hidden gem when it comes to European travel. This country continually continues to be one of my favourite countries to visit in Europe. It is still a relatively less travelled in comparison to other surrounding countries, which means the prices haven’t skyrocketed as they have started to in some other areas of Europe.
Lisbon is the capital of Portugal, which sits right on the Atlantic Ocean and the Tagus River. The city has four main neighborhoods that you will want to visit. They include:
- Baixa The liveliest and most central of the Lisbon’s neighborhoods
- Chaida & Bairro Alto is known to be a bit more sophisticated and elegant
- Alfama Fishing neighborhood that is definitely worth a walk through to feel the culture of Lisbon became a global travel phenomenon. Also home of ‘Fado’.
- Belém Must go here to try the famous pastéis de Belém! Also can see Jerónimos Monastery and Belém Tower.
We visited Lisbon in October, which was absolutely perfect! I would highly recommend visiting Lisbon in the shoulder months of either May or September/October. In November the weather is meant to be a bit rainier, but outside of that month that weather is pretty good all year.
Belem Tower at Sunset 
Pena Palace
How to get there?
From the airport, you can take a bus into town or uber/taxi. We opted for Uber because we had a few more bags. It’s also important to remember that the city is full of hills once you get into the city, so it may a bit difficult to haul your bags up a hill depending on where the bus drops off.
Where to stay?
Casa do Barão
If visiting Lisbon, I highly recommend staying at Casa do Barão! It is one of our favourites. When you arrive, you will be welcomed by either the sister or brother that help to run the property. They will bring you outside to the courtyard behind the property where there is a small pool if you are visiting in the warmer months. They take so much time to walk you through your stay and what restaurants and attractions they would recommend in the city. This touch alone is one of my favourite things about the property – the little welcoming touches that make you feel like you are entering someone’s home.
Views from Casa do Barão 
Streets of the Chiado neighborhood
After your introduction, they will walk you through the breakfast (which is awesome; don’t miss it!), as well as the port tasting room… No lie, there is actually a room where they always have port out waiting for you to taste if you’d like to try.
We decided to stay in the top room of the property. Although you have to do some climbing once you get to the top and it feels like you are entering the attic, we had a big porch with fantastic views of the city (see above).
We visited in October, so the weather was perfect to just sit outside with a bottle of wine, take in the views (especially at sunset) and enjoy your company.
The hotel is conveniently located to the neighborhood of ‘Chiado’, which borders both ‘Barrio Alto’ and ‘Baixa’. Chiado is frequently compared to Lisbon’s Montmarte district. The area is known for being a bit more “sophisticated” and elegant with local bookshops, theatres, art galleries, and cafes.
What to do?
Day trip to Sintra
Sintra is 25km west of Lisbon (~40min via train), making it ideal for a day trip from Lisbon. Sintra itself is quite charming and sits in the hills of Serra de Sintra. It used to be where the Portuguese royalty would summer for over six centuries. Here you will find extravagant palaces, villas and churches dotted around the city center, which has now been classified a UNESCO world heritage site.
Pena Palace 
Castelo dos Mouros
This trip is a must when visiting Lisbon. It is pretty easy to get out here for the day via train from Rossio station. The whole trip takes about 39 minutes and there are direct trains every 30 minutes (~€4.30 roundtrip).
Once there, you will have your pick of which castles to visit. There will be lots of people advertising and selling tickets for the Hop-On Hop-Off bus tours, which will take you to most of the locations you should visit. You also have the option to hike in if you chose (would recommend arriving very early to Sintra or staying for longer than a day if you opt for the hiking option). One thing to bear in mind is it can be hard to visit more than two castles in a day. So have a look at the various castles before hand to see which ones you’d like to visit.
One of the most famous palaces in Sintra is the Palácio Nacional da Pena given it has been restored to how it would have looked in 1910 when Portuguese royalty fled the country. If you are buying a guidebook to Lisbon, this castle is likely to be on the cover. For that reason, expect the equivalent of Disney World when visiting – it will be busy.
We also visited the ruins of the Castelo dos Mouros, which is basically right across the street from Pena. So it makes sense to visit these two together in a day if you have the time.
Where to eat?
Belcanto
Hands down one of my favourite restaurants! Warning – this is a 2 Michelin start restaurant, so it is not cheap. Even if you opt for the lunch option (which is a bit cheaper), you should still be prepared to spend around 500 Euros for a meal for two with wine.
But… if you decide to treat yourself, I can’t recommend this place enough. Head Chef Jose Avillez is known around Portugal for reinventing the foodie scene and combining unique elements of culinary influence from different parts of the country.
We opted for the Evolution Menu, which continually changes based on what the Chef is working on at that particular time. Our meal consisted of what felt like twelve courses.
Other Restaurant Recommendations
Other Activities
- Ride a tram around the city
- Visit Belem and try the Pastel de Nata at Pasteis de Belem
Pasteis de Belem – must try! 
Pastel de Nata in Belem
- Take a walking tour around the city
- Visit the Timeout Market (go hungry!)
- Visit Alto Barrio neighborhood for cocktails and going out
- Take a sunset sailing tour on the bay
- We went through Blue Ticket to book the “Traditional Lisbon Boats – Sunset” tour that we really enjoyed! It was €35 per person. It started at 5:30pm and went just past sunset.
April 25th Bridge 
Sunset of River Tagus 
Sunset Cruise 