It’s been over two weeks now since I returned from my trip to Lisbon. Apart from the one trip I made to London three years ago, this was my first ever proper solo trip. I had such a great time and I would definitely recommend it to everyone else out there. Your best friend might not always find the time to go with you.
As January was my birthday, I decided to go for a longer weekend away. And so I booked Lisbon for three days when I normally just go away on a weekend. Lisbon has plenty to offer but three days in the city is definitely plenty of time to explore the main parts once you have it all organised. Beware that Lisbon sits on plenty of hills so for me January was the perfect month to discover this city. It is still very warm and I couldn’t handle any sort of sightseeing where the temperatures reach above 20.
Visit Lisbon’s oldest district Alfama
I had quite an early flight and so I had a full day to explore with very little sleep. My first day was packed with two experiences I booked on Airbnb. This was the first time ever. I found if I am going on my own, I might as well mix with the locals. When I arrived in Lisbon, I couldn’t check into my hotel just yet. Instead I walked around and ended up in Alfama, the oldest part of Lisbon. For anyone who doesn’t know, Lisbon was hit by a tsunami as well as an earthquake many moons ago and this part was the only untouched one that remained the same and didn’t have to be rebuilt.
After reaching one of the viewing points in Alfama, I learnt quite quickly that Lisbon has many hills and I should have climbed this one by using one of the trams.
Ride the old tram
What got most of my attention when I put Lisbon on my bucket list, was the old trams. When in Lisbon you have got to ride of the old trams. They go up to Alfama (Tram 28) so you don’t have to climb the steep hills or take the tram (Tram 15) to the Belem Tower. They go any direction you want and for €1.50 you just can’t go wrong. I would recommend that you get the 24hr pass which is only €6.50. This gives you access to trams, buses and ferries. I used mine quite frequently every day to get back to my hotel mainly as I had done a lot of walking each day.
Book a Tuk Tuk Tour
The absolute best way to see Lisbon if you only have very limited time in this beautiful city, is by Tuk Tuk. This was my first experience. At €28 for two hours being chauffeured around the city it is not a bad price at all. Maria and her boyfriend made you feel very welcome and had a great knowledge of the Lisbon history. You get to go to the highest viewing point of Lisbon which no tram can reach as well as seeing the cathedral (Walk in on the left side, you have to pay on the right), a local market (only on Saturdays and Tuesdays) and they tell you many other secrets.
Try Portugese Food
This was the first time I visited a city where I was on a mission to try us much local food as I could, on recommendation from a friend. I am not a picky eater and so I am willing to try any type of food. Lisbon doesn’t exactly have the strangest food, it’s all normal and something we would all eat and try at some point.
Alheira is a type of sausage that mostly consists of pork. It is a bit like pulled pork. I have to say it was probably the most delicious sausage I had in a long time. It is normally served with rice, fries and and a fried egg on top. Delicious and reasonably priced too.
Of course you cannot leave Lisbon without having one of the famous Pastel de Nata. These are spread across the world nowadays however they always taste better in the place they originate from. I would recommend you visiting Fabrica da Nata which is located on Praca dos Restauradores, easy accessible via the Metro. I couldn’t believe how cheap everything was, particularly the coffee. The coffee is another thing you have to get used to. Portugese seem to love their coffee and it is really good coffee that can be accompanied with the pastry, or two, or three…
During my stay one of the experiences was also a bar crawl. We got to taste local beer which was lovely as well their local liqueur. It’s a type of cherry you eat and drink it after. I gave it a taste but it wasn’t my thing at all. Though I am not the kind of person who likes spirits anyway, I prefer beer.
Visit Sintra
When I go to places I do my research. Many people have said to me when visiting Lisbon you have to go to Sinta, located thirty minutes from Lisbon. Again this was an experience I booked through Airbnb which was roughly around €60. We were eight people in total traveling in a van. Our tour guide Bernado was amazing and had a lot of knowledge. The tour lasted roughly eight hours so I would suggest you use one of your days purely for this experience. The well and its history was incredible. We continued our journey to a local village where we had lunch and went to the beach afterwards. In Sintra Bernado then treated us to one of the local pastries of Sintra called Travesseiro (means pillow).
Visit Belem Tower
I was a bit unlucky with this one on a Monday morning. Unfortunately the weather turned to rain and so the Belem tower was closed for the day. I didn’t know this until the time I arrived. I got to see it from the outside at least. This is where the Pastel da Nata came from original. They call them Pastel da Belem. The shop is a bit further in the village but the queue was massive and I didn’t fancy standing in the rain. I am sure they are just as delicious if you do fancy trying them. Tram 15 will bring you out here, with just a bridge that needs to be crossed.
Have food in the Timeout Market
So what do you do on a rainy Monday when it is about to hit lunch o’clock? You hit up the market which was taken over by Time Out not too long ago. Here you can find many local delicatessen. On my list I had the croquettes. The queue at the croqueterie wasn’t bad at all. The croquettes are available with all sorts of fillings. I went for the €7.90 options. This included three types of croquettes of your choice (I picked the traditional beef and pork, cod fish and game sausage), a drink and crisps on the side. I couldn’t say which croquette was nicer as they were all nice.
Enjoy the views from the Most Western Point
The most Western point of Europe Cabo da Roca is located in Portugal… so it seems to be most Western than Ireland, even though on the map it doesn’t look like it. This attraction was included in the Sintra tour I did on the Saturday. It was the last point of interest that day. We were able to fit in twenty minutes and look around. It looked a bit like the Cliffs of Moher in Ireland.
