Welcome to Lisbon!
Lisbon is Portugal's unassumingly cool capital and western Europe's oldest city that serves
over 12 million tourists every year. Way back in 1755 the city was hit by a huge earthquake
that destroyed 85% of buildings. The city had no choice but to rebuild itself and the
18th century architecture that reshaped Lisbon is still very dominant today. In fact if you
come here, don’t be surprised to spend most of your time looking up and admiring it as
you wander through the fairy tale cobbled streets lined with iconic Portuguese tiles
that have inspired artists for generations. Each building and street really does have
its own personality. What’s more, amongst this wealth of history, is an eclectic city
renowned for having colourful nightlife, tonnes of culture, music and a cosmopolitan food
scene that modestly boasts the best custard tarts on the planet! This city break is ideal
all year round, with temperatures rarely going below 10 degrees celsius in the winter and
averaging 25 in the summer. It really does seem like Lisbon has it all, and we're here
to show you why…
Coming up we’re going to take you through our top tips for 48 hours in Lisbon. From
transport, things to do, places to see, lingo, and where to buy the best custard tarts in
the city. We’ve done the research to save you time and help you have the most amazing
trip. So let’s start with how to get here.
The flight from London Gatwick takes just over 2 and a half hours straight into Lisbon’s
only airport which is conveniently just 7km from the heart of the city.
The best thing about Lisbon Airport is it’s only a 20 minute drive into the city centre.
The easiest way to get in is to jump in a taxi or take the Aerobus. There are two lines
running into the main hotel areas that cost €4 per person each way.
Alternatively you could take the metro that runs from 6am to 1am everyday or there’s
always the city bus but do expect for both these options to take a little longer.
Lisbon is known as the city of seven hills so to save your legs from all that climbing
you’ll probably gonna want to use public transport at some point. Luckily, there are
plenty of ways to get around the city - from train, tram, metro, bus and even funicular
lift.
The metro is good choice if you’re traveling long distances but doesn’t cover all areas
of the city. It’s one of cleanest metros in Europe, and most stations are open from
6am to 1am every day.
Trams cover areas of the city where there is no access to the metro. There are two types
of trams, the yellow “Remodelado” trams that route round the old narrow streets and
then there’s modern “Articulado” trams that operate along the flat sections of the
city connecting central Lisbon to the Belem district.
Lisbon has hundreds of buses and 88 different routes so you’re bound to find one to take
you where you need to go.
The funicular lifts are used to help locals and tourists climb all those hills. The most
famous lift is the Santa Justa Lift linking lower and upper Lisbon. Yes, it’s technically
a means of public transport but it also doubles up a a major tourist attraction and
has great a view point at the top.
We noticed a lot of tourists jumping in Tuk Tuks, and so we thought we’d give it a go.
But it turns out the cobbled streets of Lisbon don’t make for a comfy ride in a Tuk Tuk,
and if I’m honest a 5 minute ride was a bit of a rip off at €15.
Working out the best way to pay for transport in Lisbon can get confusing… so here’s
our simple breakdown…
The easiest way to pay for your travel is to pick up a Viva Viagem card. It works just
like an Oyster card in London - pay €0.50 for the card then top up at the machines and
ticket offices at metro stations. When topping up you have three options: the first is to
cover a single journey. The second is zapping. This allows you to load up to €40 to cover
multiple trips. After three trips this option becomes cheaper than loading singles. The
last is to load a 24-hour pass. For €6.30 this will give unlimited travel across Lisbon’s
public transport. Choose this option if you’re going to take more than 5 journeys in a single
day or taking the Santa Justa lift, which usually costs €5 alone.
Just remember, you’ve gotta swipe in on buses and trams, and tap in AND out on the
metro. Easy!
A good tip is to pick up the transport map from the tourist office in the Comércio Plaza.
This will give you all the information you need for timetables and prices. I’d also
recommend downloading Google Maps to help you navigate your way around without having
to rely on wifi.
There’s so much to see and do in Lisbon and the chances are you’re not going to
have time to do everything, so here’s our top 5.
If you want to experience local transport, and see the city at the same time, then taking
the number 28 tram kills two birds with one stone. It takes a circular route round the
city and will also save your legs from a lot of walking.
If your in the centre of the city, then jump on the number 15 tram and head west to the
Belem district to witness the Belem Tower in all its glory. The tower was built in the
16th century as a defence system at the mouth of the Tagus river and a gateway to the city.
It’s one of the few buildings that survived the earthquake and is now a Unesco World Heritage
Site. You can find it by the harbour and it can only be reached via a walkway across the
water. Access to the tower is from 10am and my advice is to get here early to avoid queuing.
For panoramic views of Lisbon Castle make your way up to Jardim de São Pedro de Alcântara.
Fortunately, you can jump on the Elevador da Gloria funicular lift to get there, otherwise,
it's a hefty walk. It's worth it though because there are so many cute market stalls and plenty
of live music. That go on through the evening.
Treat yourself to a Portuguese custard tart known as a Pastel de Nata. You can find these
everywhere in Lisbon but if you want to try what I believe are the best in town you have
to head to the original cafe in Belem that sold them way back in 1837.
So yummy!
So good!
I’m gonna carry on eating these, so don’t mind me.
Pastéis de Belém has queues outside everyday due to their secret recipe only known to 6
people in the whole world. I was lucky enough to be invited on a tour of the factory located
directly behind the shop. So of course I jumped at the opportunity to fashion a rather dashing
hair net, and find out a little more about what makes these tasty treats so special...
These ones you only find at the shops, so this only place in the world where the Pastéis
de Belém is made and sold.
How many do you make a day?
We now make about 20,000 of these per day but it’s a very old recipe, it was invented
in the monastery beside us, the Jeronimos Monastery. It was invented by the monks and
the recipe came out of the monastery around 1834; that’s when the recipe was passed
on or sold to a local business man and he started selling them at a smaller trading,
typical shop at the time, that existed where our front counter is today. So this was back
in 1837, a lot has changed but one thing remained exactly the same, which is the recipe and
the way that they’re made, they’re handmade, so that we kept exactly the same.
And are we allowed to know anything about the recipe, or are you keeping that one secret?
Well the recipe has been kept a secret for 180 years so there’s not a lot I can say
about it, except showing you the steps that are made after the chefs do the pastry and
the custard. And what I can show you is what we make with both of those ingredients after
the chefs do their magic.
And whilst you’re in the area, it’s worth heading next-door to the Jeronimos Monastery
itself, to simply look up and witness some pretty spectacular architecture.
End your evening with a drink in the Barrio Alto area. The bars flood the streets with
locals and tourists drinking Portuguese beer, mojitos and caprinis until the early hours
of the morning.
Lisbon is a cosmopolitan city so you're going to be able to find every type of cuisine here.
You’ll probably stumble across many 'Tasca' style restaurants along the back cobbled streets
near the Bairro Alto area, and these will serve rustic Portuguese dishes like stews,
steaks, and fish. It’s worth noting that restaurants don’t tend to fill up until
after 9pm so if you are wanting to avoid the crowds, then head for dinner a little earlier.
But for something a little more quick and fun I recommend checking out Mercado de Ribeira.
This place has been Lisbon's main food market since 1892. A few years ago it was taken over
by the Time Out Lisboa magazine, who added canteen style dining, selling anything from
burgers to sushi and of course traditional Portuguese cuisine like croquettes. I learnt
that these are one of the most popular and widely known Portuguese food dishes and can
be filled with any type of meat, fish, veg and cheese combination but the most traditional
are Croquettes de Carne, or Portuguese beef croquettes.
We chose to take a free walking tour with a company called Hi Lisbon, to find out a
little bit more about the city, and learn some key Portuguese phrases to help us get
by.
Ok, so let’s start with the easiest word (hopefully): hello.
Hello, in Portuguese we say olá.
Olá, I like that one!
Easy one, yeah!
How are you?
How are you, we say como vai você.
Como vai você, ok.
Or you can say tudo bem.
Tudo bem, tudo bem, tudo bem! Quite casual.
Thank you?
Obrigado.
For men, as a girl, you say obrigada.
So men is obrigado, women is obrigada.
Very good, yeah!
Yeah, that’s the one word that’s stuck in my head a little bit, and I keep remembering
to say that, but I didn’t know there was a male and female version.
Yeah.
What’s your name?
What’s your name in Portuguese, we say como você se chama which is the hardest!
como você se chama?
Very good! Or you can say qual é o seu nome?
qual é o seu nome!
That’s easier.
Yeah it’s that sssshh sound I’m struggling with it a little bit, actually.
It’s quite strong!
How do you count from one to five?
In Portuguese we say um, dois, três, quatro, cinqo.
It’s kind of similar to Spanish.
Many words are even the same. Sometimes somethings are the way you pronounce a bit different,
many words like por favor, casa, amigo, it’s the same.
Can I have the bill please?
A conta, por favor.
Very good.
Good morning?
Bom dia.
Bom dia, and that’s one you use a lot, isn’t it?
Yeah, it’s very common, yeah. Bom dia you have to use a lot here.
It’s welcoming!
Yeah, you can arrive anywhere and you say bom dia instead of saying good morning, it’s
a good way… people will be more welcoming.
Ok!
Goodbye?
In Portuguese? Adeus.
Adeus.
Yeah.
Yeah that’s an easy one.
Perfect! Oh thank you very much, it’s been useful!
Thank you!
The Portuguese currency is Euros. There are plenty of cash points around and you can pay
with debit and credit cards in most places. Here’s a look back at our costs to give
you a rough idea of what you might expect to pay when you’re here:
A return flight to Lisbon costs £246 per person.
Our apartment for 2 nights cost £248.
And, the travel insurance with Holiday Extras cost £15 for the premium package.
And this coffee (or what’s left of it) cost €3.
This Pastéis de Belém cost €1.
Entry to the Belem Tower was €6.
This cocktail cost €4.
Tipping is a thing in Portugal. Service charge is not usually added to bills but double check
first, especially if you are in the more touristy areas. And just so you know, it’s custom
to give about a 10% tip at a restaurant.
For up to date exchange rates visit xe.com or download their app. And as our time in
Lisbon comes to an end, don’t forget to subscribe for loads more exciting travel guides.
I can safely say, that Lisbon is one of my favourite cities of all of Europe. I’ve
had such a great time just wandering around the little cobbled side streets, looking up
at the mustard-coloured buildings, and of course eating as many custard tarts as possible.
So if you’re looking for a city break, I highly recommend Lisbon; this is my third
time here and I can’t wait to come back.