Hey hey guys!
Greetings from Lisbon, Portugal.
This is a destination we've visited just a couple of years ago.
We did.
And I have to say we're thrilled to be back.
We are with my parents this time.
Yeah, so we are kicking off the annual Jeffery family trip yep with Sam's parents escape
the Canadian winter.
That's right.
So yeah, we're spending a little over 2 months in Europe.
Lisbon is our first stop.
So we've got 3 days here and we're going to take you guys on a little tour show you some
of the attractions, eat, drink, be merry and yeah.
So let's get started.
Let's go.
After many repeat visits, we feel like we know this city well, so in this Lisbon travel
guide we’re going to show you around what we think are some of the best attractions.
Also, as we mentioned, we only had 3 days in the city this time around, so this Lisbon
itinerary will be perfect for any of you visiting on a long weekend escape.
We kicked off our first morning with a ride on Lisbon’s most iconic tram line:#28 (Rede
de eléctricos de Lisboa) bound for panoramic vistas and a hilltop castle.
Okay so we've reached our first lookout point of the day.
I have a feeling we're going to be starting at a lot of these.
Um but yeah basically we hopped off of tram 28 and viola!
We've got this terrace, rooftop views, the ocean, sunshine.
Here we are.
What more could you want in January?
I know.
Especially coming from Canada.
It does not feel like January right now.
No, this is amazing.
After those postcard perfect views looking down over Alfama, it was time to continue
up towards the castle, with a little detour offering a bit of street art.
So we found this tiny little lane.
Lots of stairs and it is going to lead us up to the Castle of Saint George (Castelo
de São Jorge) and there is lots of graffiti and street art so we're going to have a proper
look around before we continue on to the main attraction.
Alright, so we've been in Lisbon now for half a day.
Your first time here.
And do you have any first impressions of the city so far?
Number 1 is it is 30 degrees celsius warmer than in Canada right now.
Oh yeah.
Number 2 the streets and the sidewalks are filled with cobblestones.
Unbelievable.
We've had some great views as well.
Yes.
Yeah.
I can't remember what the lookout was but we went to a lookout.
Yeah.
That is one of many in this city and also did you enjoy your tram ride over here?
Yes, the tram ride was a little crowded.
Yeah.
Haha.
But a little sweaty too.
Yeah.
Haha.
But uh we managed to get through it and we got to our first stop.
We've been walking ever since.
Yeah, exactly.
Enjoying it.
It is great.
St George Castle (Castelo de São Jorge) is a Moorish castle that looks down over the
historic centre and the Tagus River (Tajo -Tejo).
It’s one of the main tourist landmarks in the city, and it’s position atop a hill
means you also get some great views of Lisbon from above.
Okay so we made it into Castelo de São Jorge.
Yeah, exactly.
And before I talk about the experience first I'll inform you of the price.
Yes.
So it is 8.50 Euros per person.
Mmmhmm.
Which I think is good value.
It is a really big castle.
And that is kind of the first thing that is surprising.
When you see it from a distance you think oh it is not that big but when you're actually
walking around it takes some time.
This is not like a 15 minute one and done kind of attraction.
No.
We've been here a while.
Yeah, probably over an hour anyways.
And yeah it is a really cool castle to explore.
One thing to keep in mind though is when you're climbing up the stairs to go walk around the
perimeter.
The lookout points.
Be really careful because some of the ledges are very low.
The railings are quite low.
Yeah.
Like below the knee.
Yeah.
It is almost a little nerve racking.
They do warn you with some very graphic falling signs but it is just really easy to kind of
get comfortable up there and not notice where you footing is.
So yeah, be very aware and don't stand too close to the edge.
That is my biggest safety tip for sure.
My tip would be keep an eye out for the peacocks because they roam the grounds freelily.
Yes.
So that is pretty cool.
Yeah, they're beautiful.
After visiting the castle, we started making our way downhill and stopped at Lisbon Cathedral
(Santa Maria Maior de Lisboa - Sé de Lisboa), which was right along the way.
Admission to the cathedral is free of charge, but once you’re inside, you can pay a fee
to visit the treasury and the cloisters.
No Lisbon travel guide, would be complete without an escape to Belém on the west end,
so that’s exactly where we went on our second day.
Belém is about a 30 minute bus ride, but there are numerous attractions in this area,
so it’s worth the trip.
Because we arrived right around lunch time, our first stop was food!
So we found a restaurant right across from the Jerónimos Monastery.
Yeah, we sure have.
And because we're with my parents we ordered a whole bunch of different things.
We've got the grilled salmon over here.
Yes.
We've got Bacalhau which.
Bacalhau.
Which is trout.
Cod.
Cod!
Sorry.
Cow.
Not cow cod.
Not cow a cod of course.
Fish.
And we have the spicy chorizo yeah over here.
And then we have a few different kinds of potatoes.
Yes.
Um and yeah some greens.
So it is just kind of making a mixed platter and it has been really delicious.
And everything has a little bit of olive oil.
That is right.
Drizzled all over it.
So this is going to be good.
Yeah, not too much seasoning just salt, olive oil.
Yeah.
Really basic but it makes it taste really good.
Okay, let's enjoy.
Oh, that salmon is on point.
After that delicious meal, we went for a walk along the river.
Here we came across the Monument to the Discoveries (Padrão dos Descobrimentos), which stands
in memory of the Age of Exploration that took place during the 15th and 16th centuries,
with many ships departed from these very shores.
On either side of the monument, you can see captains, navigators, kings and missionaries
who all played a role.
Just further down, we reached the Belém Tower (Torre de Belém), which also played a role
in the Age of Discoveries, since this tower was commissioned as both a defence system
at the mouth of the Tagus River and a ceremonial gateway to Lisbon.
And from there, we circled back to visit the Jerónimos Monastery (Mosteiro dos Jerónimos).
Construction of this monastery was ordered by King Manuel, who selected the religious
order of Hieronymite monks to occupy the monastery.
The purpose?
To pray for the King's soul and provide spiritual guidance to sailors departing on journeys
of discovery around the world.
So it is now time for egg tarts.
Yes.
We've been sightseeing for a while.
Portuguese.
And we'll find ourselves a little treat.
Portuguese egg tarts and they're not just any kind of egg tart.
These Pastéis De Nata (Pastel de Belém) are the original.
Pastéis de nata (Pastel de Belém).
Here we come.
Pastéis de nata were created by the monks at the Jerónimos Monastery, and seeing as
we were right next door, this was a very logical stop.
But why did monks become master bakers?
Well, it turns out, that at the time, convents and monasteries would use large quantities
of egg-whites to starch their clothes.
This meant there was lots of leftover egg yolks, and baking was a way that these wouldn’t
go to waste.
Obrigado.
Here I go.
Cheers.
To the tart.
Cheers for Portuguese egg tarts.
Mmmm.
From there, it was over to the Botanical Gardens (Jardim Botânico), to walk off those egg
tarts, and also have an impromptu photo shoot with Sam’s dad.
Alright Dadeo on the Patio what are you going to do?
I'm going to take a unique picture.
I'm going to lie down on this park bench.
Yes.
And I'm going to point camera up towards the trees.
Yes.
You guys are going to stand behind here and lean over and I'll get you both.
Perfect.
Looking and the treetops will be.
Is this your original idea?
No no.
No, definitely it is.
Hahaha.
We didn't ask for it.
Okay.
Okay yeah it is my it is my idea.
Yeah.
Definitely.
Ah, the thing with photography is you have to think about your backdrop and you have
to think about where you are shooting from so there you go.
Exactly.
Okay, let's show us how it is done.
Okay.
Here we go.
I'll get down here.
Yeah.
The camera is on.
Yeah.
There we go.
Okay now you guys have to lean over a little bit.
Like just like this?
Yeah.
I'll get the camera out of the way.
Tell me when you're ready?
Okay.
Ready.
All good?
Oh it just went off.
How do you turn it on?
Ooops!
Okay.
Okay I'm going to take a picture like this.
Get the camera out of the way okay.
Just for a second.
Ready?
Okay, now come a little closer now.
Hahaha.
Right like that.
Okay.
Hahaha.
Ready?
One, two, three.
And one more.
Just lean over just a little bit more okay.
Just one more.
Lean over.
Yeah, okay ready?
Mmmm okay that is it George.
Gotcha.
Awesome.
So it is our third day in Lisbon (Lisboa) and we are out and about again.
So our first day was spent in the west.
No in the east end of the city.
Yeah, we were.
The second day in the west end.
Right and now we're covering the central part of Lisbon (Lisboa).
Yes.
So yeah this is actually our final day here.
So we are looking to do quite a bit.
Okay so first stop of the day.
Yeah.
We're at the Mirador of Santa Catarina (Miradouro de Santa Catarina) and this is just one of
many lookout points.
And it is really exciting for us to come to this particular one because the last time
we were in Lisbon we did go to several of these yes but we never came to this one.
No.
So this is a unique vantage point for us.
And keep in mind there is a lot of these throughout the city so wherever you're kind of walking
around you should be checking on Google Maps or also if you have a map in your guidebook
see if there is a lookout point nearby because likely there is one.
Okay time for an update.
Update.
Well, the first thing is I got a new jacket.
Someone went shopping.
I quite like it.
It replaced the Puma jacket that I was wearing too much on the last Europe trip.
Anyways we came to the Carmo Convent (Convento da Ordem do Carmo) with the intention of going
in but uh much like Samuel and Audrey style we didn't research if it was open today.
Yes.
We forgot it was Sunday.
It is not open on a Sunday.
Closed on Sunday.
It is our last day here but the cool surprise is that we found like what looks to be a cool
open flea market kind of thing.
Yeah.
Open Sunday Market.
So instead of showing you the convent, which is good, we did come here the last time we're
going to show you the flea market instead.
But do go to the convent if you have time when you're visiting Lisbon.
Not on a Sunday.
After browsing the
handicrafts at the Sunday Market, we walked over to the Santa Justa Elevator, which is
the only street lift in Lisbon for public service.
If you think this cast iron structure looks familiar, that may be because it was designed
by an apprentice of Gustave Eiffel.
So I just finished visiting Santa Justa (Elevador de Santa Justa) which is probably most famous
for being an elevator but actually what I decided to do instead of using the elevator
is go out to the lookout point.
Yeah.
And I'm really glad I did that.
It cost only a 1.50 and by far it is the best view of the city.
Like you can just basically see everything including the castle, including like the downtown
area far off in the distance.
The ships.
It is just it was an incredible view.
I'm so glad I did it.
Next, it was time for our afternoon snack, so we made our way over to Confeitaria Nacional,
which is the oldest pastry shop in Lisbon.
They have a cafeteria-style eating area upstairs, where you can choose sweet and savoury bites,
and well, we couldn’t resist ordering a few more egg tarts.
Mmmmm.
It is really flaky and crispy and then you have that like pudding like eggy consistency
but I think compared to the 1st place this one tastes a little bit sweeter to me.
Really?
Yeah.
Yeah, that is how I would describe how they differ so far.
In we go.
I'm starting off with a big one as well.
Mmmm.
Is it good?
Mmmhmm.
But this one is not fresh out of the oven like the one we had yesterday.
Yes.
Oh, right yes.
It is not warm.
Mmmhmmm.
It is not warm.
This one is served cold.
Yeah.
It is still good.
Super flaky.
Do you have a preference to warm or cold?
I like them warm.
Yeah.
And then, it was time for a little shopping…
Okay so we were just walking down Rua Augusta which is the main pedestrian street here in
Lisbon (Lisboa).
And tell us what did we find?
Well just behind me I found the same t-shirt shop that I visited in Barcelona like 3 years
ago.
Yeah.
I got some of my favorite t-shirts.
Yeah, and I was talking to the shop owner in there.
Yes.
And they actually originated from here.
Yeah.
They have 2 more stores in Porto and then they have a couple more in Spain but this
is actually a Portuguese company.
I had no idea.
I thought it was a company based out of Barcelona.
And they're great.
I got two t-shirts and one for my Dad too.
They have some really unique shirts with like fun designs.
Yeah, exactly.
It is worth checking out.
Okay time for a quick fashion show outside of the store.
This one is Chequito after Che Guevara instead of Chiquita banana.
The second one home slow home yeah with a turtle robot.
And this is for Pumpy.
My Dad.
This is for Sam's Dad.
He loves the Rolling Stones so this is for him.
This is called The Trolling Stongues Orchestra.
There we go.
Hahaha.
So yeah, really fun shirts in there.
(Portuguese choir singing)
After enjoying that music and dance performance, we continued down the pedestrian street, crossed
the Rua Augusta Arch, and walked around the Commerce Square before heading back to our
apartment for a little rest.
Well our time in Lisbon is winding down and we're all going to give you a different travel
tip.
The three of us.
So what is yours Dad?
Mine is to get out of the place you're staying in Lisbon.
Walk around, walk on the cobblestones and meet all the friendly people of Lisbon (Lisboa).
Okay, so my tip is to sample all the Pasteis De Nata at a few different bakeries because
they really vary from shop to shop.
So my biggest tip to involves food and drink so you gotta try the local Portuguese wine.
There is really good reds there is Porto.
Later that afternoon, we would head out again, in search of, you guessed it, more pasteis
de nata!
And boy, was it worth it!
Okay guys it is time for our third pastry shop.
It is just over my shoulder right here.
This place used to be a butter shop now they sell pasteis de nata and it is kind of like
a bar style where you just stand around and eat your pastry have a coffee.
So we're going to go in.
Let's get some of it.
Come.
Okay third shop.
This one is called Manteigaria and we went in with the intention of only getting two
tarts.
Haha.
We've walked out with a pack that holds six.
Yeah.
n we go.
This is definitely not my first egg tart of the day or my second.
Haha.
Yeah.
If you get a beer belly or pizza bellies or other kind of bellies in different parts of
the world we're definitely getting a pastel de nata Portuguese egg tart belly oh my gosh
here in Lisbon.
Is that good?
This may be the best one so far.
You think so?
This is warm.
Yep.
Fresh out of the oven.
Ticks off that box.
Oh my gosh it is so like pudding like and creamy.
It is really sweet.
You know what else?
We're actually quite hungry now.
Like it is almost supper time so.
Mmm.
That might be another factor in play.
I'm calling it.
This is the best.
Alright guys so that is it for our 3 days in Lisbon (Lisboa).
Yeah.
We hope you enjoyed this video.
Yep.
And we'll see you soon.
We'll see you soon we've got a lot more videos coming from Portugal.
Ciao.
As always, we hope you enjoyed our Lisbon travel guide and that you found it useful
for planning your own trip.
If you have any other suggestions of things to do in Lisbon that you’d like to share
with travellers, feel free to leave those in the comments below.
Wishing you happy travels and until next time!