The capital of Portugal – Lisbon, a city that pulls in tourists from all over the world. Why? What should you see? Is the Lisboa Card worth buying? Come and read the report, where I will try to answer those questions, and share my photos and some practical information.
We landed in Lisbon late in the evening with Wizz Air. We bought the Lisboa Cards right away at the airport, and I will come back to them later. To get to the center we could take the metro or an Uber. We picked the second option, for comfort, the luggage and the hour we landed. A decent price, about 8 euros.
Lisboa Card
In Lisbon this card is close to obligatory. Plenty of blogs say it sometimes does not pay off, and that it does not let you skip the queues. For us it helped a lot and it did let us skip the queues. At the main attractions there were machines where you only touched the card and walked in. I am not sure it works exactly the same at the peak of the season, but in June it did the job. Train rides are a big plus of the card, and they take you to Cascais and Sintra.
The card costs about 42 euros for 72 hours, 34 euros for 48h and 20 euros for 24h. Does it pay off? Count it all up and the answer can go either way. No queuing and the convenience made up for the difference well.
What the Lisboa Card gives you
- Free buses, trams, suburban trains and lifts
- Access to the Santa Justa Lift.
- Entry to the main attractions: the Jerónimos Monastery in Belém, Torre de Belém, the National Palace and others.
- Discounts from 10% to 50% on the less popular attractions.
More details about the card are in this article: Lisboa Card – karta turystyczna w Lizbonie
Sightseeing in Lisbon – Day 1
Think about how to split the sightseeing in Lisbon. The most common way is to do a few districts on one day and the rest on the next. That way you know you got everything out of a given place. On one day I would go to Alfama and also walk around Bairro Alto. On the next day you can go to Belém, where you will find the National Palace, the Jerónimos Monastery and Torre de Belém. That day you may still have time to take the train to Cascais, which I recommend.
The Alfama and Baixa districts
A perfect district with a historic feel of its own, and a good place to get a bit lost. Following a set route here is incredibly hard, because everything sits right next to everything else. A lot of climbing up to viewpoints and a lot of walking. Sometimes you can jump on a tram and cover a stretch quickly.
Alfama is the oldest district in Lisbon. In the Middle Ages, under Moorish rule, this area was the center of the city. Hence the medieval feel of the place, the narrow streets, the small squares and plenty of architectural monuments. In Alfama the small details please the eye, tiles of every kind on the walls, and even portraits of local residents.
The Pantheon
While walking around Alfama, look into the Pantheon. A huge 17th century building that took 284 years to put up. The white dome makes it catch your eye from a lot of places.
If you are lucky and you get here on a Tuesday or a Saturday, you will catch the well known Thieves Market, the Feira da Ladra. With the Lisboa Card you get inside the building for free. Inside you can look at the white dome from below, and there are rooms where many Presidents of Portugal are buried.
Praça do Comércio
The commerce square, which seemed to be the most popular place in all of Lisbon. The number of tourists is impressive, and I am not surprised at all. Open, clean and simply very beautiful. This is where Lisbon welcomed the great travelers coming back from sea voyages.
The main parts of the square are the statue of Joseph I and the triumphal arch, Rua Augusta, which you can ride to the top of. On the sides of the square stand the Ministry of Justice and the oldest cafe in Lisbon, from 1782. If you like crowds and a tourist buzz, sit for a while under the statue, or walk under the triumphal arch.
Right next to the square there are a few other interesting buildings, such as the Câmara Municipal de Lisboa (the city council). So walk around and work out which one could interest you enough to go inside.
While you are here, catch a few of the viewpoints. We went up to St. George’s Castle, which turned out to cost extra (10 euros for an adult, 5 euros for a student ticket). The view from there was great. I am not sure I can fully recommend it, though, once you count the extra cost.
Bairro Alto
The next district we decided to see was Bairro Alto. Plenty of Portuguese live here, so you get to look at how they live. Life here starts up at night, and clubs and pubs are easy to find.
Do not skip tram 28. It goes slowly and stops often, but it lets you get off at Sao Bento Palace, the Portuguese parliament. We did not manage to get inside, but at least the photo worked out :).
The streets of Bairro Alto have a lot of mood to them, but there are not many monuments here. Instead you can visit the Atelier Museu Julio Pomar, with its collection of sculptures, paintings and drawings. Church lovers who like to look at splendor in buildings like these can go to the Church of São Roque.
The festival in Lisbon – Festas de Lisboa
If you were wondering what the colorful garlands are doing in my photos, here is the answer. Every June Lisbon holds a festival full of sardines, grilled chorizo sausage and sangria. We had no idea about it before we flew in, so it was a very good surprise.
The festival runs for a whole month and most of the evening events are free. Concerts by local bands wait for you, and stalls, grills and places to sit. I have to admit the Portuguese know how to enjoy themselves, so I fully recommend it!
Sightseeing in Lisbon – Day two
On the second day we mostly wanted to see two of the most popular sights in all of Lisbon, Torre de Belém and the Jerónimos Monastery. We were seriously worried about getting in without queuing, and thanks to the Lisboa Card the worry was pointless. The queues were there. They just did not apply to us :)
The Belém district is known above all for sights tied to the age of great discoveries. Think about using a mobile app and renting a scooter for a while here, because there is a lot of space.
Jerónimos Monastery
Work on the monastery started back in the 16th century and finished 150 years later. The building is on the UNESCO World Heritage List. What surprised me most was the huge queue leading to the Archaeological Museum, which did not impress me. The whole thing looks average. Right next door, in the same buildings, is the Maritime Museum, and going through it can take up to 2 hours.
You can also visit the Church of Santa Maria de Belém, which may appeal for the plain, restrained character of the place.
I love small details, and there were some here too. Azulejos, of course, and a sketch on a wall that I took to.
Torre de Belém
A building whose simplicity and grace prove that size is not the only thing that counts in architecture. It has something in it that tourists fall for. The tower dates from 1519 and is the only fully preserved building in the so called Manueline style.
The tower has had many roles in its time. It guarded the mouth of the Tagus where it meets the Atlantic Ocean. It served as a lighthouse, as barracks, as a toll point for ships entering Lisbon, and as a prison.
More attractions worth your attention
- Next to Torre de Belém stands the Monument to the Discoveries. Take the walk along the river.
- A visit to the Sé Cathedral.
- Eat Pastéis de Belém, apparently the best ones are next to the Jerónimos Monastery.
- Try Ginja, a 19 percent cherry liqueur with a lot of sugar in it.
- The Lisbon Oceanarium, the largest in Europe.
- A ride on the Cable Car, right next to the Oceanarium.
- The Santa Justa Lift, the elevator in the photo below. We stood next to it, took a quick photo and moved on. The queue was too long, so we skipped this one.
Summary
I fully recommend Lisbon! Perfect for a long weekend, and Wizz Air fares can be really low. Because of the tourists I would go outside the season. June and September can be perfect dates. A light wind and the right temperature for walking the city, without the heat that mostly makes you want to lie on a beach.
By the way, this article came out really long. Let me know whether you like this form of article, what I can fix and do better. I will try to follow any advice, so that my own materials get better still.
