Lisboa
January 2024 - 4 Days
In 2023, we did a long weekend trip with some friends to Porto. So, in 2024 when I had a class in Lisbon it was the perfect opportunity to plan the second annual friends trip to Portugal. Gwen and I had been to Lisbon in 2018, but only for one day so it was fun to spend a bit more time in Lisbon and especially try some delicious food.
Contents
Daily Itinerary
Get settled in to the Bairro Alto neighborhood
Have quite the dinner experience at 100 Maneiras
Start the day with a Pasteis de Nata from Manteigaria
Get acquainted with the city and its history on a free walking tour
Eat the best pork sandwich ever at Timeout Market
Walk the narrow streets of Alfama up to São Jorge Castle
Visit the Sé, Lisbon's oldest church
Seafood dinner at Cervejaria Ramiro
Drive to the colorful town of Sintra
Tour the fantastical Pena Palace
Walk through the maze of pathways at Quinta da Regaleira
Eat yesterday's catch at O Crôa
Watch the sunset over the city at Miradouro da Senhora do Monte
Pesticos at Tasca da Esquina
Visit the art shops and have lunch at LX Factory
Visit the cloisters at Jerónimos Monastery
Grab the best egg tart at Pastéis de Belém
Walk along the sea at Belem Tower
Casual dinner at Agua Pela Barba
Flights
Air France Economy ORD-CDG-LHR: 11,250 Citi points one-way transferred to Flying Blue (promo award) + $84 taxes & fees
TAP Economy LHR-LIS: Cash one-way
British Airways Business LIS-LHR-ORD: 30,000 AMEX points one-way transferred to Iberia (30% transfer bonus) + $136 taxes & fees
British Airways Business Class - 2024
Hotels
Memmo Príncipe Real: 60,000 Marriott points for 2 nights + 2 free night certificates
▸ Luxury boutique hotel in the heart of Lisbon in the Bairro Alto neighborhood. A bit offset from the street so it's very quiet and sits on a top of a hill with sweeping views of the city.
View from Memmo Príncipe Real - Lisbon, Portugal 2024
Food (With Beli Ranking)
ZunZum Gastrobar (9.5) - In the same building as Marlene, both restaurants are run by chef Marlene Vieira. I had an event here where we were served a few different dishes, all of which were amazing.
100 Maneiras (9.3) - Michelin starred restaurant from the "Gordon Ramsey of Portugal" as chef Ljubomir Stanisic was described to me. I have to say the experience was definitely unique and memorable with some very unique dishes on the tasting menu.
Cervejaria Ramiro (8.6) - If you're looking for seafood, this is place to go. The garlic clams, garlic shrimp, crab, and tiger prawns seem to be the most popular dishes and they were all excellent.
Tasca da Eqsuina (8.5) - Serving Portuguese tapas with a contemporary flair, this was a good restaurant for our group to order a number of dishes to share.
Tapisco (8.3) - From chef Henrique Sá Pessoa, we just happened to walk in her during our first 1-night visit to Lisbon and had a great experience.
Agua Pela Barba (7.8) - relaxed restaurant perfect for a casual dinner. Don't miss the octopus.
O Crôa (7.8) - A restaurant we stopped at as part of our tour to Sintra. Nice views overlooking the water and the fish was fresh and very good.
Taberna Albricoque (4.6) - Nice atmosphere serving simple dishes, although I didn't find the food to be that great. This restaurant was recommended to me by a couple different people, so I may have just not ordered the best dish.
Timeout Market - I ended up eating lunch here several days in a row as the Bifana sandwich from Henrique Sá Pessoa was so mouthwateringly delicious.
Manteigaria - one of the best shops to get Pastel de Nata (Portuguese egg tart)
Pastéis de Belém - near Belem tower, one of the most popular spots for Pastel de Nata
Full Itinerary
Day 1
Bairro Alto
From the airport, we took a taxi to the Bairro Alto neighborhood of Lisbon where our hotel was located. The neighborhood consists of a number of narrow streets set on a hill and offering excellent views of the sea below. During the day, the streets are fairly quiet, but at night the area is known as one of the best areas for nightlife as the streets fill with people going to the many bars and restaurants in the area.
Bairro Alto - Lisbon, Portugal 2018
I booked the Memmo Príncipe Real as I had a couple of Marriott 35k night certificates that were expiring and this hotel was only going for 30k per night during our dates. The hotel is located in Bairro Alto which can get noisy at nights, but the hotel is a bit off the main road - you actually have to walk down a fairly steep hill from the main road. The hotel sits on a hill so it has excellent views like this one taken from our room.
Memmo Príncipe Real - Lisbon, Portugal 2024
Our original intention was to go to Bistro 100 Maneiras as a local friend had told us it was a fun place for Saturday night. However, we accidentally booked the Michelin-Starred restaurant which meant we were in for either an 11-course or 17-course tasting menu. Our group opted for the shorter menu and the meal still lasted nearly 5 hours. A local friend told us that the chef is often considered the "Gordon Ramsay of Portugal". As a group, the experience was quite fun and many of the dishes were very unique.
Poison at 100 Maneiras - Lisbon, Portugal 2024
Day 2
Manteigaria
The Pastéis de Nata (Portuguese egg tart) is one of my favorite things about Portugal so I wasted no time in making sure I tried all the best ones in the city. Prior to our free walking tour, I made sure to try one from Manteigaria near Praça Luís de Camões although there are many locations throughout the city. In my overall ranking, I gave Manteigaria the 2nd best, after Pastéis de Belém.
Elevador de Santa Justa
The Elevator connects different street levels and is still considered public transportation, although today it's primarily a tourist attraction with lines that can last over 2 hours long.
You can ride the elevator up or if you prefer not to wait in line, you can simply walk for about 5 minutes up to the Carmo Museum. There is an observation area that connects to the top of elevator where you can get a good panoramic view of Lisbon and the São Jorge Castle on top of the hill.
Elevador de Santa Justa - Lisbon, Portugal 2018
Arco da Rua Augusta
Rua Augusta is a pedestrian only street lined with shops, restaurants, and cafes ending at the Arco da Rua August with the Commerce Square and water beyond.
Arco da Rua Augusta - Lisbon, Portugal 2024
After a couple hours of walking up and down the streets of Lisbon, we headed to Timeout Market. The market is very similar to locations in other cities and features stalls from some of the most popular chefs in Lisbon. Additionally, there is a traditional market next door selling fresh produce.
I had the opportunity to come back to Timeout Market throughout the next week, but I ended up ordering the same thing each time. The Bifana from Henrique Sá Pessoa is one of the most delicious sandwiches I have ever tasted. The pork is tender and juicy while also containing crispy bits of skin that burst with flavor. 99% of the time I like to try as many different dishes as possible, but this is one of the few exceptions.
Bifana Sandwich at Henrique Sá Pessoa - Lisbon, Portugal 2024
Elevador da Bica
One of the most iconic scenes of Lisbon is of the cable car network and the Elevador da Bica is probably the most well-recognized locations, located near the Timeout Market.
Elevador da Bica - Lisbon, Portugal 2018
Alfama
You will find many TukTuks throughout Lisbon at all major tourist locations. On a previous trip to Lisbon we hired a drive to give us a tour of the city as we only had one day and this allowed us to see many of the sites in a short period.
On this occassion, we just hired a TukTuk from outside Timeout Market to drive us to the Alfama, the oldest neighborhood in Lisbon. The neighborhood consists of narrow winding streets leading up to the Sao Jorge Castle. About halfway up we stopped at the Miradouro das Portas do Sol and had a drink at SOL overlooking the city and sea.
View from Miradouro das Portas do Sol - Lisbon, Portugal 2024
Castelo de São Jorge
São Jorge Castle sits on top of a hill overlooking the city of Lisbon and the water beyond. Apart from the panoramic views of the city, the Castle has played an important part in the history of Lisbon with evidence of fortifications dating back to the 1st century BC, although the building there today is less than 100 years old after being completely restored. To be completely honest, unless you are very interested in the history, there's not much to see at the Castle.
Sé de Lisboa
The Lisbon Cathedral, commonly referred to as just the Sé, is also located in the Alfama neighborhood and is the oldest church in the city.
Sé - Lisbon, Portugal 2024
Of course Lisbon is known for seafood, particularly cod (although it all comes from the UK). If you ask anyone what the best place for seafood is in Lisbon, the universal answer is Ramiro so it's definitely a good idea to book ahead of time. For most dishes, you pay per KG so it's easy to customize if different people want to eat different dishes. The garlic shrimps, crab, and lobster are must trys. The langostines (pictured) were actually not my favorite although I heard the opposite from others.
Langostines at Cervejaria Ramiro - Lisbon, Portugal 2024
Day 3
Sintra
The town of Sintra is only about a 30 minute drive from Lisbon and sits in the mountains, with Pena Palace overlooking the town. Sintra is popular for its picturesque views and colorful buildings that sit against the tree covered mountains. We booked a tour through Airbnb, so we had a wonderful tour guide drive us to Sintra and explain to us the history.
Sintra - Sintra, Portugal 2024
Pena Palace
Pena Palace sits on top of a hill overlooking the town of Sintra. The many colors and various architecture styles make the palace look like a castle out of a fantasy novel.
Pena Palace - Sintra, Portugal 2024
Quinta da Regaleira
The Quinta da Regaleira is a short walk from the center of Sintra, featuring a palace with a large park. Walking through the park is a bit like a labyrinth of tunnels, stairways, bridges, and a 9 story well you descend at the start.
Quinta da Regaleira - Sintra, Portugal 2024
O Crôa
After our day in Sintra, our guide took us to a restaurant overlooking the water. While I often find that tour guides like this take us to places that aren't very good, this was another exception. The availability of fish was determined by what they had caught the previous day, and we were able to pick which fish specifically we wanted. We chose a large sea bream which was phenomenal after it was grilled!
Miradouro da Senhora do Monte
We arrived back in Lisbon in the early evening, so we had time to catch the sunset from the Mradouro da Senhora do Monte viewpoint. This is definitely a must visit for panoramic views of the city, the 25 de Abril Bridge, and the Sanctuary of Christ the King in the distance.
Miradouro da Senhora do Monte - Lisbon, Portugal 2024
We were recommended to eat at Tasca da Esquina by a couple of different people. The restaurant serves small plates, the Portuguese equivalent of Spanish tapas so we tried a number of different dishes, all of which were excellent.
Day 4
LX Factory
LX Factory is a 19th century factory that has been converted into art spaces, retail, and restaurants. Inside the factory are many shops selling art, jewellry, and other trinkets with the ground floor primarily dedicated to restaurants and bars. A fun place to spend a few hours and pick up some more unique souvenirs.
LX Factory - Lisbon, Portugal 2024
Mosteiro dos Jerónimos
Jeronimos Monastery is located in Belem and consists of a church and former monastery. Entrance to the church is free, but it's the cloister that you'll want to see with its intricately detailed arches and ceiling. Entrance is €12.
Mosteiro dos Jerónimos - Lisbon, Portugal 2024
If you find yourself at the monastery, then it's just a short walk to the absolute best pasteis de nata in Lisbon (maybe the world?). Since we were there in January, we were able to walk right in but the place definitely looks set up to handle crowds. If you don't want to wait to sit at a table, there is separate entrance for take-away.
Belem Tower
After what must have been my 10th pasteis de nata of the trip, we walked it off a bit on our way to Belem Tower, about a 20 minute walk away. The tower is one of Lisbon's iconic monuments although the line looked quite long so we did not end up going inside.
Belem Tower - Lisbon, Portugal 2024
After several straight nights of long and lavish dinners, Agua Pela Barba was a great way to end our trip. Located in the lively Bairro Alto neighborhood, Agua Pela Barba was a small and relaxed restaurant that was perfect for our group and didn't break the bank. The octopus was definitely the highlight although everything we tried was very good.
Octopus at Agua Pela Barba - Lisbon, Portugal 2024
Overall
We've been to Portugal a few times, but this was the first trip we actually spent a bit of time in Lisbon. The central area is easy enough to get around although depending on the elevation, walking may not be the easiest. I definitely recommending doing some sort of tour to learn about the history of the city before and after the earthquake of 1755 as well as the Carnation Revoluion in 1974.
Most everything we ate was excellent, although we were definitely ready for a break from codfish by the end of the trip. Most importantly, Portuguese wine is incredibly cheap, delicious, and most won't give you a hangover due to the lack of added sulfates. Portugal is definitely one of my favorite countries to visit - the food is delicious, the wine is great, and the people are incredibly friendly.
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