We arrived in Lisbon late into the evening so we took a taxi from the airport to the city and checked into PortoBay Marques, our hotel for the weekend.
The next day after breakfast we took a walk down Avenue da Liberdade, a lovely tree lined boulevard which is said to be one of Europe’s most expensive shopping streets. We wandered south through various Praça’s (squares) eventually reaching Praça do Comércio, Lisbon’s largest square and perhaps most grandest but we happened to be there the day a movie was being filmed so much of the square was off limits. Instead we dipped our toes in the River Tagus which soon turns into the Atlantic Ocean.
From here we headed steeply uphill to one of Lisbon’s landmarks, Elevador de Santa Justa. The queues were pretty big to travel in the lift, but there’s a great viewpoint on the top, so we walked up the hill, climbed the spiral stairs and took in the lovely views and terracotta tones of the city from above. We then meandered down the narrow cobbled streets of Bairro Alto and stopped off to enjoy several ice cold beers in the idyllic lawn garden of Pharmacia, which actually adjoins the Museum of Pharmacy and is quirkily themed as a pharmacy with old cabinets and medicinal equipment.
Since our hotel had a roof top pool, we spent the rest of the afternoon soaking up the rays and of course enjoying more drinks from the honesty bar, brave choice. That night we headed to the famous Time Out market and tucked into some juicy steak sandwiches & giant sized espresso martinis. It’s a really cool place with lots of varied food options and a great atmosphere. We then went back to Bairro Alto for drinks at Park bar which sits on top of a car park(!) and finally swung by Pink Street, Lisbon’s former Red Light District but now a go to place for nightlife and a bold pink painted road.
The next day we took a train out to Belem and bought some of the famous custards tarts from Pasteis de Belem. There wasn’t a lot to see here to be honest and there seemed to be more tourists than in the city but we had a nice walk along the estuary to Belem Tower and then got the train back towards Lisbon.
Around half way between Belem and Lisbon is a cool spot called LX Factory. This former factory building is now a hipster paradise teeming with trendy independent boutiques, cafes, bars and lots of colourful graffiti. It’s a great place to hang and we had lunch at a Mexican joint before grabbing two pina coladas for the road!
We planned to head up to the castle using one of the famous yellow trams. We’d seen these scaling the slopes around the city but had been recommended to get tram 28 from one of the first stops on the line to ensure a good seat. The walk from LX factory up to the tram stop looked straightforward on google but after leaving the main road the area became very sketchy as we passed by a burnt out car, lots of piled up rubbish and plenty of shady characters. We quickened the pace and after reaching the stop unscathed we were disappointed to find out the trams weren’t running because of the movie filming we’d seen the day before, so we jumped on the bus instead.
We eventually reached Castelo de São Jorge, an impressive castle built above the city and randomly home to lots of Peacocks! After spending an hour or so walking the grounds, we needed a pit stop so found a kiosk bar in the Alfama neighbourhood overlooking the city and enjoyed a few well earned beers whilst the sun set in front of us. For our final evening we had a table booked at Bairro De Avillez, a popular venue run by a famous Portuguese chef which offers several dining options including a wine bar/deli, seafood restaurant and a cabaret dining club. The food, atmosphere and building were absolutely stunning and it was probably one of the best meals we’d ever had! Before heading home, we stopped off at Mascote da Atalaia, a local Fado institution, and saw some amazing live traditional music.
Our flight back home was early in the afternoon so the last few hours were mainly spent by our pool however we did manage to sneak a tasty pizza in at nearby Forno d’Oro. A great weekend exploring with lots of good food & drink! Lisbon, you were a lot of fun!
If you like Piña Coladas... 