A long weekend in Lisbon, Portugal

Lisbon in Portugal is one of my favourite cities in Europe. It’s a very colourful city, from the tiled buildings to the yellow trams, and a very laid back one too.

Top tips to know before you go

• Bring comfortable footwear, not just sandals! Lisbon can be quite a hilly city in parts.
• It is easy to get from the airport to the city centre via train but don’t forget that you’ll need to validate your train ticket before you ride. You can do this using one of the little machines you can find on the platform.
• Although there are hotels there are plenty of unique AirBnBs throughout the city if you’d prefer to go self-catering.

Admire the architecture

Lisbon has some amazing architecture. Many of the buildings have coloured tiles on their exterior or are painted beautiful colours. There’s also the Ponte 25 de Abril bridge to marvel at (which I’ll talk about later) as well as the ornate Santa Justa elevator, which was built in 1902 to improve navigation between the different levels of the city. It’s still open if you want to take a ride.

Speaking of architecture…

Walk the ramparts of São Jorge Castle

The hill on which São Jorge resides has changed hands many times since the original fortifications were built in the 1st century. Its appearance has changed too, from a simple outpost into a huge castle.

Here you can wander round the walls of the castle and explore the ruins of the Royal Palace, and in one of the towers there’s a camera obscura where you can grab a bird’s eye view of Lisbon. There’s also a museum explaining more about Lisbon’s history along with archaeological finds from the area.

It’s 10 Euros to enter, and there are concessions for students and older folks too. The castle is open until 9pm between May and October (6pm the rest of the year), and I’d recommend visiting in the evening so you can watch the sun set over the tiled rooftops of the city.

Cycle or scoot along the promenade to Belém tower

When I visited Lisbon bikes were the transport of choice, however much has changed and e-bikes and scooters are now all the rage. There are plenty of places to hire your vehicle of choice near the waterfront.

It’s a flat route to Belém Tower and it takes around 30 minutes to get there. It’s a great way to get some exercise and enjoy the ocean view!

Take the ferry and go on a sunset walk

If you’re walking along the promenade you can’t miss the huge red bridge that joins Lisbon and Almada. As it’s based (in part) on the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, the Ponte 25 de Abril bridge made me do a double-take the first time I saw it!

If you fancy seeing the bridge in all its glory, near to Belém you can catch the ferry to Porto Brandão. There are a few restaurants near the port itself but other than that there’s not much nearby. If you turn immediately right though you can walk along the seafront. It’s quite an interesting walk – to the left you’re flanked by super interesting ruins of old buildings, and to the right is the sea, where you might even spot a jellyfish or two! 

If you go as far as you can you’ll reach a small restaurant, where you can sit outside, enjoy a glass of wine and watch the sun go down. (The sunsets in Lisbon are fantastic).

Other than that there’s not a whole lot else in walking distance, so I’d recommend just spending an evening here for dinner, or coming over for a post-dinner walk.

Sample excellent cuisine at the Time Out Food Market

If you’re a foodie, or just hungry, the Time Out Food Market has something for every palate (yes, even fussy me). I heartily recommend the tuna steak burger! It’s situated right next to the waterfront, so you can sit outside and enjoy your food with an ocean view. 

Speaking of food…

Taste a delicious Pastel de Nata

Pastel de nata, or custard tarts, are the pastry of Portugal. They’re freshly baked each day and can be eaten hot or cold. There are plenty of bakeries to buy these from. Try one (or six!) – you will not be disappointed. 

(If you’re a Brit and haven’t tried one of these yet, I can tell you that these are infinitely better than egg custard tarts).

Take the train to Cascais

If you fancy a sunbathing or swimming session, Cascais is a forty minute train journey from Lisbon. Cascais is quite a tourist spot, and there are plenty of souvenir shops and gift shops (I got some beautiful scarves) as well as restaurants, and of course, the beach. 

But wait there’s more…

Of course, these are just a few things to do in Lisbon on a long weekend – there is so much more to this vibrant city that it really is worth staying a little longer if you can (especially if you like art). Lisbon is definitely on my list for a return trip!

Looking for more inspiration for other places in Europe to visit? Check out my guide to Utrecht here! Also massive thanks to my brother Mark for some of the images for this post – you can find his insta @markhenderson94