Shapin Up | Visit Portugal, Lisbon Travel Guide for a Long Weekend

Nestled right next to Spain is beautiful Portugal, a must on our expat travel list. While quite easy for us from Barcelona, Portugal has also become a popular European destination for Americans since it’s relatively close. So if you’re looking for a European getaway, long or short, consider Portugal.

Our friends met up with us for a weekend in Lisbon while on their way to Israel. One of the hard parts of life as an expat is being so far from friends and family. This was a very welcomed weekend to explore a new city with old friends.

Lisbon Travel Guide

Lisbon, the San Francisco of Europe

What struck me most about Lisbon is that it is very similar to San Francisco! Like SF, Lisbon is extremely hilly. The huge hills we walked up and down rival those of SF. Lisbon also has a twin to The Golden Gate Bridge, named 25 de Abril. While similar in color to the GG, if you look closely, it actually resembles the design of The Bay Bridge. The same company constructed both bridges and they are so similar because both are located in regions of high seismic activity.

And lastly, they are both areas of microclimates (wear layers!). While you might have a very sunny day in Lisbon, if you travel outside the city the weather tends to drastically change, especially if you head to Sintra (more on that below).

Now that I’ve gotten these comparisons out of the way, let’s talk through my Lisbon Travel Guide.

Where To Stay:

We had a tiny bit of drama with our arrangements, but in the end it worked out for the best. Long story short, the Airbnb we rented smelled of paint fumes and it was impossible to breathe, I got a headache after 2 minutes inside. And the owner didn’t speak a word of English. Fun! Thankfully Airbnb’s customer service is top notch and we ended up at a hotel instead.

We stayed at the LX Boutique Hotel and we loved it. The front desk is very helpful, the rooms were a nice size and had a modern design. The location is ideal for walking to many sights on our list. And lastly, the hotel offers a welcome drink and snack and at 2pm everyday the hotel offers complimentary Port and pastries. I love little touches like that. We had a great experience and I highly recommend it.

Where & What To Eat / Where to Drink:

Time Out Market: My number one recommendation of where to eat is at the Time Out Market. It’s a giant food hall with 40+ stands from the city’s most popular restaurants. You could eat every meal on your trip here and be satisfied. Obviously it’s good to get out and try other places, but this is a good standby!

We had two meals at the market (both delicious) and picked up a couple of bottles of wine at the market wine shop.

Pasteis de Belem: A classic Lisbon dessert, Pasteis de Nata are small cream cakes (phyllo dough filled with custard). These are available at many bakeries in Lisbon but go for the real thing and visit Pasteis de Belem, the birth place of this pastry. We had these pastries at a few different places (for research purposes, of course), and the ones at Pasties de Belem are truly the only ones worth indulging in. Make sure to top them with the provided powdered sugar and cinnamon.

PARK Rooftop Bar: My cousins recommended this hidden gem and without their recommendation, there is absolutely no way I would have stumbled upon it. PARK bar is at the top of a parking garage! As far as I could tell, there weren’t any signs indicating it existed unless you knew to go to the top of the parking garage staircase. Once there, it’s an awesome spot with perfect sunset views and an extensive cocktail list.

Pharmacy Museum: An odd recommendation, right? Well, I didn’t actually go into the museum (whatever it is), but we did sit out on the lawn for drinks. This is another great spot to watch the sunset. It overlooks the water and just beyond the gates of the museum lawn is a hill that fills with hundreds of people toting bottles of wine and beer as the sun prepares to set. It’s a real scene.

Getlato at Santini: My first gelato of our European living experience! I got the coconut at Santini’s and it did not disappoint.

And now one thing NOT to eat (IMHO). Every menu featured cod (or bacalhau) and I believed it to be traditional Portugese staple. It is a staple, but it’s imported! If you love cod, by all means order it. I ordered it because I thought it was fresh and local and something I should be having while in Portugal, but nope, it wasn’t. I wasn’t a fan, so don’t feel like you have to go out of your way to eat like the locals in this case.

Lunchtime crowds at Time Out Market Lisboa

The Real Deal Pasteis de Belem

Sunset views from PARK Bar

Pharmacy Museum lawn

What To Do

Hike the Hills of Lisbon: All the hills make for a nice little urban hike while exploring. There are tons of beautiful overlooks to explore and sunset spots. Also take note of all the unique tiling along the buildings.

Day Trip to Sintra: We opted for a full day tour with this company (it was great). Sintra is about 20 minutes away from downtown Lisbon. It’s full of palaces; we did a walking tour of the gardens of just one. Our guide told us that if you go for the indoor tour, it takes about 2 hours. We opted out of this (blaming it on the two young children we were traveling with, but actually this didn’t seem that fun to me either).

Visit the Western Most Point of Europe: If you love a scenic overlook as much as me, make a quick stop at Cabo da Roca. The cliffs and crashing waves are reminiscent of Big Sur. We did this as part of our day trip to Sintra. It’s a bit out of your way and just a quick look, snap a picture and leave kind of stop, but I still think it’s worth it.

Spend a Few Hours in Belem: Hop on the train and in 15 minutes you’ll be in Belem (the train was super crowded so if you prefer, take a cab). Here you’ll have the grand Monastery to see, you can walk along the water, and grab a few of those Pasties de Belem I mentioned above.