Lisbon in three days

Hello again!

Living in the South of Galicia, I am lucky enough to have lots of places in Portugal just a few hours drive away. In a previous post, I spoke to you about the city of Porto, a beautiful destination that I'd recommend to everyone (you can read about this city here). However, today I want to talk to you about the capital of Portugal: Lisbon.

It is the most visited city in the country and it is known as the city of the 7 hills, because, just like Porto, it is full of inclines. It is also known for its characteristic trams, its delicious custard tarts and for being a good place to eat quality shellfish and seafood.

Even though in my case it is easier to get to than for most, it is also accessible from other places in Spain; whether by car or using low-cost companies such as Ryanair which connect it with other cities.

In my case, I only dedicated three days to seeing the city, and also, I mainly went there to visit my Portuguese friends from Erasmus who live in towns really close-by to Lisbon, therefore we took it calmly. Surely in three days of time you can visit more places in the city than I have seen.

The ideal thing to do is to even dedicate one more day to it since there are other really interesting places, like Sintra or Cascais, which are really close-by to Lisbon.

To get around the city, I recommend using the brilliant yellow trams that take you to practically all of the corners of the city. Particularly the 28 tram, which goes past the most important places in the city centre and you avoid having to go up all of the inclines. With the day ticket, you can get on and off of the trams when you like, therefore you can go around the city with total freedom. It operates from 7 in the morning until 9 pm in the night generally.

Honestly, the historic trams in this city have become a tourist attraction in themselves. Another really useful tram is the number 15, as it takes you to Belem, one of the incredible neighbourhoods in the city.

Baixa

This charming neighbourhood is the perfect place to go for a stroll without worrying about having to go up and down inclines, as it is one of the flattest areas in the city. Also, it is one of the most central areas. From here, you can't miss out on the Rossio Square since it is one of the most important ones in the city, and on visiting its train station.

I also recommend visiting the Marquis of Pombal Square to end up in the famous Commerce Square, which is the perfect place to have a drink and enjoy the atmosphere.

The number 12 tram goes around a big part of Baixa for those who want to take it easy and save on the trek.

Alfama

This neighbourhood, however, is characterised by its stony streets which are really easy to lose yourself down. It is usually said that this is the street where we discover the true essence of the city.

It is found between Saint George Castle and the Tagus riverbank. It is also known for having some of the best restaurants and taverns, where you can enjoy home-made quality food on its streets. Also, the same as in Portugal, since it is the typical thing in the whole country, it is the best place to try the traditional Portuguese Fado (a popular style of music which is known for its nostalgia).

Just above this neighbourhood, you can find the well known Bairro Alto, which is also very steep and known for its nightlife.

Commerce Square

This square is probably the biggest one in Lisbon and also can be found in the centre of the city. Here is where the Royal Palace is located.

It is situated just on the riverbank of the Tagus river, therefore it is the perfect place to enjoy the views of the river and one of the best places from which to watch the sunset over the river.

The street Rua Augusta is the one that leads towards this square, and before arriving there, you go under the Arc de Triumph. It is possible to go up a terrace to the top of this arc from which you can see the whole square, and the statue of Jose I which is situated in the middle.

Santa Justa Lift

This 45-metre high lift connects the Baixa neighbourhood with the Chiado one. Lots of people go up it to see great views of the city, but to be honest, I have been told that it is not one of the best places to get a good panoramic view of the city from. Also, you have to pay twice to be able to go up to the top of this lift. They are around 5, 15 euros in total.

To be honest, even saying that, it is worth going to it to take a look at its architecture; as it is a neo-gothic lift made of cast iron which is quite strange.

In the past, it was used to go from the highest to the lowest point of the city, by people as well as objects. Now, as I said, it has turned into a tourist attraction. In fact, we didn't go on it because the queue to go up was quite long, and we were there in November, so not the most touristy month of the year, you know.

25th April Bridge

You can see this bridge from the Padrão dos Descobrimentos and throughout the walk along the Tagus riverbank, which is the one that this bridge crosses. In reality, you can see it from the whole Belem area, as this bridge is enormous. It is currently considered the biggest suspension bridge in Europe and also it is the oldest bridge in Lisbon.

This bridge boasts a length of almost 2. 5 km and 70 metres height above river level and connects Alcantara, in the east of Lisbon, with the city of Almada. As you can see, it is similar to the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. It was opened in 1996 and at the start, it was called Salazar Bridge.

Currently it has two levels, one upper one and one lower one that they added later. Cars go along the upper one meanwhile the other is saved for trains. Also, one day a year you can cross it on foot when they hold the Lisbon half marathon, although you can also cross it without being a participant.

But without a doubt, the best way to admire this bridge is by going up to one of the viewpoints, which allows you to have a perfect panoramic view of it. We went to the Cristo Rei, situated in the Almada area. You can park the car a few metres away and you don't have to go to the top of this enormous figure to get good views, as just by this monument we already have an incredible panoramic view of this bridge for free. Anyway, for those who want to go up the Cristo Rei, you have to pay 6 euros.

It was one of my favourite views, but you have to bear in mind that by crossing the bridge by car to get to the Cristo Rei, you run the risk of getting stuck in big traffic jams. Here, they are quite common, especially in the summer; as it is here where most of them are as people have to cross the bridge to be able to get to the beach.

Belem

This neighbourhood has three of the most incredible places to see in Lisbon, and they are all very nearby each other: Jeronimos Monastery, the Belém Tower and the Padrão dos Descobrimentos.

I recommend visiting this area on Sunday mornings, since a lot of these visits are free. However, avoid visiting it on Mondays, since it is the day when most of the attractions are closed and you can only see them from the outside.

Jerónimos Monastery

This is one of the most important monuments in the city and has been declared a World Heritage Site by Unesco. When I saw it, I was overwhelmed by its enormous size and how spectacular it looked. It was built in the 16th century and it has the tomb of the Vasco de Gama inside it, an important explorer. Also, inside you can find one of the most important cloisters in the world. We didn't go inside, because it was getting dark and we wanted to make the most of the little bit of light that was left to visit the Belem Tower; which I really believe it is worth visiting the inside of.

To enter, you have to pay 10 euros, (12 if you also want to visit the Belem tower).

In terms of the opening hours: from May till September, it is every day from 10 am to 6. 30 pm, then from October to April, it is from 10 am to 5. 30 pm.

Padrão dos Descobrimentos

This monument was built to commemorate the death of Prince Henry the Navigator. And who was this man? Well, he is one of the oldest Portuguese discoverers since he discovered Azores, Madeira and Cabo Verde, therefore he is a symbol of the city. You can go to the top which is 52 metres high by a lift and observe the Compass Rose.

The opening times are from 10 am to 6 pm from October to February, and from 10 am to 7 pm between March and September.

Belem Tower

Surely if you have ever heard of Lisbon, you will recognise this tower, since it is a symbol of the city. At around a 10 minutes walk from the Padrão dos Descobrimentos, this tower also is a Unesco World Heritage Site. It was built at the start of the 16th century on the Tagus riverbank, with the objective of defending the city from the enemies, and in turn, to welcome the travellers who came back to the city.

To enter, you have to pay 6 euros, but as I said, if you get it as well as the entry to the Padrão dos Descobrimentos, you'll save a few euros. Unfortunately, we got there too late to go inside, but they say that the inside is even prettier.

The opening hours are Tuesday to Sunday from 10 am to 5. 30 pm, although from May to September they extend that till 6. 30 pm.

In addition to all of these monuments, you can't go to Belem without trying their famous custard tarts. And here, in a shop called as it is, Pasteis de Belem, a few metres from the Jerónimos Monastery, is where they sell the best custard tarts in the city. The shop is easy to recognise because it is strange to see a day where there are not big queues to be able to enter the shop to buy some. In fact, we went in November, which isn't a very touristy month, and we still had to wait for a good while to be able to eat one of these delicious pastries. These pastries are a cream dessert covered in sugar and cinnamon. I have to say that I am really not a fan of cream in general, but these pastries still tasted exquisite to me.

Parque das Nações

This area in Lisbon was the one that was remodelled to host the World Exposition in 1998 in Portugal. This is why nowadays, it is the area where the more modern residential and commercial areas of the city can be found. It is nothing like the atmosphere in the historic centre of the city where you can find the Barrio Alto, Alfama, etc, which I talked to you about earlier. The sea motifs stand out from all of the architecture.

Now it is mainly a leisure area, since here there are Lisbon Aquarium (one of the biggest ones in Europe), the Vasco de Gama shopping centre (we took advantage of this by eating there, since they have a really varied offering of restaurants from Asian cuisine to fast food, Italian food, or the most traditional ones). Also, here you can also find the Altice Arena, which is used to host different concerts.

There is also a cable car which lets you enjoy the views of this area and of the river. We went up and we had to pay 4 euros or a 6 euro return.

From here, you can also see the Vasco de Gama bridge which was also built due to the Exposition that took place in 1998, as well as for the aim to, in some way, try to solve the traffic jams that usually occur on the 25 of April Bridge to enter and leave the city. It is no more or less than 17 km long and 150 metres high and its name gives homage to the Vasco de Gama, an important Portuguese explorer.

LX factory

This place is a former industrial area from the 14th century, that with time was left completely abandoned; until a new generation of young artists from the city started to convert it into a creative and multifunctional space.

Basically, it is a cobbled neighbourhood where you can find numerous clothes shops, decorations and culture, as well as a varied gastronomical and leisure offering. Also, here you can find an important book shop that I recommend that you visit. Just strolling around this area is worthwhile, since you can enjoy the street art in all its hidden corners.

It is strange because, in turn, this area also worked as an escape from the economic crisis that affected (and affects) the country; since the rent of all these places that I've mentioned to you was offered at cheaper prices, so that these young people were able to carry out these businesses.

And you will be asking, where can I find this interesting place? Well, it is situated just next to the 25 of April Bridge which I have just spoken to you about, in the neighbourhood of Alcantara.

After going around the whole area, we went to have a drink in a bar called Rio Maravilha and from the terrace, there are incredible views of the 25 of April Bridge.

Monsato viewpoint

Monsanto is a small town where you can find an old building that, from its 758 metres of height, offers incredible views. Although it is true that this building is not especially pretty, it is interesting to go inside and go up to the top to enjoy these views. It is now 10 years since it was found abandoned but we came across quite a lot of people here listening to music, having some beers, and killing time there... meanwhile enjoying the views.

And that is all for now! I hope you liked it. As you can see, Portugal is a country which is definitely worth visiting.

Thanks for reading!

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