Lisbon Bucket List
Lisbon swept me off my feet the moment I stepped off the tram. Cracked tiles everywhere, fado music drifting out of a doorway, and the smell of sardines on the grill leading me down a hill that I hadn't intended to descend. It's romantic even if you're a single traveler. And let's be honest, at prices this low compared to Paris? It's almost unfair.
Why Lisbon belongs on your bucket list
I've been to a lot of capital cities in Europe. Lisbon is the only one that's made me book a return flight to extend my stay. The food scene here has exploded in the past decade or so. Petiscos – that's Portuguese tapas – in hole-in-the-wall bars, three-Michelin-star restaurants serving crazy good things with cod, and pastries that make you eat four custard tarts before noon and feel no remorse whatsoever. Bairro Alto is a street party on weekends. Clubs don't close until dawn. But it's the quiet moments that get me. A glass of vinho verde at a miradouro while the sun sets behind the bridge. Fado in a cramped bar in Alfama with no one speaking a word. Getting lost in streets that have been walked on for centuries and not caring at all.
When to go
March through May and September through October. This is the time to come. It's warm enough to walk for miles, cool enough that you won't spontaneously combust climbing the seventh hill. June is utter chaos in the best possible way – the Santo Antonio Festival is in full swing in Alfama with sardine grills on every corner, parades, dancing... July and August? Hot and crowded, but the sea breeze is always cooling. And Costa da Caparica's beaches are just 30 minutes away if you need a break.
Must-visit places in Lisbon
Pasteis de Belem
The recipe has been a secret since 1837, when the monks at the Jeronimos Monastery just down the road began baking them. Yes, the line is around the block. No, you won't care because the line moves quickly. Get at least two (who am I kidding? You're getting four) and dust them with cinnamon and powdered sugar before devouring them while they're still warm. Every pastel de nata you've ever had before this one has been a lie. Start your visit here.
Alfama & Miradouro Santa Luzia
The earthquake that destroyed most of Lisbon in 1755 missed Alfama. Not that the city needed to be flattened. Alfama has kept its medieval character: winding alleys, cracked tile buildings, courtyards that you stumble upon by accident. Fado music was born in this neighborhood, and on a quiet evening, you might still hear the melancholy strains drifting out of an open doorway. If you need a view, go to Miradouro Santa Luzia for the classic view of the rooftops and the river. Seriously, though? Don't even bother with the map in Alfama.
Jeronimos Monastery
A hundred years to build. You can see that. Every single column, doorway, or arch is carved with an intensity that borders on obsessive. Ropes, shells, coral – all in stone, all celebrating Portugal's Age of Discovery. The cloisters are the main event: two stories of carved white limestone that seem to glow with the golden light of the late afternoon. Buy your tickets online or you'll wait an hour in line.
Tram 28
Tiny. Yellow. Goes through the streets so narrow you can literally touch each building on both sides. Reaches Baixa, Alfama, and Graca. Visits most of the major viewpoint spots along the way. Yes, it's touristy. Yes, it's actually a working public transportation route too. Take it before 9 am or after 10 pm if you want to see it like locals do it. Stand by the back and lean out of the open window and hold on for dear life when it takes the sharp turns.
Bairro Alto
In the daytime, it's quiet and peaceful with independent stores and faded former glory. At night (Thursday to Saturday), it's absolute madness. Every street wall-to-wall with people and their drinks and coming out of bars no bigger than a broom closet. No cover charges. Shots of ginjinha (sour cherry liqueur) for next to nothing. The egalitarianism of it all is kind of the point. Don't bother arriving until 11 pm; the party starts after midnight and goes until the sun comes up.
Time Out Market
It's like Lisbon's best food court, but with the best of everything and under one roof at the Mercado da Ribeira. The traditional old-school market happens in the morning; Time Out Market takes over for lunch and dinner. The seafood dishes by Henrique Sa Pessoa are phenomenal. The prego (steak sandwich) from O Velho Eurico is incredibly good. The seating areas are communal-style, which means you'll make friends whether you want to or not. Great for solo travelers too.
Belem Tower
This was the last piece of Portugal explorers saw before setting sail off into the unknown. The stone carving is insane – rhino heads and rope and the cross of the Order of Christ. Go to the top for the views of the river. Combine it with Jeronimos Monastery and Pasteis de Belem for a perfect half-day visit to the Belem district.
A Tasca do Chico
Cramped. Standing room only. No reservations. Get there before 9 p.m. or don't bother. When the singer begins, the room is dead quiet. I mean twenty strangers, no noise at all. Fado is the music of saudade, longing for something unidentifiable. You won't understand the word until you've heard it performed in a room this small, with tears forming in the eyes of the stranger sitting next to you.
Principe Real
In the heart of the neighborhood, there is a massive cedar tree in the garden. It stretches out like a canopy over everything. The streets are lined with the best independent boutiques, organic markets on Saturdays, and wine bars where no one is in a hurry. Embaixada is a concept store in a Moorish palace. Portuguese designers, tastefully presented. It all feels very relaxed, very moneyed, but not at all snobbish. It feels like grown-up Lisbon.
Cervejaria Ramiro
Serves since 1956. Tiger prawns are absurd. Percebes, or goose barnacles, are unlike anything you've ever had. Garlic clams make you close your eyes. And then, the trick is, you finish with a steak sandwich, or Prego. Seafood, meat, it makes sense. It's Portuguese, it makes sense. No reservations. Hour-long lines on weekends. Get there at 6 p.m. on a Tuesday, walk right in.
LX Factory
Old textile factory under the 25 de Abril bridge, now restaurants, design shops, bookstores, and multiple layers of street art. The bookstore Ler Devagar has a bicycle hanging from the ceiling in a huge industrial space, and it is genuinely one of the most beautiful bookstores I have ever walked into. Sunday brunch is a big deal here. And the view from the roof at sunset with the bridge and the river? You won't even think about putting your phone away.
Lisbon insider tips
- Hills: Lisbon will destroy your calf muscles. Wear shoes with good grip as the cobblestone calcada roads are slippery with rain. The lifts and funiculars, such as the Elevador da Bica, are for real public transport use, not just tourists.
- Ginjinha: One euro. Sour cherry liqueur. Tiny bar near Rossio Square. If you want the cherries in the glass, say "com elas." If not, say "sem elas." Do it at least once. You will end up doing it many more times.
- Seafood: Cheap and amazing. If the restaurant is full of Portuguese families on a Sunday, the fish is fresh. That is the only rule you need. Grilled sardines in June are basically a religion here.
- Lisboa Card: For public transport, including trains to Sintra and Belem. Also includes museum and monument admission. The 24 or 48-hour version will pay for itself in no time.
- Sintra day trip: 40 minutes away by train. Go early. The line for the Pena Palace is brutal after 10 a.m. The Moorish castle and the Quinta da Regaleira are just as amazing with shorter lines.
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