Seeking sun, cute streets and just generally a break from the UK in January, Lewis and I headed to Lisbon for a long weekend.
Having already visited the Portuguese capital at the height of summer six years ago with my mum and sister, I was excited to rediscover the city with Lewis who had never been. We landed on Saturday afternoon to not a cloud in the sky – that feeling when you step off the plane, hit by warm sun rays is almost indescribable. Unfortunately, that glorious weather didn’t last for the whole time we were there but at least it was clement enough to walk around the city whilst soaking up the colourful architecture and tiled buildings, taking photos and sampling lots of pastéis de nata along the way.
We stayed in a lovely Airbnb overlooking a quaint square in Lisbon’s old town, Alfama. Characterised by narrow, winding streets, steep staircases and orange trees, Alfama is simply charming and it was the perfect location from which the explore Lisbon. The city is really walkable and that’s essentially what we did for three days, racking up over 20k steps a day. Each.
Some particular highlights were walking up to Miradouro de Nossa Senhora do Monte for the best view of the city. Situated at the highest point, it is a romantic spot to hang out and watch the sun go down behind the rooftops and river beyond. We loved giving our feet a momentary rest and riding the 28 tram from Martim Moniz to Estrela Park and then slowly retracing our steps on foot. It is a very touristy thing to do but experiencing the rattling tram car navigate the narrow streets of Alfama and feeling like you’re on a rollercoaster when it lets loose on a steep hill makes it definitely worth doing. And it’s a great way of getting your bearings of the city.
Let’s talk food. Lisbon – or more generally Portuguese food – is not great for vegetarians so we opted for failsafe cuisines like Italian and Mexican. Valdo Gatti is a bio pizzeria in the Barrio Alto quarter that we stumbled upon on our first night and it was solid. The pizza was delicious, the prices were good and the service was quick. Always creatures of habit, we also returned to Valdo Gatti for lunch on our last day. On our second (and last) night, we really didn’t know what we fancied but after a quick Google, Lewis suggested a tacos place called Pistola y Corazon. Arriving to a queue out the door – yes, even on a Sunday night – we knew it would be good. We sat at the bar to avoid the wait and it made the whole experience much more personal and cosy. Again, the food was delicious, the prices were good and the service was quick. Plus, you get served endless bowls of handmade tortilla chips.
Following our Mexican meal, we headed to a cute bar I remembered going to with my mum and sister all those years ago. Café da Garagem is situated on the side of the hill and has stunning views over the city. Open until midnight every day, it is a really tranquil place where students can be found working during the day and locals hang out in the evening. We finished the night with a glass of red wine and a gooey chocolate cake and it was heaven.
This mini Lisbon guide would not be complete without an even mini-er guide to the city’s pastéis de nata. We tried three different pastelerias, each with different selling points. Pastéis de Belém is worth the hype – and the quick bus or train ride out there. The custard is very creamy, more egg-like than the others we tried and the pastry is extra crunchy. My sister had recommended Manteigaria, which has a few dotted around the city. These were out least favourite purely because they had a slight cinnamon taste to them. Our favourite pastéis de nata were from Pastry San Antonio, which we had on our first and last day. Perfectly creamy with a crunchy bottom, I could eat them for days on end.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this little Lisbon city guide. We didn’t find there was a lot “to do” there as such but it’s such a beautiful and relaxed city to walk around in. X
Photos taken on Olympus Mju ii.