Lisbon, Portugal: A 4-day Itinerary
That Time We Had a Third Wheel on Our Anniversary Trip
Yup, that’s right, my brother tagged along on our first year anniversary trip to Lisbon! Mind you, he’s still convinced we couple-wheeled him on his solo trip to Europe!
If you know us, you’ll know that most of our trips are pretty last minute, and this one was no different. With a little bit of quick research, we found that the best areas to stay in Lisbon would either be in Baixa or Chiado, and so we found a great Airbnb to the edge of Baixa, near the Martin Moniz metro station, a walkable distance to many of the central highlights.
Before heading to Lisbon we picked up a guidebook and briefly planned what we wanted to do over the next few days of our city break in late December. Unfortunately our trip was slightly interrupted by one of us (take your guess who) getting a bug, so based on what we did and what we missed, we’ve outlined what we think would be an ideal 4-day trip to Lisbon.
Tip: Don’t rule out going in the winter. It's off-peak season so the crowds are fewer, and although it was cold, there were clear skies and sun everyday!
You’ll notice that our blog only has a few food recommendations, and that’s because we didn’t find that many great places to eat aside from the ones mentioned. Overall, we found the food to be pretty salty and the city had few halal options.
Day 1: Baixa neighbourhood
Start your day by heading to Lisbon Cathedral. It dates back to the 12th century, is Romanesque in style and has been renovated and rebuilt many times across centuries, leaving a cathedral that fills you with awe.
Cathedral: 7am - 7pm (Opening hours)
Cloister: 10am - 5pm (Oct - Apr and Sundays up to 2pm only). 10am - 7pm May - Sep
Treasury: 10am to 5pm. Closed on Sunday
Entrance to the cathedral is free, but the cloister and treasury is €2.50 each
Next, explore the neighbourhood of Baixa. The area is known for being the heart of Lisbon and it’s full of bustling streets. You’ll find great lunch spots in the various cute cafes. Notable areas to walk through are Avenida da Liberdade, Restauradores Square and Rossio Square.
Visit Praça do Comércio just before sunset so you catch sight of the brightly coloured yellow buildings surrounding the statue of Dom Jose I. This plaza is the location of where the Paços da Ribeira palace used to sit before an earthquake hit in 1755. It also sits along Tagus river so you can walk along the pier.
Praça do Comércio
Day 2: Belem neighbourhood
Buy the 24hour unlimited public transport ticket (€6.40) from any metro station and hop on tram 15E from Praça da Figueira to go west towards Belem (the journey should take 35 minutes). Get off at the Mosteiro dos Jerónimos.
First head towards Jerónimos Monastery (a UNESCO world heritage site). This was a former monastery near the Tagus River and close to Belem Tower. It was designed in a Manueline style by Portuguese architect Diogo de Boitaca and completed in1600s.
10am - 5:30pm Oct to Apr. 10am to 6:30pm May to Sep. Closed on Mondays
The Church has a free entrance and the Cloister charges €10 for adults
Note: it’s worth buying the Cloister ticket, the archways are extremely instagrammable. And don’t forget to go up to the gallery in the Church to see the six intricately detailed columns from a different angle.
Next, head over to Pastéis de Belém for the most delicious Pastéis de Nata in Lisbon. It’s only a 3 minute walk away and not worth missing!
The final must-see place to visit in this area is the Belem Tower, and it’s only a 15 minute walk from the bakery.
This is also a UNESCO world heritage site, designed by sculptor Francisco de Arruda also in the Manueline style and completed in 1520. The lighthouse, originally built to defend the city, has 5 floors and the climb leads to the roof terrace where you can get some great views.
10am to 5:30pm Oct to Apr. 10am to 6.30pm May to Sep. Closed on Mondays
€6 for adults
Note: the staircase up is super narrow!
As you head back into Baixa via the 15E tram, get off the tram a little early at Cais do Sodré and go to the Time Out Market for a late lunch. The huge indoor market has a variety of cuisines and is always bustling with life.
If you still have the energy, you can spend the evening exploring some of the Baixa and Chiado areas you may have missed on day one or, head back on the tram.
Day 3: Day trip to Sintra (a UNESCO world heritage site)
Take the train from Lisboa Rossio to Sintra (€4.50 return trip) which is about 40 minutes northwest from Lisbon. Trains run pretty regularly to Sintra station especially during the summer.
From Sintra station, purchase the hop-on hop-off ticket (€6.50) for the 434 bus - this is a one way loop bus around Sintra and will allow you to get on and off at each site (but you can only ride the loop once).
The first stop is the historic centre of Sintra - grab a to-go lunch here for later and walk 15 minutes to Quinta de Regaleria (bus 434 doesn’t go here. 435 does, but this requires a separate ticket)
9.30am - 7pm Apr - Sep and to 5pm Oct-Mar
€6 for adults
Note: We didn’t make it to this site but it is worth going here - it’s a private estate designed in a gothic style and the Initiation Well and grottos are not to miss!
After the first site, walk back to the town and get back on the 434 bus to Castelo dos Mouros. This is a castle ruin built by the Moors in the 9th century. As it sits on a hill above the town of Sintra you get incredible views and is definitely worth climbing all the steps and meandering across what is said to be similar looking to the Great Wall of China.
9:30am - 8pm
€8 for adults
Takes about 1.5 hours to look around
Before getting back on the 434 bus to go to Palácio da Pena, take a break and have your lunch here on the hill.
Note: you could also walk to Palácio da Pena (it’s about 15 - 20 minutes).
This brightly coloured red and yellow mix of a Moorish and Manueline style palace was commissioned to Prussian architect Ludwig von Eschwege in 1840.
10am - 6pm
Parque ticket is €7.50 (park and outside terraces of the palace)
Parque and Palacio ticket is €14.50
Spend 2 - 3 hours here
Head back to the station via the 434 bus and get the next train back to Lisbon for dinner.
Note: If you have time, it would be worth getting the Parque and Palacio ticket as the interiors are supposed to be beautiful. But saying that, we only got the Parque ticket and have no regrets - both the grounds and the architecture are stunning to explore for a couple of hours.
We’d also recommend staying until sunset, it’s incredible seeing the hues of the building change with the sun. There are more palaces in Sintra too, but these were the ones at the top of our list (and enough to last you a day).
Day 4: Alfama neighbourhood
We’d suggest getting the E28 Tram (the classic yellow tram) from Martin Moniz up to São Tomé (€3) and walk the last few minutes to the entrance of São Jorge Castle.
Note: be sure to take in all the streets as you’re on the rickety tram!
The castle sits at the foot of Alfama at the top of São Jorge Hill and construction of the fortress began in the fifth century. With various additions in different eras, it was finally completed in 1938. Currently Phoenician, Greek and Carthaginia ruins are being uncovered and you can spend a couple of hours exploring the castle’s 11 towers and museum.
9am - 6pm Nov to Feb. 9am - 9pm Mar to Oct
€10 for adults
After the castle, make your way down through Alfama, known as the colourful fishing suburb of Lisbon. It’s a place where you can explore all the winding streets on foot and enjoy lunch in the town where Fado (traditional Portuguese music) was founded and if you’re really interested, you can also visit the Fado Museum.
Before leaving Lisbon, you can’t miss seeing Convento da Orden do Carmo in Chiado (walkable from the bottom of Alfama). It’s known as the ‘roofless’ church following the 1755 earthquake. Only some parts have been restored, but for the most part, its an open air series of vault structures.
10am - 6pm Oct to Apr. 10am - 7pm May to Sep. Closed on Sundays
€5 for adults