Europe’s Queen of the Sea is a feast for the eyes. Here’s where to immerse yourself in its history, culture, and stunning scenery.
Lisbon is a sensory overburden in the best agency . Historic yellow trams sailplaning through the street , squeak as they rise the urban center ’s seven iconic James Jerome Hill . Bakery windows beam with rowing of golden - brown pastel de nata and garment dance in the malarky , hanging from the clotheslines of tiled - dress buildings . busker perform a mix of traditional songs and modern pop tune and neighbourhood festivals clangoring with commotion as revelers celebrate in the streets . Wherever you flex , Europe ’s “ Sunniest Capital City ” magic spell .
Beyond its signature clamor , Lisbon also offer a innkeeper of hidden treasures . It is , after all , one of Europe ’s oldest cities . “ All of us find really dissimilar things , even those living here eternally , ” says Joana Sousa Monteiro , director ofMuseu de Lisboa . “ There are wad of stories to tell and to show masses . ”
To experience the city at its very best , get off the main streets and get lost in its rambling , narrow streets . Take in art and computer architecture go steady back centuries . Go beyond the city center and Alfama to explore less - hail districts where you ’ll fill the Lusitanian phratry who have ply shops there for generations , as well as the expats laying down roots with new offerings .
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Putting aside holidaymaker ’ typical stomping undercoat , Lisbon is also home to myriad more niche attractions like theNational Coach MuseumorMarionette Museum . For LGBTQ+ travelers , they can bludgeon in Bairro Alto , or they can also enjoy amystical home plate - cooked mealwith a drag queen or anLGBTQ+ diachronic walk tourstarting in Príncipe Real and ending in the up - and - coming queer territorial dominion of Graça .
With so many suitable optionsto explore in Lisbon , we ’ve constringe your lean down to a few locals - approved experiences to bask on your next visit to the Queen of the Sea .
Your trip isn’t complete until you…
See : The sunset as you voyage along the Tagus River . Find a touch at the ship ’s bow as you manoeuver towards the Atlantic Ocean . Witness the sky transform with different hues and the sun slowly settle behind cardinal monuments like the 25th April Bridge and Belém Tower , before finally arrange for the day .
speck : Azulejos ( Portuguese tiles ) on construction in Príncipe Real , Santos , and Graça . bet on the construction , you could feel smooth glazed tile , rocky aged ace with cracks or those with various raised texture . You ’ll feel attached to the history of these gorgeous buildings just by touch the ceramics .
Smell : grill pilchard and roasted chestnut . Nothing state summer in Lisbon quite like sardines being grilled at a street fete , but do n’t brook too penny-pinching or the smelling will pose to you . When the weather condition cools , the metropolis center is overtake by the sweet smell of chestnut blackguard .
Lisbon’s famous trams|Matteo Colombo/DigitalVision/Getty Images
Hear : The doleful sounds of fado in unexpected place . Experience the powerful and aroused vocalism of fado performers singing about sorrow , honey and heartbreak in strange places . Real Fadoholds regular outcome in Príncipe Real at a neo - Arab palace and reservoir with stone arches underneath a garden .
gustatory modality : Savor Portugal ’s national dish à brás style atLisboa Tu e Eu . Don’t overlook the national dish bacalhau ( codfish ) , specifically bacalhau à brás , which immix scrambled testicle , rip up salt cod , white potato sticks , onions and other garnishes together .
Things to do for those in search of hidden history
Museu de Lisboa ’s mission is to reveal new sides of Lisbon , which is n’t particularly difficult generate the eternal opportunity the city propose both visitant and local anesthetic , harmonize to Sousa Monteiro . “ Our core business is unnumbered … We are forever discovering something about it that is different from what we thought it was before . ” She describes the city as a serial publication of layers , reveal different full point and stories leave behind behind by the various people who have occur over the 100 as you search it .
Lisbon ’s history extends beyond its well - known monument and museum . Its many shops , banks , and restaurants hold chronicle that all too often go ignored . Some of these story are contained solely in the personal stories told but locals , while others — like theRoman Galleriesunderneath Baixa , open twice a year ( April and September ) for six days — reside beneath the city ’s streets .
While the major attraction secern the broad story , these modest unnoted spots offer a deeper flavour into the daily lives of the Portuguese .
Lisbon’s famous trams|Matteo Colombo/DigitalVision/Getty Images
10 am - Start your Clarence Day atPanificação Reunida de São Roqueaka the “ Cathedral of Bread . ”Drinking coffee and eating baked goods wo n’t ever be the same again after visiting one of the oldest bakehouse in Lisbon . While its entrance is nothing particular compare to the trashy nearby businesses , the inside is an Art Nouveau dreaming with pinkish columns and decorative tile .
12 pm - ExploreBrotériaand relax in its tranquil courtyard . list after a magazine publisher founded by Jesuit scholar over a century ago , Brotéria is an art art gallery , bookstore , workspace , and cafe housed inside a sixteenth 100 palace . Its curved deluxe stairway leads to rooms with creaky floor that showcase ornate ceilings with frescos , leather walls , and fireplaces mixed with present-day prowess and furniture . Its café patio is drape with vines and bar the disturbance of the meddlesome Bairro Alto below .
2 pm - Try your best at shopping in Chiado ’s historic shop . The stores in this retail district have such stunning interiors that it can distract customers from shopping . One example is United Colors of Benetton on Rua Garrett , which retains elements of the former Ramiro Leão section store like its ceiling paintings by João Vaz , Art Nouveau stain glass with nature motifs , and an elevator that ’s said to be the quondam in Europe .
Broteria|Photo by Sofia Beatriz, courtesy of Broteria. Photo by Carmo Oliveira, courtesy of Broteria.
4 pm - See the only love remnants of Lisbon ’s medieval bulwark in amoney museumin a church . formally it ’s the Museu do Dinheiro , but it is housed in the former São Julião Christian church which retains its holy exterior and some midland details . Hidden underneath are the remainder of King Dinis ’ Wall , a chivalric structure built to protect the city . “ Archaeologists call up the wall could be a reality because you have the contract bridge signed by King Dinis about the construction near the river , ” explained Daniela Viela , the museum ’s cultural intermediary . “ The description in the contract said the wall passes here . ” While the facility has multiple identity operator , the Banco de Portugal gives each an opportunity to shine .
6 pm - See the charred interior of Igreja de São Domingos . The deceiving outside direct tourist to seize it ’s like any Portuguese church with gilded altars or floor - to - ceiling tiled walls . alternatively , this Christian church bears the scratch of a 1959 attack with Second Earl Grey and black columns and cracked floor . While the blast encounter six decade ago , it only reopen in 1994 and with a new overleap ceiling .
8 pm - Have dinner party at a restaurant build on a dearest tale . Lisboa Tu e Euis a piece of personal history “ where a 40 - twelvemonth previous love story remains awake , ” according to its menu . It ’s the story of a hope and of Maria do Carmo Vieira ’s commitment to the artwork of welcoming . For Maria , living without her husband is hard , but her diners aid make the metropolis find a little less empty . After feed traditional stunner ( like bacalhau à brás and pica pau ) , visitor become part of the restaurant ’s history by signing any available surface .
Museu do Dinheiro and original remnant of Lisbon’s medieval wall|Photo courtesy of Museu do Dinheiro
Things to do for the viewfinder
With seven Hill , Lisbon has no shortage of heroic prospect to take in . For those stimulate the trek uphill , they ’ll be rewarded with a miradouro ( point of view ) provide backdrops with reddish rooftops , white or pastel - hued edifice , and countless monuments . For Luís Gaivão , a enlistment guide and house physician of Graça , the miradouro outside his flat inspires and prepare him to share the metropolis ’s stunner with his customers .
" you’re able to see the most well - known spots like the Castelo de São Jorge just meter from you … you’re able to also see far aside like the noodle of the Basílica da Estrela , ” he say about his stand . Though the upper viewpoints are stunning , explore the bottom of the James Jerome Hill offers an equally thrilling perspective as monument peer down at you and buildings appear as though they ’re pile on top of each other .
Strolling through neighborhood like Santos , Estrela , and Graça , travelers gain a dissimilar view – one of local life . Look up to see aged people leaning out of their window to babble out with neighbors across the way . Peer across a square to observe older human race playing calling card ( usually for money ) in the other hour . go on through the gate of various parks like Jardim do Torel to find expats and locals amalgamate over a beer , flagellation , or exercise yoga . The more you get out of the city center , the better your chances to catch a glance of the day-to-day lives of Lisbon ’s resident physician .
Igreja de Sao Domingos|EThamPhoto/Corbis/Getty Images
9 am - live a local neighborhood viewing - up . “In the morning you ’ll see shops opening , small fry exit to school , elderly people going to the styler … the great unwashed read ‘ effective morning ! ’ ” says Gaivão about Graça . commence the solar day in the workings - class neighborhood to watch it come awake with regulars having an espresso and pastry dough , and yell “ Bom Defense Intelligence Agency ! ” at passing neighbors . Go towards the Miradouro da Graça and watch Lisbon get to lifespan while identifying the city ’s famed memorial .
11 am - Cozy up with a coffee and a bird’s-eye view atCafé da Garagem . Designed like a warm living elbow room with plant , carpets , vintage lighting , and well-off professorship , the café in Teatro Taborda serves coffee tree , cocktails , sweets and sandwiches with views of the Miradouro da Graça , colorful edifice and wall painting .
1 pm - feel a bird’s-eye roofing tile aspect at Lisbon ’s newest museum . Recently reopened after eight years due to all-embracing renovations , Museu do Design(MUDE ) showcases larger than liveliness mosaics and reconstructive memory of various rooms used by the former National and Overseas Bank . While the 360 - degree scene of the Pombaline structure and Arco da Rua Augusta on the 6th - floor terrace provides a fresh vantage point , do n’t omit a tiled survey in its eating place . The piece by António Cristino is a reinterpretation of the 16th century illumination of Lisbon .
Graca Miraduoro|Jose Sarmento Matos/Bloomberg/Getty Images
5 pm - Hold your clapping ! revel a sunset picnic across the river . On any vindicated day Almada ’s Jardim do Rio is pack with people for what local resident Jenn Quadros describes as “ a magical experience . ” A 10 - minute ferry from Cais do Sodré ( 3 Euro round trip ) take you across the river for a panoramic view of Lisbon . Quadros describes the atmosphere at Jardim do Rio as galvanizing with picnics repose out , a symphony of languages being spoken , hot music and boat sailing by with passengers wave to those ashore . Once the Dominicus descends behind Lisbon , a rung of clapping erupts .
9 promethium - citizenry look on from theGaleria Zé dos Bois(ZDB ) rooftop . While Bairro Alto sleeps during the day , the narrow-minded streets come alive at night with promise of destitute shot and medicine . In the former Pálacio Baronesa de Almedia is a concealed rooftop part of art center ZDB , which promise ideal thought of the bustling street below . Tip : Have some euro on handwriting as there is a cup down payment .
Things to do for the artistic soul
Lisbon exudate art throughout the city – not simply within the walls of its museums . The city has long serve as a white sail create an undefendable - air gallery for all to enjoy . Traditional artwork forms can be spot high and low in the grade of Calçada Portuguesa ( Lusitanian Cobblestone ) or Azulejos on buildings .
In recent years , graffiti , street , and mural creative person have transform dilapidated buildings , stairwells , train , and toilet grates into chef-d’oeuvre . It wo n’t take much fourth dimension in the city before you could identify their work . Bordalo IIcreates animal sculptures made from recycled materials . Anunidentified artistleaves tag throughout the city that simply enquire “ Who The F*ck is Henry ? ” AndKampus ’s smile cell - like character curves and bend dexter into awkward spots across Lisbon . “ It ’s always looking for a space to agree in … perchance it ’s like me trying to notice a little corner to fit in and be felicitous at the same prison term , ” Kampus said of his oeuvre .
With so much inspiration to take in , you might desire to release your inner artist . Luckily there are plenty of chance to create something singular to take home with you – utter about a one - of - a - kind souvenir .
Jardim do Torel|Horacio Villalobos/Corbis News/Getty Images
9 am - Meet the calceteiros ( pavers ) who rick Lisbon ’s sidewalks into galleries . Calçada Portuguesa set up black basalt endocarp and ashen limestone into Mosaic featuring animals , sea motifs , abstract designs , and the stories of Portugal . Observe them by looking at the primer coat or at a viewpoint to see how far reaching and diverse they are . These designs were handcrafted by calceteiros , who have a statue dedicate to them by Rossio Station .
11 am - Get a crash course in Lisbon ’s street art withThe Kickstart Street Art Tour . A local tour guide takes groups through historical neighborhoods to view graphics on the sides of flat buildings , stairways , parking structures , and more . By the end , you ’ll become present with the full treatment and messages of local artists like Vhils and Nomen .
1 pm - Explore abandoned manufactory turn artistry havens . Neglected for years , Marvila has see its former industrial warehouses ferment into cultural hotspots . At the José Domingos Barreiro Factory ( nowMAD ) meet and visit with artist who produce across five story of studio apartment space . Across the street in Abel Pereira da Fonseca ’s former wine cathedral ( now8Marvila ) , people browse shop , gallery , markets and eat at restaurants .
Avenida da Liberdade|Robin Allen Photography/Stockbyte/Getty Images. Westend61/Westend61/Getty Images.
A must - confabulate at 8Marvila is the studio apartment ofLuísa Pereira da Fonseca , Abel ’s ascendent . “ Having a gallery in my great - cracking - grandfather ’s sometime wine factory is realizing that life works in a very magical means , ” she says , mention he ’d be amazed by the manufactory ’s new lifespan . “ To fulfil these 22,000 square meters with life again is a good continuation of his legacy , his exploit and his sense of innovation . ”
5:30 pm - Do n’t grease one’s palms your souvenir , make it yourself atCeramica São Vicente . Your artistic juices should be flowing by now , so good thing you reserve a tile picture class . In each session , painters create their own tiles while learning about its story and techniques . take down : The tile call for three days to fudge , but if you leave town before then , you’re able to still have them shipped .
9 premier - Make friend fence in by art in the ruins of a manufactory . Mīrārīis an arts and culture haven report as a “ unbounded canvas ” where creative person create in whatever form they trust ( wall painting , sculpture , swooning ) . With a food for thought court and bar , games , a dancing floor , DJs on the weekend and workshop . It ’s a nifty alternative to LX Factory down the street as it has smaller crowds , a more intimate setting and more locals .
Marvila Art District|Angel Garcia/Bloomberg/Getty Images
What to know before you go
How to get around
Lisbon is walkable , but its transit internet consists of a underground , ferry , urban train mesh , and aerofoil road ( bus , tram , funicular ) . Trains and ferries have contactless defrayment options , while most Earth’s surface routes only take hard currency . All are mix with the reloadable Navegante Card ( .50 cents at any station ) . Ridesharing apps like Bolt or Uber are other options and give memory access to the iceboat organization .
The currency
Portugal accepts Euros . Most places take recognition cards ( though AMEX is rare ) and digital payment , but carry cash for lowly establishment and flea markets .
International adapters you’ll need
Portugal takes two plug types . Type C ( two circular pins ) and character F ( two round pin with earth clips on the side ) .
Do’s and don’ts when visiting Lisbon
If you take Tram 28 , please be cognizant that it is a local theodolite blood line . While a windowpane seat is perfect for a meter - lapse , if you see someone in motive of a seat , please give yours up . If you decide to walk , bring comfortable footwear with handgrip as the cobblestones are uneven and can get slippy .
Your Lisbon dinner party fact
For 40 days , António de Oliveira Salazar rule the country under a dictatorship , which ended on April 25 , 1974 . While landmarks , like the twenty-fifth April Bridge , removed his name , it is still used as a soubriquet for a flat - faced spatula . This utensil is think to skin bowls clean impart nothing behind , which is similar to what Salazar did to the Portuguese . Despite being a nickname , some stores advertise the intersection as a “ Salazar . ” So , if you ’re in a Lusitanian kitchen and are ask to find “ Salazar , ” front for a spatula , not a someone .
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Tile painting|Photos courtesy of Visit Lisbon
Mirari|Photos courtesy of Mirari
Convento de Sao Pedro de Alcantara|Jeff Greenberg/Universal Images Group/Getty Images
