-- 48 HOURS IN THE CITY AND ONE MINI ADVENTURE --
Hello Lisbon!
Day 1.
Wakeliwake up! The Independent Hostel and Suites where we live overlooks the pretty street Sao Pedro de Alcantara. This art deco place is to be found in the trendy area Bairro Alto, which is known for a vibrant and fun nightlife. Besides the cosy and personally feeling, this hotel also have super friendly staff who is eager to help and give tips on what to do in Lisbon. At The Independent Hostel and Suites you can choose to live in a shared room like a hostel or in a private room, we love that you have the option of them both under the same roof. In the same building and also in the building next to the hotel is two really good restaurants and a bar, very convenient.
But no time to stay in, let`s go explore the city of Lisbon!
This weekend trip to Lisbon will not be much about shopping but more about food, beautiful views and a mini adventure with some surfing.
Happy Travels!
Psst. Print the map and the mini guide to follow the exploration while reading
To stroll around in this city is a absolute must just because it is so cute houses about everywhere, small streets in every corner and omg the tiles of all walls is to die for. It is like art work everywhere you go. When we returned home after this Lisbon weekend and looked trough the camera, tons where with glazed tile houses, maybe half of the memory card, hihi. We walk in the direction to Alfama, the oldest part of the city.
Take a little pause at Medrosa d`Afama. This is a retro little place, serving local charcuterie, cheese and things to drink. Taste a local beer, like 8a Colina. Tastes heavenly!
Then keep going around in the old beautiful part of the city until the stomach screams lunchtime! Lisbon is famous for really good seafood and our choice is Cervejaria Ramiro who is a super popular and traditional seafood restaurant. The ambient is vibrant and genuine. So good food! Do not miss the crab or the Goose Barnacles that taste so much better than they look.
If you are in a shopping mode we have a few tips for you. A vida Portuguesa is a handicraft hardware store with a lot of personality. Outra face da lua is perfect for finding vintage treasures. Foodies should really pop in at Silva & Feijoo and if you like books don't forget to visit one of the smallest bookshops in the world, Livraria do Simao.
We´re in need of something sweet. Lets head to Pasties de Belém in the area of Belém. Another thing that Lisbon is famous for besides the seafood is pastry, oh oh oh so good! Enjoy your pastry with a third famous Lisbon thing, the portwine! Olala
At Pasties de Belém you can also look in to the bakery and see how they do the famous sweets, but the recipe is top secret. The factory has been at this place since 1837 and the top secret recipe was created before the 18th century!
Since we are in the area we can also enjoy the beautiful view over the famous 25 de Abril Bridge. The suspension bridge is often compared with the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco since of the red color. At the foot of the bridge at the oposite side we can see the statue of Jesus Christ that is inspired of the statue in Rio de Janeiro.
Close by in a industry area you will find XL Factory, a mini creative city, right under the bridge. In this building you will find a lot of different galleries, artist studios and some small shops like a great book store. There is also a few restaurants and cafes. Everything here in this creative place has a chill vibe!
Let's take a cable car, wohooo! Head to Museu Do Chiado and watch some modern art. The museum now has a new 1600 m2 wing for its temporary exhibitions. When we visited there was The inaugural show "Narrative of a collection". Portuguese interesting and fresh modern art at its best!
The sun is back and we are a bit thirsty again and want to check out a little tips who we got from our hotel. Duque is a small brewery pub where they also brew the beer in the room behind the bar, and it tastes super duper. The pub has a relaxed feeling which is something we like.
Next stop while the sun is about to go down is the gin bar A Tabacaria, in 1885 people came here to play the lottery. A century later is all about the drinks. Have a drink, take a nibble and listen to some jazz.
Late dinner is served at restaurant Insolito, who is in the next building of our hotel. Here is also the place where the breakfast is served every morning. This cosy, quirky decorated restaurant serves excellent local cuisine. Don’t miss to try the thyme infused smoked duck carpaccio accompanied by a smoke me cocktail which is served as a starter. Everything on the menu looks so good and our tip for main is a roasted venison tenderloin with risotto.
Day 2.
The first mission of this second day in Lisbon is to visit Castello Sao Jorge on the hill of Alfama. This castle is super old and its oldest part date from 6th century. From here you will have a absolute beautiful view of the town. If you fancy some wine already, go to the little mini food truck “Wine with a view” buy a glass and place yourself on a bench and wow, what a view. Imagine the battles from the past and then take a stroll in the garden where also peacocks, ducks and geese strut around.
Also, have a eye out for another cute little food truck called Miss Can that’s sells local goodies like sardines in cans rapped up in cute boxes, they also have a shop in Alfama where you can go for a nibble.
After strolling around in and around the castle let`s find a lunch spot! Now we lied, but often we have googled and googled a lot for good places to eat, we rarely just pop in to a place to eat, but of course that happens too and this is often the best memories when finding new favs. The key when to travel is all about research. Can be a bit boring while doing it but oh so fun enjoying it. But never be afraid of changing your plans spontaneously.
Espumantaria do Petisco is todays lunch place, in a pastel pink building. They serve traditional tapas but in a modern way and also have a lot of sparkling wines to try. The lunch option stake tartar is absolute fabulous and enjoy it with a glass of local green sparkling.
Stroll a bit more and take another little pause on a cute place and square called Miradouro das Portas do Sol. This spot has an excellent view over the sea and the old parts of Lisbon.
Ao Pè Da Sè is a bar and restaurant that is not to far from the view spot, sit on their outside patio and sip an espresso or some more local sparkling goodies or port.
Time for dinner at the magic restaurant A Cevicheria, the name of the restaurant reveal the dishes they serve, cheviche! This is a absolute must on a Lisbon visit. After a great dinner, time for drinks.
Park is a roof top bar on top of a garage, a good spot to see the sun set over this charming city and watch the city transform to a evening city with a lot of buzz. It is a bit tricky to find this bar but don’t give up! Next stop after this is the bar is By The Wine, which really is all about the wine! You can tell just by looking att the interior walking into this place. There is empty bottles all over the ceiling. A fun and interesting way to pimp a bar to make it more personal! This will be our last stop for this day but if you keep going strong we have a few more tips of cozy bars to give you. Pub Lisboeta is a super small pub on the same street as the restaurant A Cevicheria. Majong bar is another cosy one to try!
Day 3.
The sun is up, and we want to take advantage of the summer in Portugal.
Today we are going on a mini adventure outside Lisbon. Rent a car, fill up with gas, put the sunglasses on, pick up a friend, take a cup of java and a sweet thingy at Manteigaria Fabric de Pasties de Nata and then hit the road toward Baleal, a surfers paradise! It only take you about 80 minutes to get here.
Our tip is to also spend a night here at magical Casa das Marés whith a lovely host and a stunning view. The breakfast is also just so tasty.
Did you know that the biggest wave ever surfed was in Portugal ? Well the 25 metres big wave was conquered by the American surfer Garett Mc Namara, so freaking impressive!
Baleal is a small peninsula (or Island as they call it) next to for surfers famous Peniche. You drive over the beach to get our here to a more quiet part of the area. The surf beach and the breaks isn´t further away since this is just at the other side of the beach from Peniche. Perfect combo!
Our best tips on what to bring home from Lisbon
1. Goddies from Miss Can
2. Portwine of course
3. Locally produces tiles from for example SantAnna
4. Things made out of cork
5. Rooster of Barcelos
