Things to do in Lisbon

In January I went on a solo trip to Lisbon for 4 days. I had never been to Lisbon before and didn’t really had expectations for this city. But I can tell that Lisbon didn’t disappoint. What a beautiful city! I have some tips on what you should absolutely see here. So if you are going on a trip to Lisbon or are just curious you should definitely keep reading on further.

Praça do Comércio

Lisbon has a lot of squares, Praça do Comércio is one of the biggest and famous. before you enter the square you can see the beautiful Arco da Rua Augusta. It is definitely worth checking out.

Santa Luzia view point

Miradouro de Santa Luzia is a viewpoint in the neighborhood Alfama, it has a beautiful view of Lisbon and it is free of charge. don’t forget to look around because here you can also find beautiful colored buildings.

Adress: Largo Santa Luzia, 1100 – 487

Castelo de São Jorge

This castle is also located in the Alfama district, walking around here you have constantly amazing views of Lisbon. On the way to the castle you already have amazing views of Lisbon, but it is nothing compared with what you’ll see at the castle.

Tickets:

13 – 25 years: €5,-
senior, 65 + €8,50
Children under 12 and Lisbon residents: free
+ €2,50 for a guided tour

Opening hours:

Open 7 days a week: March / October from 09:00 to 21:00. November / February from 09:00 to 19:00.

Note: There are guided tours available in Portuguese, English and Spanish.

More information for the opening times you can find on the website of the castle.

Check Getyourguide for tickets to the castle with an audio guide.

By Nunes

By Nunes is a store where you can buy Azulejo, there are 7 shops in Lisbon. It is a family business for over 40 years and everything is handmade by them. You can find really cute things here, and it is a perfect souvenir or gift!

Miradouro das portas do sol view point

This view point is also in the district Alfama, it is really close to the Santa Luzia view point. It is in the same street, just a little bit higher. The two viewpoints and the castle are really close to each other. Perfect to combine these for one day in the Alfama district.

Adress: Largo Portas Do Sol, 1100 – 411

Alfama District

Alfama is the most known district in Lisbon, It is where you can find the castle and two of the viewpoints, the cathedral and lots of cute small streets with beautiful colored houses. Basically you can find and do a lot in this neighborhood. Keep in mind that Lisbon is build on hills, so for wandering around you will walk up and down the hills. But it is definitely worth the exercise 🙂

Tram 28

Of course when you are in Lisbon you need to spot the famous tram 28. I think you will spot it anyway at some point because the tram drives a lot through the city centre.

Museu Nacional Do Azulejo

The National tile museum is located in the Penha França district, it is a little bit outside the city center. You could walk to the museum, it is a 40 min. walk. But if that is too far for you, then you have also the option to take the bus. The direct lines 759 and 794 will take you there within 20 minutes. You can get on the bus at Rossio square. Of course you can also take the uber or taxi to the museum if you prefer.

Tickets:

Standard ticket: €5,-
Sundays, holidays until 14:00 pm are free
For children under 12 year are free

Opening hours:

Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 – 13:00 and 14:00 to 18:00
On Mondays closed

For more information check the website of The National Tile Museum.

Check Getyourguide for tickets to the museum.

Livraria Bertrand

Livraria Bertrand is the oldest bookstore in the world, and you can find this in the city center of Lisbon!

Opening hours: Everyday from 09:00 to 22:00.

Elevador de Santa Justa

The Santa Justa elevator is another famous sight in Lisbon, unfortunately I decided to check this out just before I had to catch my flight back home. And even in January there was a long line to enter this. So I couldn’t go inside. But if you can I would definitely check this out, at the top you should have amazing views of Lisbon.

Raul Mesnjer de Ponsard designed the elevator. The building began in 1900, the elevator opened in 1902. It is a 45 meter high elevator that connects the Santa Justa street with the Carme Square. The elevator is open everyday from 07:00 to 22:45.

Adress: R. Do. Ouro, 1150 – 060

Daytrip to Sintra

Sintra is village close to Lisbon and has a lot of sights to see. If you are going to Sintra I recommend to go a whole day to Sintra because there is a lot to see. I didn’t now at the time, and because I was only 4 days in Lisbon I already had a lot planned to see in Lisbon. So I went for half a day, but that is definitely not enough to see everything in Sintra because of that I only saw the Palace. The palace is really pretty, and not something to miss when you are in Sintra.

How to get there:

At the Rossio station you can buy tickets here at the ticket machine or at the service desk. Because I didn’t know how long I wanted to be in Sintra, I bought a one way ticket, this was €2,80.

Note: At the station in Sintra, when I wanted to buy a ticket back, the ticket machine had a malfunction. Because of this I couldn’t pay with card or with bills. Luckily I brought change. With this I could pay for a ticket. At the station of Sintra is no staff that can help you out (at least at the moment that I was there). So to avoid having the same problem, I would bring some change 🙂 The train journey takes about 40 minutes.

When you arrive at the station, on the right side you can find the bus stop for 2 hop on hop off busses, line 434 and 435. A combination ticket for all day costs 11,-. A single ticket for line 434 costs €6,90 and for line 435 costs €5,-.

Bus 434 stops:

Sintra station
Sintra city center
Castelo Dos Mouros
Palàcio nacional da Pena

Bus 435 stops:

Sintra station
Sintra city center
Quinta da Regaleira
Tivoli Palàcio de seteais
Palàcio de Monserrate

In the bus you’ll get a map with all the information about the sights and the bus lines.

Palàcio Nacional da Pena

This is the only thing that I could see in Sintra, going to Sintra and back to Lisbon with visiting the palace took me almost the whole day. And I planned other things in Lisbon, because I was only there for 4 days. The Palace is pretty big, so assume that you will be there for quite some time.

If you will be there for a whole day you can definitely plan to see some more sights in Sintra, probably around 3 sights because each is pretty big. I do recommend to stay for 2/3 days in Sintra, if you are staying longer as me in Lisbon. Then you’ll have enough time to see everything without rushing through every sight.

There are different prices and times for the palaces and gardens. More information you can find on the website.

Get tickets here for Sintra.

Other things to see

I didn’t had the change to see everything that I wanted in Lisbon within 4 days. If you have the time to see other sights in Lisbon and surrounding, I have some tips:

Coimbra is a city close to Lisbon, it is doable with the train. Coimbra is Known for the oldest student / university city in Portugal. Definitely worth traveling for!
The cathedral of Lisbon (The entrance is free).
Convento do Carmo. You can find this at the top of the Elevador de Santa Justa. It is a former monastery, right now it is a museum.

Where I stayed ~ Rossio Boutique Hotel

Rossio Boutique Hotel is a really nice hotel located in the city center close to the Rossio Square and the Rossio station. It is a 4 star hotel, with really nice rooms and friendly staff. I stayed here for 4 days and had a great time.

https://www.rossioboutiquehotel.com/

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