Lisbon the capital city of Portugal know for its sunshine and great food scene. Only a short flight from London it was a great place to spend the weekend and explore what Portugal has to offer. There is something for everyone in Lisbon with its beautiful beaches, amazing food and its creative scene you will be sure to have a weekend jam packed with sunshine galore.
If you’re looking for a coastal stay instead make sure to check out Our Guide to Ericeira!
Contents:
How to get to Lisbon?
Lisbon is a short flight time from London of around 2 hours and 45 minutes, flights depart from most airports in London with most airlines. Once you arrive in Lisbon the airport is located only 15 minutes from the town, we chose to use Uber as it is the fastest way from the airport into the city centre and very reasonably priced.
The airport is also connected with the metro into central Lisbon as well as the Aerobus. If you would prefer the convenience of having your transfer arranged before leaving then you can book a private transfer through Viator here.
Best Things to do in Lisbon:
Explore LX Factory
LX Factory is a trendy district located in a former industrial complex. It’s filled with art galleries, boutiques, cafes, and restaurants, making it a great place to spend an afternoon.
Take a Day Trip to Sintra
Take a short train ride to Sintra, a picturesque town known for its fairy-tale-like palaces and gardens. Don’t miss the colorful Pena Palace and the Moorish Castle. We would recommend that you take a Sintra Full-Day Private Tour as we tried to head to Sintra on our own and were disappointed, keep reading to find out why.
Enjoy the View from Miradouro da Senhora do Monte
For panoramic views of the city, head to Miradouro da Senhora do Monte. It’s a less crowded viewpoint where you can relax and take in the beauty of Lisbon. There were lots of people up here enjoying lunch and having a picnic while enjoying the views.
Eat your way through Lisbons Culinary Delights
While in Lisbon be sure to enjoy the delicious Pastel de Natas, our personal favourites were from… If you love seafood you can indulge in the diverse offerings of seafood restaurants, and consider trying Bacalhau, a delicious salted codfish dish that is a must try Portuguese cuisine. For a full culinary experience make your way to Mercado da Ribeira, also known as Time Out Market. Here, you can sample some of the city’s finest food all conveniently gathered in one location.
If you also want to sample more of Lisbons food culture you can try a Small-Group Portuguese Food and Wine Tour.
Take a Tram 28 Ride
Experience a classic Lisbon tram ride on Tram 28. This route takes you through many of the city’s most famous neighborhoods, including Graça, Baixa, and Alfama. If the wait for the tram is too long take the advice that our hostel gave us which was to walk alongside where the 28 goes, this will then take you to all of the tourist destinations without the wait.
How to spend the weekend in Lisbon?
Friday
Once you arrive at Lisbon airport it is only a short Uber, bus or Metro ride to allow you to reach your hotel for the weekend. If you would prefer your transfer to be sorted before you arrive you can book a private transfer through Viator.
After checking into your hotel head to the LX Factory for shopping, sunset drinks and dinner. While at the LX factory make sure to check out Ler Devagar with their vast range of books and three story printing press in the middle of the store.
For dinner at LX Factory you will have a large selection of restaurants to choose from as well as a rooftop bar for those sunset drinks.
Dinner: LX Factory
Saturday
The best piece of advice that We Love F. Tourists gave us was to not ride on the famous yellow tram (as the wait is usually around 2 hours) however to follow the tracks to be able to see all the Lisbon has to see. We started from the Hostel turning right as soon as you came our the door.
You will visit sights such as:
- Lisbon Cathedral
- Miradouro de Santa Luzia
- Miradouro da Graca
- Praca do Comercio
- Miradouro de Senhora
Once you have visited the look out at Miradouro de Senhora you should be almost ready for lunch. From here can walk back down through some beautiful streets which also lead you past Castle S Jorge if you wish to stop and explore this too. Then walk along Pink Street known for its great night life before reaching Time Out Market for lunch.
The market has a great selection of some of the best that Lisbon has to offer. I would highly recommend the wine bar in the market, we let them know what we were having for lunch and they chose the best Portuguese wine paring to go with it.
Once you have finished lunch head up the road to Elevator de Bica. Here they have a static tram for you to be able to visit and get those tram photos without having to time it as it moves down the street.
For Dinner we stumbled on a small but amazing restaurant Solar 31 da Calcada for some delicious seafood. This is not a budget restaurant but it was so worth the beautiful experience and excellent service.
After dinner head to Toca Da Raposa for their small but very funky cocktails. Close to the bar there is a lot of other small wine bars and pubs to continue your night into the early hours of the morning if you wish.
Other activities that you could also check out are:
Lisbon Small-Group Portuguese Food and Wine Tour
Best of Lisbon Guided Walking Tour
Breakfast: The Mill
Lunch: Time Out Market Lisboa
Dinner: Solar 31 da Calcada
Drinks: Toca Da Raposa
Sunday
Spend your Sunday discovering the beauty of Sintra but…..
DO NOT DO WHAT WE DID!
Make sure you go to Sintra it is an absolutely beautiful place with quaint streets and epic views! Please though if you take anything from this make sure you organise your time there in advance.
Sintra during peak season can be very busy and as the streets are narrow it can feel over crowded. After making the mistake of not organising ourselves I would highly recommend booking yourself a day tour of Sintra so you are able to see all of the sights.
Instead we took a bus into Sintra and then attempted to Uber around which is be very unreliable, as most of the attractions are not near to the main historical town. A day tour of Sintra will allow you to book visit several of Sintra’s iconic castles such as Pena Palace, Quinta da Regaleira and Sintra National Palace.
Lunch: (In Sintra) Raiz Sintra
Where to Stay?
We Love F Tourists – Hostel
We stayed in We Love F Tourists Hostel which was very centrally located to all the attractions. The hostel was very welcoming and providing drinks on arrival as well as giving us great recommendations on how best to be able to see the city with the time in which we had. This hostel also organised lots of group meals and tours I would highly recommend staying here if you’re a solo traveller.
1908 Lisboa
LX Boutique Hotel
Laneez Ericeria Surfhouse – Ericeira
We loved our stay at Laneez Ericeira Surfhouse and we would highly recommend it! Laneez has one of the best views over the ocean! Most of our trip was either spent inside watching those earlier morning surfers head out from the shared living space or having a wine on the outside deck watching the sunset.
Looking for a coastal stay while in Lisbon, make sure to check out Our Guide to Ericeira!
*Disclosure: We only recommend products we would use ourselves and all opinions expressed here are our own. This post may contain affiliate links, that at no additional cost to you, we may earn a small commission.
