Lisbon, Portugal.
Lisbon. Round two. First time I came here was years ago. I stayed in a hostel, walked around, got blind drunk and had the worst flight back due to hangover from getting blind drunk. I remember thinking the city was really beautiful so I am glad I made a return to properly explore all Lisbon had to offer. No hangovers involved.
Stay Here.
Bairro Alto is where you want to stay if you're looking to be amidst the action yet still close to all the sights within walking distance.
Jean Michel's apartment is perfect for one-two people. Cool decor, great location and cheap. The only issue I had was because of its great location, it was pretty loud. I'm a light sleeper so I didn't really get much sleep, G was out like a light. Apart from that I totally recommend it.
Eat Here.
Pasteis de Belem.
So one thing I do remember from the first time I visited, very vividly, were the Portuguese tarts. After we had picked the car up, I took the liberty of driving us here before heading off to Ericeira (also so we could have a tart stash for the week). Last time I came to Lisbon, I got a train which is just as easy. You have to go. No excuses. They are delicious.
Buy as many tarts as you can for you will eat them.
O Arco; Rua dos Sapateiros 161 163, Lisbon 1100-577
Jean Michel recommended this place to us and super glad he did. Their speciality is a dish called the cataplana which is essentially the dish they use to cook what is similar to a seafood stew, with rice. We went with the octopus and prawn option and it was delicious. If you want authentic Portuguese food, then I recommend this place. Plus they play Pink Flloyd. You will need to book a table in advance as it is small and it is very popular.
Majong; Rua da Atalaia 3, Lisbon 1200-036.
This is a Drink here more so than an Eat here place. We had to get to the airport early i.e a taxi at 4:30am so didn't manage to bar hop. I stumbled across this bar the first time I visited and thoroughly enjoyed their cabbage leaf light shades. The G&T come in huge goblets. Approved.
Visit Here.
Belem.
After you have bought as many tarts as you can carry, you can also check out the Belem Tower, Jerónimos Monastery, Padrão dos Descobrimentos and the Belém Palace. We ate tarts in the Jardim Botânico Tropical and stared at the peacocks. The Jardim da Praça do Império and Cultural Centre of Belém are also worth walking through.
Wander the streets of Lisbon.
We had half a day to explore so from the apartment, we walked past the Elevador de Santa Justa up to Miradouro de Santa Luzia for views over the Alfama region. There is a little cafe up the stairs which had a great view also. We then walked through the Alfama region up to the main public square by the waterfront. From here we wandered back through Bairro Alto, looking at the shops and bars.
El Dorado (Rua do Norte, 23-25) is a pretty cute women's clothing shop.
Walking everywhere is the best way to see the city however in Lisbon they do have the iconic Tram 28 that takes you throughout the city. I didn't really want to go on it as it was just rammed full of tourists however I'm sure if you get there early enough in the morning or late in the evening, it may be worth it.
G loved Lisbon so much he was looking at property prices. Looks like I'll be returning for a third time very soon....
Flights London to Lisbon can be cheap depending on what month you travel. Compare prices on Skyscanner or Kayak.
Accommodation in Bairro Alto isn’t too expensive depending on what you can find on Air BnB and Booking.com.
It is really easy to get from the airport to the city - the Metro is cheap and simple to follow.
Food and beer is cheap depending on where you go. Just don't get sucked into any tourist traps (standard).
