3 Day Lisbon Itinerary: A Perfect Introduction to the City

Back in 2012 when I first visited Lisbon, this city was somewhat of a hidden gem. It was filled with backpackers, cheap drinks, and most importantly, an incredible atmosphere. I returned a couple of months ago, and even off-season, the city has now been modern-day colonized by tourists, digital nomads, and Airbnbs. And no, it hasn’t lost its charm because of the inevitable but I would be lying if I told you the vibes were the same as 10 years ago.

After visiting the city twice, I would say that 3 or even 4 days in Lisbon is a good amount of time for an introduction to the city. If you read this blog you know us professional besties like solid but quick getaways and that’s what you will get with this Lisbon guide. We’ll go over some logistics about the city and then I will give you a plan for an awesome Lisbon itinerary for your travels. What makes my blog super awesome is that you can just download this plan and you’re all set to go. No need to plan or stress over what to do and in what order, I already planned your 3 days in Lisbon!

Let’s get to the logistics

Before we dive into what there is to do in Lisbon, let’s talk about some logistics that will make your trip there much easier.

Quick things to know about Lisbon

• Lisbon is old. It’s one of the oldest cities in Europe and it’s at least 2700 years old. It’s older than Rome, London or Paris.
• Earthquake: In 1755, the city was devasted by an earthquake that ruined a big chunk of the city. The city’s history was highly influenced by this event and you will hear about it everywhere.
• Portuguese Azulejos are probably the most recognizable architectural pieces of Lisbon. These blue ceramic tiles are everywhere. While they morphed into a part of Portuguese art, if you visited places like Morocco or Spain, you can certainly see the Moorish roots in them.
• Street art: Lisbon has one of the coolest street art I have ever seen. There are many tours that take you around the Alfama neighborhood to see it but many tourists don’t venture off to see it.
• Fado: These melancholic ballads are a huge part of Portuguese culture. Make sure to set some time aside at night to see a “show” and experience this music in person.
• Portugal’s mainland is great but this country also has some sweet islands with easy flight connections from Lisbon. If you have some time to travel, consider Azores or Madeira.

Navigating Lisbon

Lisbon airport is located a short metro ride on the red line (6:30 am to 1 am). You’ll need to purchase a metro card called Viva Viagem for 0.50 cents and then you can load it up with tickets. Other options include the Aerobus or Taxi. With the Uber prices though, my recommendation would be to simply get one. Pick-up is in the departures area upstairs and a driver can only pick you up in that one spot.

Another popular Uber version in Europe is a company called Bolt. I would recommend downloading it prior to your trip because if you don’t have a sim card, you won’t be able to confirm your phone number abroad. I found Bolt to be even more affordable compared to Uber in Lisbon!

Trams are also a very popular way to travel within the city. The touristy Tram 28 runs through the main parts of the city and is usually pretty crowded. The cost is around ~ 3 euros or you can buy an unlimited ride for the day for 6.40. Here is a map for ya.

Where to stay in Lisbon

My first time in Lisbon was in a hostel and my second was in an Airbnb. If you read my guides, you know that I was obviously happier in a hostel, but Airbnb did its job 🙂

If it’s your first time in Lisbon, the best areas to stay in Lisbon are the more centrally located Baixa or Chiado neighborhoods. They’re both relatively flat for Lisbon and will allow you to see the most if you’re there for a short amount of time. Barrio Alto is quiet during the day but comes alive at night. If you’re planning to experience some nightlife in Lisbon and don’t want to be far away from it, consider staying in this area instead. Alfama is the neighborhood on the hills with distinctive street art, azulejos, and of course Fado music. I personally love Alfama but it could be exhausting to climb these hills and it is also not a first-time visitor’s ideal location.

People & Safety

Lisbon is undoubtedly becoming more and more touristy. The more tourists the more petty crime. So when you’re walking in crowded areas or taking public transport, make sure your eyes are on your belongings. If you’re walking inebriated in the narrow streets at 3 am all by yourself, don’t be surprised if you get mugged either. Other than that, Lisbon is one of the safest cities in Europe but if you’re interested in specific statistics, here is a fun resource for you to compare it to NYC.

People in Lisbon are nice and friendly although if it’s your first time in the city and you’re staying in the touristy area, you probably won’t interact with too many true locals. However, if you do spark a conversation with the Uber driver or at a restaurant, you’ll immediately notice their friendly nature.

Food in Lisbon

When you’re in Lisbon, there are a couple of bucket list culinary items you just have to try.

From the drinks side, you need to have some awesome Port wine. Porto is a great dessert wine and it’s very popular in Portugal. Ginja is my personal favorite and it is a cherry liquor. It’s best tasted from a hole-in-a-wall kind of place and even better if you spit the cherry pit on the sidewalk.

Pasteis de Nata have to be one of the most iconic pastry items you’ll encounter in Lisbon and for a good reason! They are addictive and no, one is not enough. Living in New Jersey, I am happy to be surrounded by a large Portuguese community who make the real deal Natas not too far from me. Here is a great article from the Montclair Girl on one of my favorite bakeries in Newark, NJ, Teixeira.

Seafood is a no-brainer in Portugal. Make sure to have the salty Bacalhau (cod), I personally like them in the pastry form. Polvo (octopus) and Amêijoas à Bulhão Pato (clams) are also two items you shouldn’t miss. Lapas (sea mollusks) are big in Madeira but you’ll find them all over Lisbon too. Espetada (skewers) come in all combinations and even though they’re simple, they are honestly the perfect dish. Oh, and canned fish is a huge thing in Lisbon too. There are whole stores dedicated to it.

Here are some specific restaurant recommendations by Farah Trading and Daniela’s Blog.

Useful Lisbon advice

• People speak Portuguese in Lisbon. It’s better to speak English there than pretend like Portuguese is Spanish. I imagine it’s similar when people speak Russian to me while I am Polish. While I can understand some words, Russian isn’t Polish, and Polish isn’t Russian. So when you’re in Portugal, either speak Portuguese or your own language.
• Portugal is on the cheaper side of travel. If you don’t solely eat in touristy areas you can get some pretty cheap eats and drinks.
• Speaking of cheap, Uber/Bolt is so affordable that sometimes the comfort is worth it over using public transport. When you’re at the airport, it’s so much easier to Uber into town.
• Lisbon is great to travel with friends and it’s also fun to travel with a family. My first time there was with friends and the second time with my parents. It was an amazing time both times and I was able to appreciate different parts of the city with different groups.

Lisbon in my favorite travel TV shows

If you like travel shows and watching them before heading on your own journey, two of my fave people visited Lisbon at very different times. Some places overlapped between the shows and I can’t decide whether that is a good thing or not. However, here are the show references for ya:

Anthony Bourdain – No Reservations Season 8, Episode 4

• Cervejaria Ramiro – A very famous seafood place known to tourists and locals, you pick your fish here to eat for dinner.
• Sol E Pesca – Canned foods store that’s also a fishing shop!
• Tasca do Chico – A Fado joint which I recommend later on too!
• A Ginjinha – This is my favorite spot as well and it serves some delicious cherry liquor
• Cantinho do Avillez – Jose Avillez’s restaurant, he’s a very famous chef in Portugal
• 100 Maneiras – An Eastern European’s take on Portuguese food
• Alma – A fancy Michelin star place
• O Trevo – A spot for the Bifana sandwich

Somebody Feed Phil – Season 1, Episode 4

• Manteigaria at Time Out Market– A spot for a Pastel de Nata at the best market in town
• Tricana – A canned food spot
• Belcanto – The famous chef is back, Jose Avillez’s – you see a pattern yet ? 🙂
• Ponto Final – Located across the river, this actually looks like a sweet spot and I wish I made my way to visit it!
• Pastéis de Belém – A staple, wouldn’t miss it!
• Jesus é Goês – This was an interesting take on food with a mix of cultures.
• A Ginjinha – I mean you can’t skip this place right?
• Cervejaria Ramiro – Same as Tony’s stop
• Cafe Luso – Fado spot
• Additional spots – Manteigaria Silva, Croissant Gigante, Nannarella, Wurst, Alma

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Lisbon Itinerary

While Lisbon is one of these cities you should certainly slow travel through if you only got a couple of days, here’s a 3 day plan for ya. Follow it for a nice introduction to Lisbon. At the bottom of the post, you can find a 3 days in Lisbon itinerary to download along with a map for your travel. But before you get there, make sure to read the post first 🙂

Day 1: Baixa and Waterfront

Downtown Lisbon: Walking Tour

When I travel to a new city, I will 9/10 times start my itinerary with a free walking tour. My first time in Lisbon, I took a tour with a hostel and it was amazing. We saw all different parts of the city, some touristy spots, some not, and at the time, I didn’t realize how lucky I was to find a tour like that.

The second time, I took a standard Free Walking Tour, and if I have to be 100% honest, it was too history-dense and too place sparse for my personal liking. Although I enjoyed it and the tour guide was super knowledgeable, I wish the tour covered a few more stops and fewer backstories. Comparing other companies in the area, I see that their routes are similar so I’ll let you decide if that’s the option you’d like to take.

• Sandemans – this is the one I took and it was very history dense.
• Hi Lisbon – A little shorter than Sandemans but has a very similar route.
• Discover Lisbon – check for the latest schedule because currently they only have Alfama tours.

If I were to do it again, I would likely take a paid tour that showed me more interesting spots and covered different parts of the city. While digging for some cool companies, I came across this business. I vibe with their whole tour model so if I visit again, I’ll try to tour with them instead.

Or Self-Guided Exploration of Baixa Neighborhood

In the case reading my humble opinion above discouraged you from a walking tour you were debating on, here are the places you’d likely see on one. You can easily follow this path on your own:

• Praca do Comercio: The main square of the city is a very nice landmark to start exploring Lisbon. There are various cafes around and although all are overpriced, I would pause for a morning cup of coffee or a glass of wine and people-watch for a little while enjoying the views of the plaza. At the entrance to Rua Augusta, The Arco (Arc) of Rua Augusta has a nice viewpoint (2.5 euro entrance) from which you can get a panoramic view of the area as well.
• Rua Augusta: This is the main shopping/touristy street in town. It’s worth a stroll to admire some nice tile work (or azulejos), Portuguese calçada stones, and a lively atmosphere. Don’t forget that touristy = pickpockety too 🙂
• Santa Justa Lift: Once you continue up Rua Augusta, you will reach the famous elevator. I wouldn’t recommend taking a ride up per se, but it is a cool landmark to see. Why shouldn’t you take a ride? Well, with a little physical effort, you can walk up the stairs to the top and admire similar views right behind the Convent instead of Terraços do Carmo without paying.
• Convento do Carmo: This catholic convent is known for still standing after the famous earthquake of 1755. If you’d like to enter, they have a short video summarizing the history, and entry costs around 5 euros. Otherwise, you can walk around, admire its medieval architecture, and even take a break on one of its many small lawns.
• Rossio Square: Rossio is another beautiful town square. When I visited in November, they had a cute artisanal holiday market but if you’re traveling during the summer, you’ll enjoy it for the lively atmosphere. To get there you’ll walk down a steep hill from the convent area.
• A Ginjinha: And now time for a very well-deserved break at my favorite place in Lisbon, A Ginjinha. It’s a little hole-in-the-wall bar serving traditional cherry liquor. Pop in for a shot or two and enjoy the historical significance of this place too.

Evening near waterfront

After a busy morning of exploring the town, a small break at your accommodation before the evening is a must. However, don’t get too comfy as we got the whole evening ahead of us. For the second part of the day, I recommend catching the sunset on the waterfront near Cais do Sodre. You’ll find local vendors there selling snacks and cold beers. People sit on the waterfront and enjoy this beautiful sunset with sailboats and bridges.

After the sunset, for a casual dinner, make sure to pop into Time Out Market in Lisbon. It’s a spot with tons of vendors and it’s an awesome place to visit. Not only can you try cool different foods, but a lot of it is also pretty traditional.

Last but not least, Lisbon is known for its nightlife. Although a full night of partying might be too much for the first day in the city, Pink Street has a good amount of bars and most importantly a great atmosphere for a night of debauchery.

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Day 2: Alfama & Nightlife

Exploring Alfama

Alfama is a very distinctive neighborhood in Lisbon filled with narrow cobblestone streets, distinctive tile buildings, street art, and of course, many many hills. I personally find Alfama stunning and full of character. For your day 2 in Lisbon itinerary, I planned a walk through the highlights of this neighborhood. Disclaimer, prepare for a lot of walking and a decent amount of walking up and down hills. You can do this walk in either direction too:

• Lisbon Cathedral or Sé Cathedral: Roman catholic 12th-century historic gem. Catch the iconic tram 28 passing right in front of the church. Entry is free.
• Miradouro Sta. Luzia: Next, will make it up the hill to see our first viewpoint for the day. This viewpoint is a popular one so you’re not likely to have it to yourself.
• Miradouro Portas do Sol: Right around the corner, you’ll find another cool viewpoint. It’s very close so make sure to make a quick stop there too.
• Castelo de St. Jorge: This very old castle that stands on the hills of Alfama is a true historical gem. While you’ll have to pay for an entry ticket to see this place, I would pay just to see the camera obscura. If you read my Havana post, you know that these types of cameras are rare despite how awesome they are.
• Miradouro da Graca: After exploring the castle grounds, head over to another viewpoint for a slightly different perspective of the city. If you’re all Miradouroed out for the day, you can skip this spot.
• Pantheon: This is a church and burial site for important Portuguese people.
• Feira da Ladra: If you’re visiting on a Tuesday or Saturday, right next to the Pantheon, you’ll find this flea market full of some interesting finds.
• Get lost in Alfama: Walk toward the direction of Museo do Fado (and visit too if you’re interested in its history) but don’t take the main street route. Try to walk through the little streets and admire just how pretty Alfama is. I don’t have an exact route because the best of Alfama is found spontaneously.

After a pretty busy morning, if you still have some energy left, I would recommend grabbing an Uber to Azulejos Museum. For 5 euros you can admire the beautiful display of Lisbon’s tiles in a former convent. The place is stunning and worth an afternoon visit. Note that it closes at 6 pm and is closed on Mondays.

Evening in Lisbon

For a cool early evening activity, check out the awesome LxFactory, an industrial complex turned into a cool space for shops, restaurants, and art. It’s open until 10:30ish so make sure to make your way earlier in the evening to see the most of it.

If you still have some energy left, head over to Barrio Alto and enjoy the lively night atmosphere in the streets there. It won’t be difficult to find, just follow the people and the music 🙂

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Day 3: Belem, Beach and Fado

By Day 3 of your Lisbon itinerary, you’ll have gotten what makes Lisbon so amazing. But before you say goodbye to Lisbon, you absolutely miss visiting Belem. Belem is a relatively small area in town so it should take you only a couple of hours as your morning activity. For the second part of the day, I recommend hopping on a train from Belem to spend the rest of the day exploring a cute beach town not too far from Lisbon’s city center. Don’t forget to pack your cute bathing suit and let’s enjoy an amazing last day in Lisbon.

Belem Neighborhood

I normally don’t enjoy overly hyped places but this is a place I already visited twice in my life and most likely will return to in the future as well. Yes, I am talking about the one and only Pastesis de Belem, the “birthplace” of these delicious pastries. I have no idea whether they were invented there or not and quite frankly I don’t really care because however they make them, they got it right. The place gets packed so the earlier you get there the better. You can either grab some to go, but I would recommend eating there instead.

Next, walk the area of Jeronimos Monastery, which you can also visit and learn more about this important site and burial place. The two gardens in the front provide a nice view of the stunning monastery. A short walk along the waterfront from there will lead you to the Padrão dos Descobrimentos monument and then the famous Belem Tower. Right behind the tower, you’ll also find a striking memorial, the Monument to the Overseas Combatants.

Beach Excursion

After you see Belem, walk over to the Alges station and hop on the train in the Cascais direction. It’s only a 30-minute ride to this cute little beach town. Oh, and did I mention that the route there is pretty scenic? when you get to Cascais, you can first enjoy some sunbathing on the beach. Then have a nice lunch in the downtown area of this cute town. If you have time, check out Boca do Inferno, a nice impressive cliff with an opening to the ocean.

Last night in Lisbon: Fado time

What’s a night in Lisbon without listening to some Fado? If you don’t know what Fado is, it’s a style of music, melancholic ballads, which are a part of the Portuguese identity. They’re beautiful and you should spend an evening in a dark bar listening to a performance of Fado on your trip. It’s a perfect way to say goodbye to Lisbon.

A more touristy and scheduled version of one with a show and dinner can be found at Clube de Fado. Other dinner shows take place at Fado ao Carmo and O Faia. More laid-back but still very popular shows happen at Tasca do Chico or Povo.

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Bonus: Day 4

If you’re in town for another day and need another activity for your 4-day Lisbon itinerary, I got you. As you have probably seen the majority of the Lisbon highlights, why not venture off not too far away from town and see the magical castle of Sintra?

How to get to Sintra you ask? The easiest and cheapest way is for you to take the train from the Rossio Station. It will be about a 45-minute ride to town. You can also arrange a tour from Lisbon so you don’t have to worry about any logistics.

What can you do in Sintra?

• Pena Palace: The most recognizable palace in the town. It’s colorful, architecturally impressive, and of course, crowded 🙂
• Quinta da Regaleira: Beautiful estate which looks like something out of the movie.
• Monserrate Palace: An architectural mesh of cultures that will leave you stunned.

But I myself did not visit Sintra, so I am not equipped with the best advice. Instead, here is an amazing Sintra Day Trip resource from an awesome travel blogger Amanda from Dangerous Business who planned a whole day trip for you.

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Final Thoughts on Lisbon

I visited Lisbon 10 years apart and seeing how much it has changed in such a short amount of time is pretty impressive. I’m excited to see what the next 10 years will look like for the city, especially with the influx of digital nomads. I genuinely hope it’s a positive influence and that the local quality of life won’t suffer too much. Lisbon certainly has its character and I would certainly recommend visiting it.

Map and Itinerary to Download

Before you download the itinerary, please read the post. This is a very high-level summary that can be quickly referenced on the go. However, you will be best prepared with a quick read above 🙂

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