Lisbon, the capital of Portugal, is known for its colorful, tiled houses that spread all over the hilly, coastal city. We visited in June and spent some nice, sunny days in Lisbon. The city is perfect for wandering around, eating out, and taking it slow. Here are our tips for getting around, seeing some sights, and finding the best cafés, restaurants, and bars.
What to do with sunny days in Lisbon? The map below gives you a first overview:
🚋 Getting Around
Public transport in Lisbon is easy and works well. There are busses, metro, and the iconic yellow trams. Tram number 28E (or just 28) is the most famous tram line, starting in Martim Moniz, going around the castle, past the cathedral and then up the Barrio Alto towards Campo Ourique. Because of its popularity, tram 28E is usually very crowded and/or needs lots of queuing. To avoid the crowds, we recommend tram 12E, which has the same old, wooden wagons and even partly the same route as the famous tram 28E. It also starts (and ends) in Martim Moniz but does not go up to Barrio Alto. A ride with tram 12E or 28E is worth it even on sunny days in Lisbon.
All public transport connections are on Google Maps, oftentimes including real-time information. There is a flat price per ride irrespective where you are going (2-4€ at the time of writing). Payment simply works by tapping the debit/credit card at the card reader inside. If you use the same card, no extra fee will be charged if you use multiple busses/trams/metros within one hour. Alternatively, there are 24h tickets available at each metro station (around 7€ or 10€ if the ferry is included). Official, up-to-date prices and info are available here.
In addition to public transport, Bolt and Uber are cheap and available all day and night. For first-time users, there are usually discount codes advertised at the airport. At the time of writing, the code “VISITLISBON” gave 70% off the first Bolt ride. There are also a lot of electric tuk tuks around the city that offer sightseeing tours.
🌉 Sightseeing
Lisbon has a rich history and some sights that can be discovered when exploring the city:
- Praça do Comércio: The historic, waterfront market place, where ships used to enter the city.
- Castelo de São Jorge: The old castle, overlooking the city.
- Lisbon Cathedral: Cathedral combining different architectural styles. Close to the castle and some nice viewpoints.
- Torre de Belém: Historic tower in Belém, a neighborhood that was less affected in the large 1755 earthquake. Honestly, we did not find the tower very impressive, but it is still worth a quick visit.
- Mosteiro dos Jerónimos: Monastery in Belém, usually with long queues. Walking distance from Belém Tower and right next to the famous Pastéis de Belém, the birthplace of the original Pasteis de Nata.
- Ponte 25 de Abril: A large red suspension bridge spanning river Tagus. You can see the bridge from many places across the city. It not only looks very much like the San Francisco Golden Gate Bridge but was also built by the same company.
- LX Factory: Former industrial complex with artsy cafes, restaurants, and stores.
- maat – Museum of Art, Architecture and Technology: Impressive, futuristic architecture with a restaurant right at the river. Varying exhibitions.
Besides these sights, look out for viewpoints across the city that offer a beautiful panorama view of the city, the river, and the bridge.
If you have enough time, you might also consider a day trip to Sintra and Cascais. There are many organized, highly rated tours on GetYourGuide, e.g., this one.
☕ Cafés & Brunch
Our favorite activity on sunny days in Lisbon was to sit outside at one of the many nice cafés, enjoying the weather and watching people walk by. Almost all cafés offer good and cheap coffee, some have great breakfast or brunch options. Here are the best ones:
- Mila – Santos: Nice little cafe with good coffee and brunch. Some outdoor seating.
- Heim Cafe Santos: Right next to Mila. Also great coffee and brunch. Some more outdoor seats but often crowded.
- La Boulangerie: Cafe with nice patio.
- Tact: Cozy coffee shop with healthy brunch options.
- Fauna & Flora: Nice indoor seating with plants but no outdoor seating, when we came by.
- O Melhor Bolo de Chocolate do Mundo: A coffee shop chain offering “the world’s best chocolate cake”, which is indeed very tasty. We especially liked the coffee shop at Avenida Liberdade, which has very nice and green outdoor seating (no indoor seating).
- Manteigaria: Chain of pastry shops all over Lisbon with great Pasteis de Nata. You can even watch them make the Pasteis. Some shops have outdoor seating, some just takeaway.
🍴 Restaurants
We usually started our days with a large brunch at one of the cafes above and are less at regular restaurants. If you are looking for dinner, here are our favorite restaurants:
- O Trigueirinho: Our favorite restaurant in Lisbon. Amazing, traditional fish restaurant with reasonable prices. Better to reserve a table up front.
- Time Out Market: Indoor market place with many food options. There is a park right next to it if you want to bring food outside.
- Noobai and Javá: Rooftop bars and restaurants.
- Caffè di Marzano Vermuteria: Restaurant/café/bar in Barrio Alto with nice outdoor and indoor seating. Mostly rather small Italian dishes.
- El Paso: Mexican restaurant with good and cheap cocktails.
On special occasions, you might also find restaurants grilling and selling fresh fish right on the street.
🍸 Bars
Lisbon has some great bars to enjoy some drinks. The neighborhood of Alfama generally seems to have many small, cool bars, often with live music and many locals. Moreover, there are some bars with a nice view. Here are our favorite bars in Lisbon:
- Quiosque Ribeira das Naus: Small kiosk with many outdoor seats and lounges. Right at the river with view onto the red bridge of April 25.
- LX Rooftop: Cool rooftop bar in the industrial-style LX Factory below the April 25 bridge.
- Noobai and Javá: Rooftop bars and restaurants.
- Típica de Alfama: Small local bar in Alfama, often with live music.
- Tejo Bar: Another small, local bar in Alfama, very close to Típica. The focus at Tejo is more on intimate live music in an open stage format. Whenever the musicians play, the people in the bar should listen rather than talk. Afterwards, the audience rubs their hands rather than clapping.
We hope you these tips help you find some nice places and enjoy your sunny days in Lisbon!
Feel free to check out our blog for more travel tips 🙂