Top things to do in Lisbon for a perfect city break
Lisbon is an amazing city to visit. The rich culture, cute little streets, perfect location near the coast, and delicious food make it a destination that everybody will love. With its pastel-coloured buildings, breathtaking viewpoints, and the smell of freshly baked pastéis de nata on every corner, Portugal’s capital is the perfect mix of old-world charm and vibrant city life.
In this blog post, I’m sharing the best things to do in Lisbon: from must-see highlights and cultural gems to foodie hotspots and unique experiences. Whether you’re visiting for a long weekend or planning a slower city break, this guide will help you make the most of your time in Lisbon.
| Quick mini guide to Lisbon Don’t have a lot of time? Here’s a quick mini guide to Lisbon to help plan your adventure!Where to stay:
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How to go to Lisbon?
You can fly directly to Lisbon from the majority of cities around the world. From the airport, you can take an Uber to the city center or take the metro. You can easily purchase tickets at the airport or use contactless payments at the gates.
You can find the best flight tickets through Skyscanner.
How to get around Lisbon?
The center of Lisbon is quite compact and easily walkable. Or it is on paper: there are a lot of hills. So, it can be a challenge to do everything on foot, but it is the best way to see the city. There are so many cute little streets to wander. And if you look around, you will see that there are elevators you can take to make it easier to go to the highest points in the city.
There are also little tuk-tuks that you can take to get around, or take the metro or tram.
Where to stay in Lisbon?
There are hotels in various price ranges and in different neighborhoods. It will all depend on your budget and where you want to stay: do you want to stay very central, or closer to all the restaurants, nightlife, or close to the beach?
The neighborhood Alfama & Graça is the oldest, with steep and narrow streets and an authentic Portuguese feel. Baixa & Chiado is the downtown with grand squares, historic cafes, shops, and is very lively. Bairro Alto is famous for its nightlife, steep streets packed with bars, restaurants, and clubs.
What to do in Lisbon?
The main attractions of Lisbon are located in the city center and are easy to explore on foot or by metro/tram. Some attractions are located outside Lisbon and are easily accessible by metro or train.
If you plan to visit a lot of monuments and take the metro/tram a lot, it is best to buy a Lisboa Card. This includes free or reduced admission to most of the city’s attractions and unlimited rides in all public transportation (including trains to Cascais and Sintra). You buy it for 24, 48, or 72-hour periods.
Center of Lisbon
Castelo de São Jorge
A visit to Castelo de São Jorge is a must when visiting Lisbon. If not for the amazing views from it over the city, then for the greatly preserved ruins. The oldest fortifications date from the 2nd century BC. Since the 12th century, Castelo de São Jorge has served as a royal palace, military barracks, and now as a national monument.
Explore all areas of the castle: walk on the walls, see the palace ruins, and visit the archeological site and museum. If you walk on the walls, mind your step because the stones are not always even and can be slippery (especially when wet). From all over the castle, you have an amazing view of Lisbon.
The castle is located on top of a hill, so there is a bit of a climb to get there. But it’s a beautiful climb: you can explore the historic neighborhood of Alfama before visiting (or after). If you don’t want to do this, you can always take a tuk-tuk or Uber, take de elevator (elevador Castelo), take tram 28, or bus 737. You will still need to walk the last part.
Try to book your tickets beforehand; they are valid for 90 days, so you can visit at any time you want without having to wait in line. It’s best to go early or late to avoid the crowds and wear comfortable shoes. Don’t forget sun protection and a bottle of water in the hot summer months.
Santa Justa elevator
The Santa Justa elevator, or Carmo Lift, is located in the historic center of Lisbon. It connects Baixa with Largo do Carmo. It’s a beautiful lift that is the only remaining vertical conventional lift in Lisbon. It’s 45 meters high and was opened in 1899.
Santa Clara market
Every Tuesday and Saturday, you can find a flea market near the Santa Clara church. So much fun to walk around, and maybe you can find a hidden gem. It’s also a lively neighborhood with some good restaurants, and it’s perfect to rest your legs.
Graça church and convent
This church and convent are located in the Graça neighborhood and were built in 1291. Because they didn’t survive the big earthquake of 1755, they were rebuilt in the Baroque style.
What is especially a must-visit is the chapter room, formerly the monks’ refectory. This room is beautifully decorated with tile panels from the first half of the 18th century. It portrays episodes in the history of various martyrs.
In front of the church, there is an amazing viewpoint, especially during sunset. And if you visit the convent, you can also go up to the terrace of the church for an even better view.
You can get to Igreja da Graça by taking tram 28. The church and convent are free to visit. Visiting the terrace costs €5 and includes a drink.
Food tour
I think the best way to learn more about a city is with a guided tour. And because we love food, we did a food tour. We learned more about the history of the city and had some amazing food along the way. At the end, we also got some tips for restaurants and things to do. You can read all about it here.
Lisbon Cathedral
Lisbon Cathedral (or Sé de Lisboa) is a Roman Catholic cathedral and the oldest and most important church in the city (built in 1147). It survived the earthquake but has been modified, renovated, and restored multiple times over the years. It’s predominantly a Romanesque style, but due to the many alterations, different styles have been blended.
Admission is €5, and you can also visit the Treasury Museum, which is located in the upper part of the cathedral. You can find suits, jewels, and relics from various periods. From the balcony, you have a great view of the river and city.
Various miradouro
Because of the many hills in the city, there are also various viewpoints (miradouro) that offer different views.
Miradouro das Portas do Sol
This is the most popular viewpoint. It offers beautiful views but is also very crowded with tourists at any moment of the day and year. It’s located in the historical neighborhood of Alfama, not far from the castle.
Miradouro Da Santa Luzia
This is located just a couple of minutes from Miradouro das Portas do Sol. The flowers and street artists give it a different, almost romantic atmosphere.
Miradouro de São Pedro de Alcantara
This miradouro is located near Bairro Alto, in the gardens of São Pedro de Alcantara. You have a nice view, and there is also a small market sometimes with food and drinks.
Eat Pasteis de Nata
Lisbon (and Portugal) is famous for its Pastel de Nata. Although they are originally from Belem, you can find them all over Lisbon too. We had them at A Brasileira and Fabrica da Nata, but had many more locations to try. Unfortunately, we were always stuffed from all the other delicious food we had, so we had them only once a day.
Visit the oldest bookstore in the world
Livraria Bertrand is the oldest operating bookstore in the world. After the earthquake of 1755, the bookstore was rebuilt. You can find a nice selection of Portuguese books, but also English ones. The perfect location to buy a souvenir to take home: a book by Saramago. When you buy a book, you will be asked if you want a stamp stating that it was bought at the world’s oldest bookstore (in English or Portuguese).
Wander through the streets
The streets of Lisbon are gorgeous: colored houses with the washing drying outside, small streets with stairs, and views to die for. You really should discover Lisbon on foot to discover all those little, cute streets.
Plan your trip to Lisbon like a pro
✈️ Book your cheap flights to Lisbon on Skyscanner
🏨 Reserve a hotel, apartment, or holiday home at Booking.com
🚕 Need a transfer from the airport? Use Welcome Pickups or download the Bolt or Uber app
🛜 Use Airalo eSIM to avoid roaming fees. Use SHARON9895 to get €3
📺 Use NordVPN to keep watching your favorite programs or movies on the go
🚗 Need to rent a car? Use DiscoverCars or Local Rent
💳 Use Wise to pay in Lisbon at the real exchange rate and avoid expensive foreign card fees
🚆 Buy train tickets from Omio or RailEurope
🎟️ Pre-book tours, entrance tickets, and activities via Viator or GetYourGuide
🏥 Get travel insurance at World Nomads or Safety Wing
Outside the city center
Belem
When you are visiting Lisbon, you should also make a day trip to Belem. You have to take tram 15E from Praca do Comercio to Belem. A ticket is €3.10 per person and can be bought on the tram. It takes about 30 minutes to reach the Monastery in Belem.
You can visit the beautiful Monastery of Belem (Mosteiro dos Jeronimos), a 16th-century former monastery of the Order of Saint Jerome. It was built near the launch point of the first journey of Vasco da Gama. In the nave of the monastery’s church, you can find the grave of Vasco Da Gama. In 1983, the monastery was classified as a UNESCO World Heritage, together with the Tower of Belém. It is best to buy your tickets to the monastery in advance. The church is open on Sundays from 2 pm onwards, on other days (except Monday) from 10.30 am.
At the moment of our visit, the tower of Belem was under construction. But under normal circumstances, you can also visit it. And it is free on Sundays.
Another monument is the Monument of Discoveries (Padrao dos Descobrimentos). It is located on the place where the ships departed to explore and trade with the New World and celebrates the Portuguese Age of Discovery during the 15th and 16th centuries. It opened during the Portuguese World Exhibition of 1940 as a temporary construction. It’s beautiful to see on the outside, but you can also enter it and have a great view over the river.
And last but not least: pasteis de Belem. The pastries were created before the 18th century by the monks of the Jeronimos Monastery. In 1834, after the monastery was closed, the recipe was sold to a sugar refinery, whose owners opened the Fabrica de Pasteis de Belem in 1837. You can still visit the original store where these delicious pastries were invented. You can choose to have them to go (you will have to wait in line, but it goes fast) or eat them in the restaurant. There is some wait time, but nothing too bad: the place is huge, and service is really efficient and fast.
If the weather is nice, you can walk along the river towards Lisbon. There is a nice walkway that leads you to the MAAT museum.
MAAT museum
Before visiting the museum, you can walk on the roof for an amazing view over the city and the bridge. MAAT, or the Museum of Art, Architecture and Technology, is one of the most visited museums in Portugal. There are changing exhibitions that are interesting to visit.
LX Factory
Between MAAT and Lisbon, you will find LX factory. This old industrial complex has been transformed into a cultural hotspot. It’s perfect for an afternoon of exploring and eating. There are art galleries, restaurants, designer shops, souvenir shops, … Every Sunday, there is also a market with handmade items. You really have to visit the bookstore Ler Devagar: so many books and a very interesting interior. Also, street art lovers will love this place: so much beautiful street art.
Sintra
A visit to Sintra is one of the most popular day trips when staying in Lisbon. Although it will be a tight schedule if you want to see everything in 1 day. If you want to see more of the highlights or want to travel more slowly, you could always spend a night there.
It’s very easy to reach by public transportation as it is only 15 miles from Lisbon. You can take the train from Rossio train station in Lisbon, and 45 minutes later, you will be in Sintra (tickets are €5 round trip).
You can book a tour to explore Sintra, but you can easily do it yourself. If you want to visit a lot of attractions, you can always buy a combined ticket at the ticket booth or buy your tickets online beforehand.
Some things to do in Sintra:
- Explore Pena Palace
- Visit Quinta da Regaleira
- See the views from the Moorish Castle
- Tour Monserrate Palace
- Try the local delicacies: travesseiro (puff pastry filled with egg and almond cream), and queijada (similar to a pasteis de nata)
- See the westernmost point in Europe: Cabo da Roca
- Tour the National Palace of Sintra
Because most of the attractions in Sintra are spread out, it’s not feasible to walk to all of them. You can use buses, tuk tuk or Uber.
Cascais
Cascais is located about 30 minutes from Lisbon on the coast. If you like the beach, you could come here for the day if you are staying in Lisbon. But it’s also nice to stay here when exploring Lisbon as part of a longer stay in Portugal.
Where to eat in Lisbon?
We had some amazing food while we were in Lisbon. Some highlights were the food tour, but also the pasteis de nata at A Brasileira and an amazing Portuguese dinner at A Taberna Rua des Flores. And of course, the cozy wine bars. You can read more about it in this blog post.
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Really enjoyed reading this guide! Lisbon looks like such a beautiful city with its viewpoints, historic sites, and amazing food.