Lisbon, Portugal – Great Food and Great Sites in this Beautiful City!
We flew into Lisbon and hopped in a taxi to our Sheraton Lisboa Hotel & Spa. It was pretty close by and the taxi only cost us 10 Euros which is probably the cheapest taxi ride we ever had in Europe from airport to hotel. The hotel is located near a Metro but we ended up walking to most places. Downtown was about a 15-20 minute walk but we enjoyed it every time.
As we wandered out from our hotel and towards the downtown core, we saw beautiful statues and intricate tiled sidewalks. On either side were highend shops. As you get closer you hit Rossio Square with a large statue in the middle. It is considered as the main central square of Lisbon.
Keep walking past Rossio Square and you will hit all the shops and the famous Santa Justa Lift. It’s hard to miss as it’s one of the tallest structures in the downtown core and connects the lower streets of Baixa to the higher Largo do Carmo. We did line up and took the lift up which took about 45 minutes of waiting. The lift was an experience and if you have the time and patience to wait, do it. Once at the top, you’ll still need to climb some staircases to get to the top platform where you won’t be disappointed with the view.
We had the best Paella in Lisbon, it was smack in the middle of the street with the Santa Justa Lift directly behind us. The Paella was only 16 Euros and it came with a pitcher of Sangria.
The next morning we went to Bagga for breakfast, for just 3.70 Euros we got a cappuccino, ham and cheese croissant and a freshly squeezed orange juice! We got on the hop-on/hop-off bus and made our way through the city and got off near the Belem Tower. It’s probably the most visited site in Lisbon and although we had to line up for about 30-40 minutes, it was worth the wait. Also known as The Tower of Vincent, it is a medieval fortified tower built in 1514.
After the tower, we went to a cafe right along the water where we had the famous Portuguese Egg Tarts, yum!!! All within walking distance was the next structure that can’t be missed, the Padrao dos Descobrimentos. A monument that was originally constructed in 1940 and then torn down and then rebuilt to what you see now in 1960. There’s a museum underground and for a small fee you can take the lift to the top of the monument to get a great view of the shoreline.
Our last stop in the area for us was the Jeronimos Monastery, construction started in 1501! Intricate arches adorn this monastery. When we returned back to the main Baixa, we went closer to the Tagus River where you can see the Praca do comercio and the square which is commonly known as Terreiro do Paço.
After dinner in Baixa at one of the local restaurants, we couldn’t pass up eating a codfish cake from Pastel de Bacalhau. So delicious, you can’t have just one!
On our last day in Lisbon, we went to the oldest disctrict of Lisbon called the Alfama. The Sao Jorge Castle is at the top and views of the entire city can be seen. This is also a must see attraction of Lisbon as the 11th century Moorish Castle is amazing and you can walk freely for hours enjoying the sites, sit for coffee or just to capture the best picture.
We walked like crazy this last day and ended up with over 32,000 steps on our step counter! We did go through the entire shopping street of Av. Da Liverdade and then all the way up through Eduardo VII Park until we reached the El Corte Ingles department store. We couldn’t believe how cheap wine was, some were just 1.80 Euros for 750ml!
For our last night’s dinner we found a place in Baixa that served a seafood platter. The platter was huge at around 2 feet in diameter! It had 4 different types of fish, veggies, potatoes and even a grilled 1/4 pineapple wedge! We sat outside and everyone passing by was staring at our dinner, it was a awesome and only 35 Euros! It was the perfect end to our 3 day stay in Lisbon. We can’t wait to go back!
Tip: Use the hop-on/hop-off bus for a day to reach the further sites along the Tagus River as the metro doesn’t go there.
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