You might find yourself the lucky winner of a long layover in Lisbon courtesy of TAP Air Portugal. Or you might just simply be short on holiday time. In either case, you’ve only got a few hours to spend in Lisbon – a city with literally days’ worth of things to do. Luckily for you, it’s quite easy to get into the city for a short trip and get a taste of the city.
What to See
There’s plenty to see in the city, but since you won’t have much time you might need to pass on the museums and rather stick to the streets to wander about to get an impression of Lisbon. Wandering around Alfama (the old neighbourhood with the famous yellow tram running through it) and Bairro Alto are a good place to start.
Lisbon is home to 7 hills (like Rome and Istanbul), all with pretty decent views. But since it’s a bit exhausting walking up all 7, I recommend limit your viewpoints. Miradouro da Senhora do Monte is the highest hill in Lisbon with probably the best views in Lisbon (it’s also popular hangout spot for teens with boomboxes at night). Miradouro de Santa Luzia is a very picturesque lookout point with a columned terrace. You’ve probably seen it featured in an Instagram photo or a thousand. Despite its social media celebrity status, it is worth a visit. Just around the corner is Miradouro das Portas do Sol with excellent views of the east of the city.
If you’re in the market for elegant, non-tacky souvenirs, and have your eyes set on owning one of the famous Portuguese Azulejo (tiles) for yourself, skip the tourist shops. If someone tries to sell you an antique azulejo, check where it’s from. Buildings getting illegally stripped of their tiles is a real problem. Rather, I highly recommend you head over to XVIII Azulejo & Faianca. The sell hand-painted tiles (Azulejo) by local artists made in the style of 17th century tiles. There’ll probably even be an artist in the shop painting tiles while you browse. They have different sizes and styles of tiles available (no two look the same – the perks of handmade creations). The best part is, they’ve got a range of prices, so it’s quite affordable to walk away with a piece of art. And tiles are allowed in your hand luggage (I can personally attest to this.)
Other sights to see along the way include Arco da Rua Augusta near the water, the Lisbon Cathedral in Alfama, and Elevador de Santa Justa (no need to go up it, just take a photo and move on). To see impressive examples of Portuguese Azulejos from the street, check out Fabrica Viuva Lamego. If you have the time, the National Azulejo Museum houses a unique display.
What to Eat
If you’re in Lisbon, you will probably want to try the pastel de nata, an egg custard tart pastry. While they are a specialty of Belem, you can find some amazing ones in Lisbon. Santo Antonio bakes award-winning pastel de natas fresh everyday in the Alfama neighbourhood. As a bonus, it’s also good for breakfast with seating, toilets and free WiFi. Another popular choice is Manteigaria which you can find at various places in the city. Pastel de natas are quite inexpensive, so you could just get a couple while you’re at it. You’ll walk it off walking up one of the hills to see the view.
For a snack (or a meal), get a bifanas (pork sandwich) at As Bifanas do Afonso near the Alfama neighbourhood. It’s dirt cheap (2.50€) and you eat on the steps or benches. It does close at 2pm on Saturdays and is closed all day Sundays. If you’re too hip for eating on pavement, Time Out is a massive hip hall with food stalls of every flavour.
Lisbon has amazing coffee. Coincidentally, coffee also makes for a great souvenir. Personally, I was a fan of the vibe at Fabrica Coffee Roasters (R. das Portas de Santo Antão 136), which had coffee bag lined seating and very knowledgable staff. They’ve also got a decent selection of breakfast items, should you be around for breakfast and over airplane food. They just don’t have WiFi. Otherwise, other places around the area that roast their own beans include Copenhagen Coffee Lab, Roastberry Coffee Lab, and the Mill.
Example Itinerary
Depending on how many hours you have, I would do a walking loop starting from Miradouro da Senhora do Monte. Then walk over to Alfama via Miradouro das Portas do Sol and Miradouro de Santa Luzia with a souvenir stop at XVIII – Azulejo & Faiança and a sugar refuel with pastel de natas at Santo António (1.5 km). Then head down to the Lisbon Cathedral and Arco da Rua Augusta (1 km). You can either detour for bifanas at As Bifanas do Afonso or continue on towards Bairro Alto where you can wander around the shops and plazas. Perhaps by now you need another coffee stop, so check out one of the many coffee options (perhaps Fábrica Coffee Roasters?).
Getting into the City
There are plenty of taxis and e-hailing options (read Uber) available to take you quickly into the city for a small sum (approximately 10 to 12 euros), if you are short on time.
If you are rich in time and short on cash, the airport is well connected to the city by metro. The metro fares work on a flat rate basis so the trip in will cost 1.50€ (plus 0.50€ for reusable card) and take around 40 minutes to Rossio, the main train station. Take the red line towards São Sebastião and get off at Alameda. Switch to the green line towards Cais do Sodré. Get off at Martim Moniz if you want to head up to Miradouro da Senhora do Monte. Otherwise get off at Rossio.
Where to Store Luggage
If you’ve got suitcases or hand luggage that you’d prefer to store while you wander around the city, there are luggage lockers outside the terminal building on the upper platform by the departures just up from the metro station exit. Prices vary, but for a small item (36cm X 48cm X 90cm) will cost 3.00€ per every 3 hour period. For a larger item (72cm X 99cm X 90cm), expect to pay 9.00€ per every 3 hour period. You can find more information here.
Alternatively, you can use Luggage Hero to find a local shop, like a cafe, to store your bags for the day for a small fee.
