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4 Days in Lisbon and Porto

Updated: May 28, 2023

Lisbon (Lisboa)

Day 1

  1. Round 1 of Walking

    1. Rossio Square

    2. Rua Augusta (one of the most famous squares in Lisbon)

    3. Praca de Comercio (this is the square at the end of Rua Augusta and adjacent streets, lot of bollywood and hollywood movies have been shot here)

    4. Santa Justa lift (started in 1902 first, you can actually go inside but there is a queue and a minor fee),

    1. Round 2 (you can choose to do on Day 2) -

      1. Torre de Belem,

      2. Monastery of Jeronimos and Pedras dos Decombrimontos.

  2. If you can, try riding one of their local trams, it is fun. Tram no. 28 is the most popular tram to see around.

  3. Lunch Options

    1. We recommend trying out Time Out market. It is a huge pavilion with many Michelin star chef’s pop-up restaurants. You have to find a table to sit, get a bottle or whiskey from the bar and get food from various places. (It is right next to their largest fruits/veg market so keep walking and you will see doors for the market area with food)

    2. An Indian restaurant called Chutnify in Principal Real. It was listed in Conde Nast (Vogue) as one of the best restaurants in Lisbon.

  4. If you have more time, pick any of the closer neighborhoods and walk around for Cafes and restaurants like - Principal Real, Bairro Alto, Alfama, Chiado.

Day 2

Do a day trip to Sintra.

  1. Go to Pena Palace. Their terrace cafe is open for sandwiches and coffee. Take the bus from the entry gate to the main gate, it's on incline and very hard. Private cars are not allowed to park there.

  2. Cabo de Roca - Westernmost of Europe in Sintra, not much to do, easy walking, take picture, eat roasted chestnut

  3. Quinta da Regaleira

Things to try

  1. Pastel de Nata - Link from Conde Nast, don't have to try all, maybe 1-2 :)

  2. Ginja, a cherry liquor, though you can find in Obidos, some good shops are here. Try either A Ginjinha (one of the oldest shops) or Ginjinha Sem Rival (where somebody feed Phil went)

  3. Seafood, Shrimp and local Vinho Verde (very refreshing wine)

  4. If you want to try the places where Phil went in Lisbon, HERE is the link.


Porto

Day 1

  1. Bolsa Palace - 30mins tour for $12 per person (different for kids and students). Tour is easy and quick.

  2. Head to Ribeira - 10 mins walking distance from the palace, inclined down so slightly easy. For seniors, we have seen Uber coming all the way down to Ribeira, so try to use that option as walking out of here is either stairs/incline unless you walk over the Bridge.

    1. Many small cafes enjoy a coffee with pastry. Have lunch, relax and enjoy the views of Douro River.

    2. You can also buy good quality Souvenirs from here.

  3. You can see and cross over the Dom Louis bridge:

    1. Famous port houses are on the other side of the bridge. You can do port wine tasting too, no advance booking required.


Day 2

  1. Sao Bento Train station, the station is popular for the blue tiles and took 11 years to install. (Highly recommend) Many options from walkable distance here, example:

    1. Igreja de Carmo (10 mins walk), Porto Cathedral (5mins walk), Porto University (9 mins walk).

    2. If kids are Harry Potter fans then - Livraria Lello. It is a library and J K Rowling wrote many chapters of Harry Potter here. $5 per person ticket and the line tends to be longer. (7 mins walk from Sao Bento station)

    3. There are many botanical gardens and museums if any of that interests you.

    4. There are many cafes here so walk around and enjoy some shopping, coffee or even Gelato.

  2. For Lunch - head to Matosinhos - Get an uber, it’s about 20 mins drive. The locals call Matosinhos the place with the best fish in the world.

    1. We suggest Sao Valentim - a local favorite, small restaurant, they serve catch of the day, ask for it, usually Seabass or Sea Bream. Shrimps are recommended to try.

  3. After lunch, head to Matosinhos beach (5mins walk from Sao Valentim, easy flat walk) and enjoy coffee at the beachside cafe. I don’t remember the name but it’s right on the beach and you can see it from the street.

    1. Enjoy freshly roasted chestnuts, 3 EUR for a small bag.


Things to try

  1. Roasted Chestnuts

  2. Port and other Wine

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