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Lisbon, Portugal - January 2026

  • chrissihuf
  • Jan 22
  • 5 min read

Updated: Jan 22



Brief History/Information

Lisbon/Lisboa) is one of Europe’s oldest cities. It has been settled and run by many different countries and cultures, and with each conquering, new architecture and ways of living were enforced. Lisbon was the center of a global maritime empire. Explorers like Vasco da Gama set sail from Lisbon, that opened sea routes to Africa, India, and Asia. Lisbon marks their calendars by before and after the Big Earthquake of 1755. This was one of the biggest earthquakes in that time; it was a massive earthquake, followed by a tsunami and fires, that destroyed much of Lisbon.

There are five distinct neighborhoods in Lisbon:

  • Alfama – Oldest district, Moorish roots, Fado houses.

  • Baixa – Downtown, rebuilt after the 1755 earthquake.

  • Bairro Alto – Nightlife and bohemian culture.

  • Belém – Monuments of the Age of Discoveries.

  • Parque das Nações – Modern area developed for Expo ’98.


What we did & Places of Interest

Oh boy! What didn’t we do? We tried our hardest to do as much as Lisbon had to offer, but honestly it’s difficult. We had three full days in Lisbon and did a lot, but not everything… which means we have to come back!

Let’s start this journey with transportation. There are many ways to get around Lisbon and it’s all dependent on your budget and amount of time you have.

Here are the traveling options:

  • Public Transportation: bus or metro

  • Rideshare: Uber or Bolt

  • Car Rental

We only had three days in Lisbon, and time was a factor for us, so we used the rideshare apps. We used both Uber and Bolt and compared prices. For us, this was a huge time saver, and not much of a difference from public transportation for the two of us.

Here’s a side note on Lisbon and attractions (we did not do this), but wanted to inform you:


Before we start… check the weather frequently to know how to pack. Be flexible with your plans. Go with the flow. Wear very good walking shoes with good tread- it’s a very walkable town, but with a lot of hills ad the streets/sidewalks are paved with marble or slate tiles and can be extremely slippery (rain or shine).

Back to what we did… We arrived early in the morning, and Ubered to our hotel, Moxy Lisbon City, this is a nice hotel, it’s located in what they call the City Central, which is like their downtown business area. If I come back, I will stay somewhere closer to the water, because that is more centrally located to the five distinct neighborhoods I mentioned above.

It was a cold, windy, and rainy January day, so we Ubered to the Belém Tower (UNESCO World Heritage Site), this is a beautiful tower out in the water that was actually closed for renovations! It was still worth it to see this iconic tower that is a major symbol of Lisbon. We then did a short walk to the amazing Monument to the Discoveries (Padrão dos Descobrimentos), what a beautiful monument… we didn’t go inside to learn about it. Then it was another short walk to Jerónimos Monastery (UNESCO World Heritage Site). This is another place we didn’t enter because the lines were long, but the outside of it was gorgeous! Then it was almost time for our tile painting class, it first we needed food, so we stopped inside O Canthinho da Manas, a really good family run restaurant. We had reserved a tile painting class through Get Your Guide, this was one of the best classes/tours I’ve ever done! Our teacher/guide Cristina was patient and incredible and very knowledgeable. The next morning, we woke up and had a great breakfast at Soul & Sip, portions are large, then took a rideshare to the beautiful Rossio Train Station. Then we proceeded to walk and walk! We went to Praça do Comércio, Rua Augusta and the Rao Augusta Arch. Bairro Alto was a nice area and home to some of the city’s best restaurants, bars, and cafés. Somehow we then found ourselves at the oldest bar/restaurant in Lisbon, Martinho da Arcada. Since it was cold and rainy, we decided to walk to the nearest Irish bar, but somehow found British bar (yes, that’s the name) and had a sip there. The atmosphere was calm and relaxing. Then we went to O’Gilins Irish pub where I had my very first Guinness! After leaving, we walked and found ourselves on The Pink Street (AKA: Rua Nova do Carvalho), exactly what the name is… A. PINK. STREET! Then we found the Taylor’s Port Wine Shop & Tasting Room and had a very nice tasting of some ports. We then found ourselves in the Alfama District and got a great meal at Madeira Pura - Poncha Alfama this was delicious. **Special Note on Food: take the suggestions provided from the wait staff, they won’t steer you wrong!

The next day appeared to be our ‘church’ day! We went to Graca Historic District and visited Miradouro da Graça and Convento da Graça, this has great views and is much less crowded. Saw some beautiful and old places like the National Pantheon of Santa Engracia, São Domingos Church, Castelo de São Jorge, and the Lisbon Cathedral. We finished our day with a fabulous meal at Restaurante Vicente by Carnalentejana. This place is delicious and in an old cave/historic building (right next to Pink Street).


Walking Tour w/ Bar Crawl

BARS/RESTAURANTS/SITES



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