We visited Lisbon as a first stop on our multiple country European adventure in April 2025. This trip was primarily focused on Spain where we spent 10 days, and it made sense to add Lisbon to the list for 3 nights as we looked at exploring another destination on this itinerary. We didn’t expect much from Lisbon as most of our focus was on Spain, but we were pleasantly surprised by what it offered, their much touted wine didn’t disappoint one bit.

Best time to visit

Being on the lower end of latitude for an European city, Lisbon enjoys somewhat of a Mediterranean climate. The summers can be hot and brutal, so best to avoid the peak summers. Best time to visit are the spring (March-May) or Fall (Oct-Nov). But do expect odd showers during these times. When we went in early April, the weather was perfect with temperatures in mid teens and sunny days with long day light hours.

How to get around the city

The main airport at Lisbon (Humberto Delgado Airport) is situated very close to the city center and is well connected to the city through various means of transportation like buses, metro and taxis. We took the taxi to our hotel since they are fairly cheap (costing 14 Euros) and hassle free to book on apps like Bolt and Uber. If you want to book taxi through Uber or Bolt, make sure to book on the app and head to the designated rideshare pick-up area on Level 2 of the arrivals level after collecting baggage.

The public transportation consists of a mix of metro, buses, trams and taxis. The metro network itself is rather small with just 4 lines covering the entire city. Trams are very useful within the historic centers for short distances, though the center itself being small, can be navigated on foot. You can either buy single journey tickets, rechargeable cards like Navegante, or day passes like Lisbon card which also offers entry to some of the attractions. Taxis are also recommended especially for transfer across neighborhoods. Taxis are fairly cheap and good option if you are travelling as a family of 3 or 4.

Where to stay

For an authentic Lisbon experience, consider staying in the Alfama district known for narrow streets and Fado music. But the prices are also steep and reflective of the fancy nature of the neighborhood. We stayed in Novotel Lisboa which was fairly well situated with access to good set of restaurants and public transport (would recommend).

Top things to do

There are generally 3 to 4 areas that one visits while in Lisbon for such a duration – Belem district, Baixa district, Alfama district and Sintra town.

Belem

Belem Tower

The Belem Tower is an impressive structure sitting on the waterfront built in a Manuelino style of architecture and is an UNESCO World Heritage site. It was first built to defend Lisbon. Years later, it was transformed into a lighthouse and then a customs center.

Padrão dos Descobrimentos

The Monument to the Discoveries is a 52 meters tall structure built to commemorate the five hundredth anniversary of the death of Henry the Navigator, who discovered the Azores, Madeira, and Cape Verde. It is a short walk from Belem Tower.

Jerónimos Monastery

Situated in Santa Maria de Belem in Lisbon, the Jeronimos Monastery stands as a monumental symbol of the history and culture of Portugal. Jerónimos Monastery showcases the Portuguese Late Gothic Manueline architectural style, which is a fusion of Gothic, Renaissance, and Moorish elements. Though we didn’t go inside, the long lines for entry suggests this is quite popular among tourists.

Pastéis de Belém

There are multiple cafes and restaurants that serve those famous and delightful custard pastry in Lisbon (Pastel de nata). The most famous of them all is the Pastéis de Belém. This bakery is huge and can accommodate hundreds of people. We tried their Pastel de nata with hot chocolate on the side, quite yumm! People have also reported good custard pastry to be found at another outlet – Fábrica da Nata.

Baixa

Miradouro de São Pedro de Alcântara

Outside of the Alfama district, this is one of the most visited and beautiful viewpoints for panoramic views of the city. We took a taxi directly to here from Belem neighborhood as the price was reasonable and terrain is also steep for walk up.

Funicular ride

A funicular ride connects the central Baixa district below with the Miradouro de São Pedro de Alcântara at the top. The ride itself costs 4 Euros but covered by various passes. Since we didnt take any of the passes, we just walked down the path (5 mins) towards the Rossio square.

Rossio square

Rossio Square, officially known as Praça Dom Pedro IV, is a historic and lively space for street performances in central Baixa. There are a ton of restaurants around and a good place to stop for lunch.

Santa Justa Lift

The Santa Justa Lift is a lift (elevator) in Lisbon, which serves as the fastest way to get from the Baixa neighborhood to the Bairro Alto district. It also serves as a popular tourist destination or thing to do in Lisbon.

Alfama

Miradoura De Santa Luzia

One of our favorite spots in all of Lisbon was this Mirador. The panoramic views are quite stunning and we hear it gets even better if you can reach there for sunrise with sun rising above the water transforming the sky into deep orange bliss.

Miradouro das Portas do Sol

Located at a short distance from the previous view point is another amazing spot for panoramic views – Miradouro das Portas do Sol. They both essentially showcase same landscapes but from different perspectives.

Fado music

Alfama is also the heart and soul of Fado music. You will often hear live performances all over the streets of Alfama.

Museu Nacional Do Azulejo (National Tile museum)

Portugal has a long and rich history of using Tiles and this museum celebrates that capturing essence of tile work from different eras.

Sintra

The picturesque town of Sintra is located 30 kms west of Lisbon. It is home to some beautiful castles and palaces and is a popular destination for a day trip from Lisbon. Just remember that the top 3 things to do here are the castles and palaces – all of which consume time to explore well. Be sure to account for that while you plan your journey from Lisbon.

The cheapest way to get there is by train. The train leaves from Rossio station and takes about 45 mins to get to Sintra. The castles only open the doors at 10 am. Once you arrive at the train station, we recommend you take the bus and pay for the day pass as you will have to keep moving around places during your day in Sintra. There are other modes too like Taxi and Tuk Tuk but they can be highly unreliable in terms of availability.

Top things to explore in Sintra

There are primarily 3 to 4 places that one should consider while planning a day trip to Sintra town. Some of them have longer walks or steep climbs and hence we didn’t explore them all. I will though talk about them below just for completeness for others who are interested. The bus journeys can be time consuming as well, considering their pre determined routes which often run in loops in one direction.

Moorish Castle

Strategically located on top of a hill, this ancient fortification built by the Moors offers some amazing views of the Sintra town and Pena palace itself. Walk along the castle walls takes time to walk and involves hikes too. Be sure to account for it while you plan the visit.

Pena Palace and Park

The most famous attraction in all of Sintra is Pena Palace and Park. It is only 15 mins from the Moorish Castle and is usually less crowded at the end of the day. The palace is located inside a big park filled with colorful gardens, ponds and viewpoints. The palace itself once served as a residence of the Portuguese royal family and the structure inside and artifacts are largely well preserved.

Book the tickets in advance if you want to skip the line. Unfortunately for us, when we visited, the park was closed due to some recent bad weather conditions and we could only visit the Palace. Tickets for palace and Park are different and can be visited separately. The entry to Palace itself is timed with an optional paid bus service taking you from the entry to the palace site.

Quinta da Regaleira

This is another 20th century palace with gardens located a bit off from the Moorish Castle and Pena palace. The palace is full of tunnels, beautiful gardens and architecture. Like Pena Palace, this is also timed entry.

Sintra Town center

There are many cute bars and restaurants in the Sintra town center where you can relax after a long day of walking.

Wines of Portugal

The Portugese wines are by far one of the most celebrated wines in the world. There is a rich culture of Vineyards and wine production all over the country and you will often find supermarkets filled with wines from different regions of Portugal and at very affordable prices. You will be hard pressed for choice with the sheer variety and price range.

There are 11 to 12 wine producing regions in Portugal. Some of the most famous ones you will find on the shelves are – the Porto (Douro valley), the Dao and the Vinho Verde. We were able to try all these and they all turned out to be excellent choices regardless of their lower prices.

Final Thoughts

Overall, we had a fantastic 3 days in Lisbon. It offered a great mix for a European holiday with some amazing Viewpoints, Wines, Castles and Palaces – all for great price.