Portugal’s hilly and coastal capital Lisbon is one of the most fun European capitals. Filled with old city’s pastel-coloured buildings, steep cobbled streets, castles, churches, museums, glistening river, suspension bridge, flying to Lisbon should be one top of your bucket list. Here is a guide to exploring Lisbon so you can make the best of your time in the city.
Where to stay in the city?
Lisbon city can be overwhelming, but there are also a ton of hotels and dorms that will make sure you don’t break your bank exploring the city. However, it is very important to choose the hotel wisely as some can really make it difficult for you to experience other things in the city. Plus, they must also be a bit close to the airport, so you can check out a few things even at a stopover when you fly to Lisbon.
The good news is that there are plenty of options for you out there, depending on your budget and either you are travelling alone or with your partner and kids. From a bunk bed in a high-quality hostel, a dorm or a suite in an expensive five-star hotel, staying in the capital in style as well as budget is possible.
Lisbon: The Vibrant, flavourful city
From São Jorge Castle, Tagus Estuary and Ponte 25 de Abril, the suspension bridge, the National Azulejo Museum and a string of Atlantic beaches outside the city offers countless things to see and do in the dynamic city. Moreover, the city is known for is amazing tastes making Lisbon a city for foodies.
Lisbon is such a beautiful city, that you will not believe that men can be so lucky as to actually live there. The lively city offers new things to do, eat and see every year. Here is a brief guide into the dynamic city of Lisbon, something that will most assuredly convince you to pack your bags. But before starting it, we would love to tell our esteemed readers about all the things relevant to travelling as well as new destinations, news, and much more. Visit http://thetravelblogs2.edublogs.org/ for everything you want to know and read about travelling. This amazing blog will inspire you to pick your next destination, as well as tell amazing spots in a particular destination for exploration.
Things to in Lisbon
There are so many things to see and do in the city, which involves everything from tours, sightseeing, dining out or trying street food,
Take a Tram to Belém
Belém is a beautiful district of Lisbon with a number of attractions. A few believe that no trip to Lisbon is complete without taking a tram ride to Belém and visiting the bakery there known as Pasteis de Belém, previously known as Rua de Belém.
Moreover, Belém is known for Europe’s biggest plaza, the Jardim da Praça do Império, world’s biggest collection of royal coaches the Museu dos Coches, and Jerónimos monastery, known for housing beautifully carved arches and columns. The monasteries are the Museu de Marinha and the Museu Nacional de Arqueologia, two museums devoted to the golden age navigators and Roman mosaics and Bronze Age metalwork respectively.
As soon as you think that is all for historical collections, you will come across the Museu Coleção Berardo inside Belém Cultural Centre housing private art collection of 20th-century masterpieces.
A trip to cultural oasis – the Gulbenkian
The Gulbenkian, as the title suggests, a cultural oasis in Lisbon. This is the place where you can live your life, enjoy Jazz or Verdi, learn ancient Egyptian stuff, or enjoy the simple pleasures of life, feed ducks, eat ice-cream, lie on the grass in the shade of a tree.
Moreover, the Museu Calouste Gulbenkian is where you can check out the eclectic and stellar art collection. It has both indoor and outdoor auditoriums, separate light and airy Centro de Arte Moderna focusing on British and Portuguese artists, all of which are sponsored by the Gulbenkian Foundation.
Tile day in Lisbon
One of the most fascinating things about Lisbon is the tile display creativity at the Museu do Azulejo. The spanning 500-year-old house of tiles is so fascinating you will lose yourself in it.
The blue-and-white 18th-century panels illustrating inside the São Vicente de Fora church, the hotels Palácio Belmonte or Palácio Ramalhete with beautiful interior walls are wonders to see. You will find yourself spellbound even by the side streets of Alfama, Chiado and Cais do Sodré.
Trying out Portuguese Food
You might have heard of amazing Portugal’s dishes, such as the dried and salted codfish called bacalhau, or the original with shredded cod with onions, eggs, and potatoes known as bacalhau à Brás.
Must-try things in Lisbon are seaside catches octopus, tuna, monkfish, shrimp, sardines, clams, snails in a number of forms. You can try this fresh seafood from the Michelin-starred restaurants to gourmet-food markets and there is nothing you will dislike here.
There are a number of taverns as well, where you can enjoy juicy steaks and gourmet burgers, or Indian curries, Turkish delights and authentic Moroccan flavours.
Lisbon is for the all-nighters
If you are the fun party types, Lisbon is the city for you. There are hundreds of places where you can find cheap booze and music you can dance to all night. There are no laws that will ask you to head home when the clock strikes 11, or 7 for that matter. This means you will be spending a lot of your nights going out then coming home.
At night, the city is transformed into one of Europe’s most wild drinking scenes. There are wine bars, hot spots, traditional pubs and what not. Head to the Cais do Sodré, Pink Street and environs for the best parties at the city’s classic nightclubs and cocktail bars. To get high or wasted, head to the megaclubs stretch along the waterfront from Santos to Santa Apolónia.
Lisbon’s Cais do Sodré
One of the shadiest places in Lisbon for years was the riverside Cais do Sodré, filled with sailors. The place was known for corruption, clubs, and brothel houses. However, the whole area is now decorated, making it one of the most attractive and must-visit places in Lisbon. Rua Nova do Carvalho, the main street of Cais do Sodré is now painted a bright pink. The brothels were converted into live music venues, burlesque clubs and tapas bars where now you can have the time of your life in the city’s most happening nightlife district.