13 must-dos in Lisbon, Portugal

April 25, 2019

Cathedrals, churches, museums, architecture, gastronomy and more. You won’t be bored for a second in the Portuguese capital. Whether you’re coming for a long weekend, a week or just living here, there’s always something to discover and do in Lisbon. It’s this richness and diversity that makes Lisbon one of the most interesting capitals I know.

I hesitated for a long time before writing this article, as it would be indigestible, if not impossible, to give you an exhaustive list of all the things to do in Lisbon. So I’ve deliberately left out the monuments and museums, and shared with you my favorite places and activities since I moved to Lisbon. Please note that this list represents “my must-sees” and is therefore subjective.

I was also afraid of writing an article that would be too touristy, but let’s face it, Lisbon has become very touristy in the last 3-4 years. The more typical or “secret” places are gradually becoming touristy too. But in the end, living in another country turns us into “long-term tourists”, so it’s normal to discover the city with novice eyes, like a normal tourist. So, yes, my list will be made up of touristy places and activities, but in my opinion, they are all must-dos in Lisbon.

1. Take a Tuk Tuk ride

Atypical means of transport for discovering Lisbon abound: go-cars, segways, scooters and electric bikes, twizys, ladybugs and more. But the capital’s historic means of transport remain the tuk tuk and the streetcar. Although touristy, noisy, a nuisance for cars, polluting(although we’re seeing more and more electric ones) and a bit expensive. Yes, it has plenty of faults! The tuk tuk is a great way to discover Lisbon. But why?

For one thing, Lisbon is not easy to discover on foot. Also known as “the city of 7 hills”, the Portuguese capital is very steep, with many ascents and descents, on pavements that are sometimes slippery, with holes, and so on. It can therefore be very physical and tiring to discover the whole capital on foot. The tuk tuk can be a good alternative.
On the other hand, the tuk tuk allows you to see as much as possible in a short space of time. The drivers take on the role of tour guides and stop you at the main points of the capital, allowing you to see many monuments, districts, miradouros, etc. in a short space of time.
Last but not least, it’s a rather original and fun mode of transport that can accommodate from 3 to 6 people, and is always a great time to spend with friends or family.

The price is around 60 euros for the whole tuk tuk and a 1-hour tour. And don’t forget to choose a driver who speaks French, because as I said, beyond their chauffeur’s hat, they’ll stop you at the city’s main landmarks and share with you anecdotes and bits of history about the city. It would be a shame to miss out on this information by choosing a driver who doesn’t speak your language. Finding them is easy. They’re everywhere in Lisbon! Especially in the city’s main squares.

You’ll find lots of different tuk tuks: of all colors, sizes, electrics, and so on.

2. Discover Lisbon’s Conserveira

Cod and sardines are two of Portugal’s flagship products. It would be a pity to visit Portugal without tasting them. There are so many cod dishes(bacalhau in Portuguese) that the Portuguese say there are as many recipes as there are days in the year, or 365!(to find out more, read my article on Portuguese gastronomy). Sardines are also a delicacy in Portugal, so popular in fact that the June Santo Antonio festivities in Lisbon are dedicated to them, and commonly dubbed “the sardine festivities”. But I’m sure you’ll agree that bringing home fresh cod or sardines isn’t easy! So why not bring back some tinned sardines? More practical, don’t you think?

Canned sardines are very popular in the capital. There are several stores selling them, but there’s one address that’s a must in my book. A real Lisbon institution! A family business since 1930: “ la Conserveira de Lisboa “. When I first arrived in Lisbon, I fell in love with this little store in the city center, with its meticulously organized preserves.

The tins are arranged like fine wines.

Originally, in 1930, the store was called “Mercearia do Minho”, then became “Conserveira de Lisboa”. Although the name has changed, the store’s decor remains in the style of the 1930s. Three brands of preserves have always been sold here: Tricana, Minor and Prata do Mar. These brands offer colorful packaging and “fofinho”(Portuguese for cute) designs. Don’t you think?(photos below).

Tricana & Minor can packaging.

And don’t miss the “spectacle” of paper-coating your cans. Kraft paper, string, amazing dexterity and in no time at all, the grandmother behind the counter is preparing your pack of tins.

3. Eating a gargantuan “pastel de bacalhau

Along with pasteis de nata, pasteis de bacalhau(cod fritters) are one of the classics of Portuguese gastronomy. Once you’ve arrived in Lisbon, you absolutely must try one! You’ll find this savory snack quite easily in restaurants and pastelarias(pastry shops) , but the one I recommend you try is at the ” Casa Portuguesa do Pastel de Bacalhau “(Portuguese house ofcod fritters) located in the main shopping street ” Rua Augusta “.

The famous pastel de bacalhau with dripping cheese.

So let’s be honest, this isn’t a “typical” store. It’s a “tourist” store. Also, the pasteis de bacalhau are not the traditional recipe: potatoes and cod, since they also contain the famous ” Queijo da Serra “(sheep’s milk cheese). But despite this, the pasteis de bacalhau here are homemade, made in front of you, gourmet and delicious. If you like cheese, go ahead and try this original and enooorrrrme pastel de bacalhau.

An employee preparing the pasteis de bacalhau.

4. Enjoy the best pasteis de nata

There’s no arguing with the fact that the ” Pasteis de Belém ” store, located in Lisbon’s Belém district, is THE place to eat the best pasteis de nata. Tourists, locals and expatriates all agree that this is the place to find the best pasteis de nata in the country. I quite agree with that! So, inevitably, this good address is well known, and has become an institution with long queues of tourists waiting patiently to buy these famous pasteis de nata.

Warm Belém pastel and freshly squeezed orange juice, what better way to start the day!

You can take the pasteis to go or eat them on the spot. I recommend eating them on the spot. Firstly, because the “takeaway” queue is often very long, but also because the interior is astonishing. The front of the store suggests a small boutique, but in reality, you enter and a maze of azulejo-decorated rooms follows. Also, inside, you can see the employees preparing batches of Belém pasteis. If you’re going to take them “to go”, I’d advise you to go early or late. The store is open from 08:00 to 23:00 from October to June, and from 08:00 to midnight from July to September.

A freshly baked batch of pasteis de Belém.

The downside – and there is one – is that you’ll have to go all the way to the Belém district, which is a little out of the center of Lisbon, to taste these pasteis. If you don’t have time to go all the way to Belém and you’re suddenly craving pasteis de nata, I’ve got the solution!

You’ll also find what you’re looking for in downtown Lisbon! I have no hesitation in recommending the pasteis de nata of the ” Manteigaria “. Located on the famous Praça Luis de Camões, which I mentioned in one of the last blog posts, this store is sure to delight your taste buds! If you want to enjoy them piping hot, just wait for the bell to ring announcing the release of a new batch! I’m licking my fingers just talking about it!

5. Take a boat trip on the Tagus

For me, if you have the time, one of the must-do things in Lisbon is a boat trip on the Tagus. An unforgettable experience, in my opinion. Just imagine the scene: a sailboat, your friends or family, music, an aperitif and, as a backdrop, the sunset, the April 25th bridge, the Cristo Rei, the Belém tower, the Praça do Comércio, and so on.

And now you’re going to tell me: “But it must be expensive!” Well, not really! It costs around €200-300 to hire a boat(sailboat or catamaran), 2H00/2H30 with skipper. You can have up to 10 people on the boat. That works out at 20€-30€ per person. A price that seems affordable to me if there are several of you for an experience like this. I recommend Rui Palma of the Palmayatch company, with whom I have always been satisfied. Also, on the Odisseias website(the Portuguese “Groupon”) you can regularly find cruise offers at great prices.

Back to port with the Padrão dos Descobrimentos in the background.

6.view Lisbon from a miradouro

A classic on my list of things to do in Lisbon is simply to go to a miradouro. With its 7 hills, the city has many of them. Miradouros are magnificent viewpoints located all over the capital. My favorite is Senhora do Monte. If you had to do just one, I’d steer you towards this one, but if you have the time, it’s worth doing several. They all offer different views of the city. Here’s a list of the main miradouros in Lisbon:

Miradouro de São Pedro de Alcântara,
Miradouro de Nossa Senhora do Monte,
Miradouro da Graça,
Miradouro Santa Luzia,
Miradouro das Portas do sol,
Miradouro da Santa Catarina.

There are telescopes at every miradouro, but even without them, the views are sublime.

7. Have a drink on a rooftop

You’re in for a real treat if you visit all the city’srooftops! Lisbon is full of them! These rooftops are more or less hidden and all have different styles. I think my favorite is at the Hotel Mundial in Praça Martim Moniz. I like this rooftop because, in my opinion, it offers the best views of the capital. Here’s a list of some other nice rooftops to do in Lisbon:

Park, overlooking the April 25th bridge, located on the roof of a parking lot in the Bairro alto district,
Sky bar, the rooftop of the Hotel Tivoli on Avenida Liberdade, offering a lovely view of the castle and the city of Lisbon,
Silk, a chic rooftop in Bairro Alto with a panoramic view of Lisbon. Please note that you absolutely must book in advance, as you can’t go up there unless you’re on the list,
Rio maravilha, located in the famous Lx Factory, which I’ll tell you about later in the article. This restaurant/bar is located under the April 25th bridge and offers the best view of the Cristo Rei,
Topo Martim Moniz, a small rooftop with a cool atmosphere and a lovely view of the castle and the Graça and Alfama districts,
Memmo, a quiet rooftop in the beautiful Alfama district. Its special feature is its red pool, photographed by Instagrammers the world over.

Rooftop Entetanto with a magnificent frontal view of São Jorge Castle.

8. Eating in a tasca

A tasca is a typical Portuguese restaurant offering home-cooked food. Whether you’re visiting or living in Portugal, don’t miss out on the local gastronomy.

You’ll find plenty of restaurant addresses in your guidebooks, but the problem is that many of these restaurants, because they’re in the guidebooks, have become ultra-touristy and have lost all their authenticity. I’m sorry about this restaurant, but I’d like to mention the Cervejaria Trindade, for example, which is in all the guidebooks, but which really doesn’t have anything to do with a Portuguese restaurant. Caldo verde with more potatoes than cabbage, dry broa, frozen shrimps, tables full of dozens of tourists crammed into the restaurant, and so on. At last, there’s nothing local about it anymore!

That’s precisely why I won’t be giving you any addresses today. It’s up to you to discover the little restaurant hidden away in an alleyway that will delight your taste buds and become your favorite address to share with your friends. However, here are my tips for finding a good little tasca in Lisbon:

avoid the restaurants on the main tourist streets; go for the little streets,
don’t go to restaurants with touts and where the menu is translated into 5 languages,
choose a restaurant that smells of grilled meats,
don’t pay attention to the restaurant’s decor; don’t choose an “Instagrammable” restaurant. Go for restaurants with paper tablecloths, wooden chairs or benches, stainless steel dishes, etc.
choose restaurants where the menu is handwritten on a blackboard at the entrance,
choose restaurants where the price of a dish is under 10 euros. This is the price in a “real” tasca, even in Lisbon.

Paper tablecloths, stainless steel plates, generous portions, home cooking – that’s a tasca!

9. Stroll around LX Factory

Lx Factory… Before we tell you about this extraordinary place to visit in Lisbon, there’s something important you should know! In Portuguese, the letter “X” is pronounced “chiche”. Yes, like “chickpea”! So if you’re talking about this place, say: “L chiche Factory”. You’re in Portugal, so adopt the Portuguese pronunciation 😉 As for the meaning of “LX Factory”. “LX” is short for “Lisbon”, and “Factory” in English means “factory”, in reference to the past of this extraordinary place.

This unusual place, as we know it today, is recent. It was only in 2008, in Lisbon’s Alcântara district, under the famous April 25th bridge, that this place was born. A gigantic derelict industrial site(a former textile and printing factory) was transformed into the Lx Factory. There’s no doubting the site’s industrial past when you see the chimneys, bricks, glass roofs, scaffolding staircases… inside. Today, LX factory understands:

trendy stores and thrift stores
restaurants and bars,
co-working spaces,
walls on which the best street art artists express themselves, such as Bordalo II,
a magnificent bookshop, Ler Davagar ‘s, well worth a visit,
the delicious Landeau patisserie with its famous chocolate cakes,
the ” Rio Marvilha ” rooftop, offering breathtaking views of the April 25th Bridge and Cristo Rei.

The view from the “Rio Marvilha” bar at Lx Factory.

10. Lisbon on foot

Some of you will tell me that visiting Lisbon on foot is physical, and you’re right! Yes! Lisbon on foot wears out your shoes! The Portuguese capital will give you some nice, spindly legs! You’ll have to go up, down, up, down… but it’s undoubtedly on foot that you’ll discover the most.

After that, you need to know where to go and not miss the nooks and crannies, the details, the anecdotes, the stories and so on. I’ve got a solution for that. Without following a herd of dozens of tourists with a guide and his little flag(we agree it’s not great!), there are other options open to you. There are many companies in Lisbon offering small groups of around 6 people who will take you off the beaten track. The guides are often locals, and they’ll take you through the back streets of Lisbon’s historic districts: Alfama, Graça, Mouraria, etc. Here are a few companies offering this type of service:

Get away from the tourist squares and souvenir stores with a walk off the beaten track.

11. Fado: the song that makes your hair stand on end

You either love it or you don’t! It’s all about Fado. You can’t stay or live in Lisbon without experiencing Fado at least once. This melancholy Portuguese song is part of humanity’s intangible heritage! Fado is an emotionally-charged song, often accompanied by a guitar. The icon of Fado is Amália Rodrigues, whom I mentioned in one of my last articles. Fado isn’t very cheerful, so you won’t be laughing out loud during this evening, but it’s an extraordinary experience.

In Lisbon, Fado is heard mainly in the narrow streets of the Alfama district. It’s the “fadista”(fado singers) you hear as they perform in the district’s restaurants. It’s a rather “touristy” activity, but listening to Fado is, in my opinion, a must-do in Lisbon. Here are a few restaurants with Fado that I recommend:

12. Go to the beach

Going to Lisbon and not going to the beach is like “being a girl and not having any shampoo” as a famous ^21stcentury philosopher would say(humor). So it would be a shame not to take advantage of the beaches if you come to Lisbon. But the problem is that in Lisbon, there aren’t really any beaches, and for those of you who are confused, let me remind you that there’s no ocean in Lisbon. Lisbon has a river: the Tagus (“Rio Tejo” in Portuguese). So, if you want to bask on the beaches, you’ll have to take the car or the train. In the Lisbon area, there are :

beaches on the Lisbon-Cascais train line, including : Carcavelos, Parede, São Pedro do Estoril, Estoril, Cascais, ..
the beaches of the Serra da Sintra,
beaches on the other side of the bridge(Lisbon’s south shore): Costa da Caparica, Fonte de Telha, Meco, …,
the beaches of the Serra da Arrábida.

Whether you’re staying or living in Portugal, you can make the most of the beach:

in the morning: for a jog, on the promenade or, for the bravest, in the sand! I hear it’s even better for the glutes!
noon: lunch in a beach restaurant with fresh fish and a refreshing vinho verde, or an impromptu family picnic,
in the afternoon: for sunbathing, oiled up like a sardine,
in the evening: for an aperitif with friends or a game of snowshoes at sunset, with the sound of the waves and the guy playing guitar next to you… Can you imagine the scene?

A game of rackets at sunset. Nadal’s got to watch out 😉

13. Getting to Sintra

Okay, I can see you coming: “Anne-Sophie, you’re talking about things to do in Lisbon and now you’re telling us about another city! Yes, I’m taking it upon myself to make a little exception in my article and tell you about Sintra. And why? Because, in my opinion, this town is a must-see if you’re staying or living in Lisbon. The town has a very special atmosphere. The setting is enchanting, and you almost expect to come across a princess or an elf in some of the landscapes you’ll discover in Sintra. To get there, you have several options:

by car(rent a car),
by bus(via an organized excursion),
by train(departure from Rossio station in central Lisbon).

Without going into too much detail, here are a few must-sees in Sintra:

palacio de Pena,
the Quinta da Regaleira,
castelo dos Mouros,
and because I’m a gourmet and I’m sure you are too: eat a “Queijada de Sintra” at Casa Piriquita in the town center.

Fonte dos Passarinhos (Fountain of the Birds) in Sintra’s Palacio de Pena.

In conclusion

You won’t be bored for a second in the Portuguese capital! There are so many things to do in Lisbon that I’ll never be able to list them all, and I still don’t know them all, even after 6 years in the capital. What’s more, today I’ve talked exclusively about Lisbon(except for Sintra), but there are plenty of things to do around Lisbon that are sure to keep your weekends busy if you live there.

What do you like to do in Lisbon?

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