The best thing you truly can do in Lisbon is let yourself get lost; wander the cobbled streets aimlessly with no end goal, because I promise you you'll stumble upon local cafes, off the beaten track restaurants and views you'll want to photograph with much more easily than trying to navigate google maps—although I would emphasise wearing comfy footwear as Lisbon isn't known as the city of seven hills for nothing. However, if you're after some structure in your aimless wandering, we went to a few places during our trip that we'd definitely want to go back to on another visit...
THINGS TO DO
Time Out Market | This place was recommended to me a few times before we left, and it didn't disappoint. So many incredible options for food, delis, stalls to wander round and my favourite spot was the kitchenware and beauty pop-up shop that housed so many things I could have bought (and a lot I did...), including the Portuguese toiletries stocked in our hotel. A must for lunch while you're in Lisbon and definitely go when you're hungry!
Sintra | I'm going to do a longer blog post on Sintra as there's too much to say, but if you have a day spare in Lisbon I couldn't recommend visiting this magical town more. Like nowhere else I've ever been before, Sintra is a pastel-coloured town built up in the mountains, home to the Pena Palace up in the clouds and world heritage site Quinta da Regaleira. Prepare to do a lot of steps, and set aside an entire day to make the most out of everything it has to offer. Because there is a lot.
Belém | An absolute must in Lisbon is getting your hands on a traditional Portuguese custard tart. We got an Uber from central Lisbon to Belem as the bus we waited for never showed, and it's about a fifteen minute drive. Belem tower is the main attraction and a tourist hot-spot; you can go inside the tower but be prepared to queue. A short walk from there is home to the best custard tarts in Lisbon - Pasteis de Belem - which you can either sit in or takeaway. Each tart is just over a euro and comes with a packet of icing sugar and cinnamon. Almost salivating at the thought of them. A really lovely place to spend a morning.
Placa do Comercio | Right on the river, this is one of Lisbon's plazas and a very pretty place to stop by either in the day or evening. There's lots of cafes and restaurants, as well as a viewing point; a really good place to come for sunset. It's also at the top of the shopping district.
RESTAURANTS + CAFES
Zero Zero Pizzeria | This was one of the places we went to after walking past one night and seeing the queues of people outside—a sure sign it must be good. We also saw they had a pop-up at the Time Out Lisbon Market (a much smaller menu) if you were there and fancied trying it out but couldn't get to the restaurant. The pizzas are huge, I had a delicious burrata starter and there's an extensive drinks menu (I think I saw they had prosecco on tap...). You can't book, so prepare to wait a little while on busy evenings. The restaurant kitchen also has a deli attached so you can buy cheese, meats etc. afterwards, too. We went in February, so naturally sat inside, but there is a beautiful terrace which would be dreamy for the warmer months.
Tapisco | Probably our favourite restaurant experience in Lisbon, we saw Tapisco recommended a couple of times online and were tempted by the Portuguese and Spanish tapas menu. You can't reserve a table for dinner and turning up around 8pm, we waited around 45mins for one (although they do serve bar snacks and drinks to you while you wait outside). It's worth the wait; the food was delicious (lots of seafood on the menu), and we were seated at the bar so could watch the food being made which was fascinating.
Romana | Another place we stumbled across while exploring Alfama, this was my first ever burrata pizza and it was incredible. We didn't do any research in where to eat in this part of Lisbon, and I'm sure there are tons of places, but if you want a carb-refill pit stop during a day of exploring the Old Town, this was very good.
Caffe di Marzano | There are so many beautiful and "insta-worthy" places for a late morning coffee in Lisbon, and it just so happened that this one was on our path of exploration for the day. Had we not just had a huge breakfast, we'd have been more than happy choosing from this brunch menu (especially great for vegetarians), and there were so many delicious smoothies to pick between. It goes without saying the interiors are incredible, particularly with the sun blazing through the windows.
Beautiful photos! Lisbon is one of my favourite places. Steph x
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