Looking to travel to Madeira? We did. On our way, we stopped in the Portuguese capital. Here are some inspirations on what to do Lisbon in two days.
Our original plan was to go to Cabo Verde but it was too short notice, too expensive and we did not have enough time to spend there. So instead we went to… Madeira. A bit different but still on the same side of the world.
My flight had a 8-hour stopover in Lisbon. Perfect! I had wished to go back for a while now as my first time here was not enough. This is my opportunity! Both flights Barcelona to Lisbon and Lisbon to Funchal costed 200 Euros. Not bad as I booked it one week before departure date.
The 2-hour flight to Lisbon was sweet and short. Personally, I did not have any specific must dos in Lisbon since I had been here before. My plan was just to wander around, soak up the atmosphere and eat some good food while I am at it.
What to do in Lisbon – Day 1
At Lisbon’s airport, I took the red metro line to San Sebastiao. Lisbon’s metro system is quite modern. A Viva Viagem card is necessary to go around. It is a contactless electronic card, rechargeable and especially designed for non-frequent travelers for the modest price of 0,50 Euros. Then each trip is worth 1,40 Euros.
A walk around the city
Getting off at San Sebastiao resulted in a long walk to the city center but a nice one. I discovered Avenida da Liberdade, a big avenue modelled on Parisian boulevards and bordered by trees. Very enjoyable to walk. Even more if you are interested in high fashion as the boulevard hosts luxury brands.
Then I arrived in Rossio Square with its fountain and statue where I waited for my friend, who came with another flight, with a cup of tea. We decided to walk around marking our routes with monuments to make it more interesting.
Lisbon is a wonderful city to visit on foot. It conceals interesting views, staircases, buildings of interest and more in almost every corner. Lisbon also has a vintagy feel to it with its old trams and cable cars. My favourite things in Lisbon are the staircases and the tiled houses present everywhere in the city.
We started our walk going to Placa do Comercio, on the riverfront. From there, you see the 25 de Abril bridge, very similar looking to San Francisco’s suspension bridge and Christ the King statue overlooking the city from the other side of the river. We just saw three cities packed in one if I may say: Lisbon, San Francisco and Rio…So much money saved! Just joking!
Then we went to the Cathedral Sé de Lisboa, elegant and impressive especially from outside. The visit is free except for the Cloisters and Treasury room. Afterwards, we walked up to the Castle and stumbled upon a miradouro (viewpoint): the Miradouro das Portas do Sol with views over the domes and the rooftops of the city.
Pasteis de nata and sardines lunch
To enter the castle, the entrance fee is 8,50 Euros. Just for info. We decided not to visit it but I bet the view is amazing from there. We made time for a super delicious pastéis de nata instead.
A pastéis de nata is a portuguese egg tart pastry. Nata, the café in front of the castle, also has a shop here in Barcelona in Carrer de Pau Claris. Their pastéis de nata comes every morning from Lisbon to Barcelona. It must be true if they say so. A bit more expensive than the average pastéis you will find everywhere in Lisbon though. I have another good address for you in the Day 2 section.
That pastéis sharpened our appetite so we looked for a place to eat and strode across the Alfama district. It has narrow streets and quite a few staircases. We looked for a local eatery to have a more authentic experience and found this restaurant: Nova Alfama. Grilled sardines with potatoes for 6.80 Euros! Sardines are a national icon in Portugal. So it was a must to order that dish. Nova Alfama was simple, economic and very welcoming people. I recommend it to you.
After lunch, we crossed the Rossio square to walk around Chiado. It is a very lively area with a lot of shops and restaurants. I got a bit shocked by the number of brands I recognized around Lisbon. You know, the usual high street names I won’t cite. At some point, I thought I was back to Barcelona. This is one “bad side” of globalization. The world tends to dress alike and urban streets to look alike. Too bad, I like to add one of the kind piece from my trips to my wardrobe. At least I am saving some money.
After a couple of hours walking up and down hills, we took the metro back. This time, green line from Rossio to Alameda then red line to the Airport. Direction Madeira.
What to do in Lisbon – Day 2
Yes, there is another day in Lisbon… I had another 8-hour stop on my way back to Barcelona. Again, perfect! This time, I made a priority to find nice places to eat and enjoy good food. Portugal is renowned for its gastronomy.
A fancy lunch
A quick check on the web, yes even bloggers need some advices sometimes, I decided to go to Cantinho Do Avillez. From the airport, you take the green line to Alameda and get off at Baixa Chiado. This restaurant belongs to José Avillez, a big name in Portuguese cuisine. Wow! So let’s try.
First impression: the staff is snobbish and uptight. They were not very friendly and smiling is not part of their vocabulary. Still… I give the place a chance. I got some appetizers: truffle butter, olives, a tomato dip and some bread. I liked the homemade toasts.
My starter arrived a bit too soon. I did not even have the time to enjoy my appetizers properly. The marinated scallops with avocado (ceviche vieiras) were tasty and delicate with a really creamy avocado. My main, the pork alentejano with beans was quite bland and was served with regular fries – I had better ones at less fancier places.
For dessert, I ordered the “hazelnut” dessert: with hazelnut ice-cream, foam and freshly grated hazelnut and fleur de sel accompanied by a 5-year old Madeira wine. It was great and not overly sweet so even better. I also liked my cocktail called a fox trot, a pia colada base with coffee. Final bill: 47,50 Euros for one person. Not bad.
But I have mixed feelings about the place. The food was nice however it was not that extraordinary that I would ignore the staff’s attitude. For me, a food experience is atmosphere, food and service combined together. So I won’t come back.
Other places and food to try
I wanted to bring a Prego (a traditional steak sandwich) as a gift to a friend in Barcelona and on my quest discovered some more places to try next time. On my list: Sea me (fish restaurant mainly) and Casa da India (a more local place with a local feel, simple and very cheap for that matter). The prego is 2 euros there, it was greasy and tasty. The way is should be. Both are located in Rua do Loreto.
And here is the pastel de nata bakery I talked about earlier – still in Chiado: Manteigaria Fabrica de Pasteis de Nata. When I saw the name, for some reasons I thought to myself “Charlie and the chocolate factory” – don’t ask me why. Here the pastel de nata costs 1 Euro. There was a queue when I arrived. I understand why: nice place, delicious pastel and with good quality and you can even observe the bakers making them. Don’t you like this kind of experience?