A Short Visit to Lisbon

When you only have time for a short visit to Lisbon you want to make sure to prioritize only the best right? So we assembled together our experiences so you can be scrupulous in choosing how you spend your time there. Let’s call it, only the essentials.

Jerónimos Monastery

The beautiful 13th century monastery is located in the area of Belem. Even if you only have a short visit to Lisbon, keep this on your list. It’s a very reasonable entrance fee to get in and see the elegant architecture and art displayed inside. This UNESCO world heritage site also hosts the Maritime and National Archeology Museums in it’s main wing.

Pasteis de Belem

Just down the road from the Monastery is the Pasties De Belem Bakery. They continue to use the recipe for their iconic egg tarts from the originals made by the monastery since 1837. They were the perfect stop for a sweet treat after our Monastery visit. Just keep in mind there is almost always a line as they are so well known. Keep an eye out throughout Lisbon for any of the lovely bakeries selling both sweet and savory pies and pastries which continue on centuries old recipes. There is no need to mess with a classic as they continue to be delicious.

Time Out Market

Time Out Market was a really fun way to test out a bunch of different local foods. We went big and ended up spending more then we probably intended to but it was worth it because everything was munch. Loved the way you could try little bits from a bunch of different stands. We had all the best of Portugal with this Charcuterie board featuring fantastic cured meat and a local Port wine which originate in Portugal.

Barrio Alto

We had two great nights out in Barrio Alto which is full of small restaurants and bars open for the night. Although, in typical British fashion we always ended up in an Irish style pub to finish each evening. Though, this happened in many areas of Lisbon, particularly around the Barrio Alto nightlife area there are numerous people who will approach you openly to offer to sell you drugs. This definitely caught us off guard initially and though we never felt safe, speaks to a bit of seediness in the area so probably not a place to take the kids.

Bus Tour

There are multiple different bus tour routes through Lisbon but the one we chose started out in Belem and we hopped on at the beautiful Discoveries Monument pictured above. You can also pay to go up to the top for some pretty views, we hopped on the bus instead. This was our main disappointment in Lisbon. Partially, because we were on the bus during rush hour traffic and partly because there was very little to see on the route we chose (who wants to drive by the outside of a zoo?) Our advice, check out Belem on your own and skip the hop on hop off red line tour. Especially if you are only making a short visit to Lisbon, it’s just not worth your time.

Triumphal Arch

One stop off we did enjoy on the bus tour was at the Triumphal Arch, a beautiful example of Portuguese architecture and a small hub of shops, bars and restaurants. As we went down the road behind us from this photo, we strolled by the shops and street performers and I tried out a traditional cod fish cake. Forward through the arch is a traditional European plaza with restaurants and bars including the Museum of Beer which was a fun location to try out some local cervejas. We sat in their outdoor seating overlooking the Tagas river which flows from Lisbon into the Atlantic Ocean…. great place to enjoy each other’s company….

Porter Bistro

We are very spoiled to have a friend who is an amazing chef. If you are ever near Liverpool, England check out Oh So British Street Food, you won’t be disappointed. In addition to getting to taste some of his amazing meals, he picked out an excellent restaurant for us to try in Lisbon, the Porter Bistro located within the Corpo Santo Hotel. We all enjoyed our meals and the special surprise located in the basement. During renovations , the hotel discovered remnants of a 14th century wall (pictured above) and other historic artifacts from several different centuries. Our waiter brought us down for an unexpected tour making our dinner especially memorable.

So that is our Lisbon quintessentials for a short visit. Our favorites and not so favorites to make your visit the cream of the crop. Did you agree with our list? We would love to hear your comments below on where to visit if you only have a short time in Lisbon.