Lisbon is one of Europe’s most captivating capitals—a city of seven hills, sun-drenched terracotta rooftops, azulejo-tiled facades, and one of the world’s most vibrant culinary cultures.
Having traveled to Lisbon regularly over the past 15 years—often settling into neighborhood apartments for weeks at a time—we have experienced the city both as first-time sightseers and seasoned culinary travelers. While its historic trams and Gothic monuments draw millions, the real soul of Lisbon is found in its traditional tascas, waterfront seafood temples, and bustling pastelaria counters.
Whether you are planning a fast 48-hour city break or an extended week-long stay, this Lisbon travel guide covers how to get around, the best neighborhoods for food lovers, and our tested itinerary tips.
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Quick Facts: Planning a Trip to Lisbon
| Detail | What to Know |
| Best Time to Visit | May to June or September to October (warm weather, manageable crowds) |
| Getting Around | Metro, walkable central districts, and Bolt/Uber for steep hills |
| Currency & Payments | Euro (€); contactless card accepted widely, but carry small cash for older tascas |
| Top Food Neighborhoods | Baixa, Chiado, Cais do Sodré, and Mouraria |
| Local Must-Try Foods | Pastel de nata, bifana, prego no pão, and fresh grilled sardines |
| Suggested Trip Length | 3 to 4 days (or 7 days if combining day trips to Sintra and Cascais) |
Table of Contents
How To Visit Lisbon Portugal
Based on all of our many visits to Lisbon, we wanted to share our tips on how to plan the perfect Lisbon sightseeing trip. This includes some of the top travel tips, the top things to do in Lisbon, and where and what to eat and drink in Lisbon.
Obviously, with how we travel, we focus on experiencing Lisbon through food and drink, but there is a lot to do in between meals too!
Where Is Lisbon & How to Get Around
Lisbon sits on the northern bank of the Tagus River where it empties into the Atlantic Ocean, built across steep hills connected by historic trams and funiculars.
Because Lisbon is the cidade das sete colinas (city of seven hills), walking here requires comfortable, flat shoes with good grip on the polished limestone cobbles (calçada portuguesa). This is our most important travel tip for Lisbon, particularly for woman. This is not the place to be the tourist wearing heels!
- Metro: Clean, reliable, and directly connects Lisbon Airport (Humberto Delgado Airport) to the city center via the Red Line in under 25 minutes.
- Trams & Funiculars: Tram 28 is iconic, but often crowded with pickpockets during peak hours. Trams 12 and 15 (to Belém) offer great alternatives, as do the Gloria and Bica funiculars for scaling steep inclines.
- Rideshares & Taxis: Bolt and Uber are fast and remarkably inexpensive in Lisbon (€4 to €8 for most intra-city hops), making them ideal for getting home late from dining in Bairro Alto or Alfama.
In the past, Uber has been inconsistent, with local taxi drivers wanting to have Uber eliminated. Check the current situation before travel. It’s also pretty inexpensive to take a taxi from the airport into downtown, unlike a lot of other cities.
Traveling to Portugal? Check out our comprehensive Portuguese Food Guide, with a list of the 28 traditional Portuguese dishes you must try!
Best Time to Visit Lisbon
The best time to visit Lisbon is during the shoulder months of spring (April to June) and early autumn (September to October) when daily highs hover around 22°C to 26°C (72°F–78°F).
- Winter (November–February): Lisbon is one of the warmest capitals in mainland Europe during winter, with temperatures rarely dipping below 10°C (50°F), making it an easy, uncrowded winter escape.
- Spring & Autumn: Mild sunshine, lower humidity, and shorter queues at popular sights like Castelo de São Jorge and Jerónimos Monastery.
- Summer (July–August): Very warm (often exceeding 32°C / 90°F) with dense tourist crowds and long restaurant waits. If visiting in June, don’t miss the Festas de Lisboa (Santos Populares) around June 12–13, when the streets fill with open-air sardine grills, sangria, and dancing.
We generally recommend avoiding most of southern Europe in August because of national holidays and extreme temperatures. If your only option is the summer, try to balance out your Portugal trip with a few days on the western coast, or visit Porto. Lisbon can get stiffling, and air con can be elusive.
The opposite is true in the winter. Although we have visited Lisbon in winter, it can be fairly grey and rainy.
Where to Stay in Lisbon by Neighborhood
Where you stay in Lisbon dictates your walking terrain and how close you are to late-night tascas, pastelarias, and wine bars. We’ve stayed all over the city, in a variety of hotels, but also in apartments for longer term visits.
1. Baixa & Rossio (Best for First-Time Visitors & Central Walkability)
The flat downtown district rebuilt after the 1755 earthquake. Staying here means minimal hill-climbing, effortless metro access, and immediate proximity to historic pastelarias.
- Mid-Range / Boutique: My Story Hotel Tejo – Clean, stylish rooms in a central historic building.
- Apartment / Extended Stay: Lisbon Serviced Apartments – Baixa Castelo – Modern, keycode-access apartments with kitchens for longer stays.
2. Chiado & Bairro Alto (Best for Dining, Wine Bars & Nightlife)
Chiado is upscale and cultured, filled with historic cafes and theaters. Just uphill sits Bairro Alto, the heart of Lisbon’s evening wine and cocktail culture.
- Luxury Boutique: Bairro Alto Hotel – A landmark 5-star property right on Praça Luís de Camões with an exceptional rooftop bar overlooking the river.
3. Cais do Sodré & Riverfront (Best for Seafood Lovers & Market Dining)
Once a gritty port district, Cais do Sodré is now one of Lisbon’s top food hubs, home to the Time Out Market and lively waterfront promenades. We’ve never stayed down in this area, but tend to go there a lot during our visits to Lisbon.
- Experiential Value: Corpo Santo Lisbon Historical Hotel – Superb boutique hospitality, minutes from the river and ferry terminals, offering complimentary walking tours and daily wine tastings.
4. Avenida da Liberdade (Best for Luxury & Quiet Nights)
Lisbon’s grand boulevard lined with high-end designer boutiques, leafy pedestrian walkways, and five-star grand dames, positioned just north of downtown. We’ve stayed at each of these hotels during past visits as they are all pretty centrally located.
- Iconic 5-Star: Four Seasons Hotel Ritz Lisbon – Timeless luxury with sweeping views of Eduardo VII Park and a rooftop running track.
- Refined Boutique: PortoBay Liberdade – Tucked just off the main avenue with an indoor lap pool and serene rooftop lounge. They also have great food at their Madeira-focused restaurant.
- Central Classic: Sheraton Lisboa Hotel & Spa – Full-service luxury near Saldanha with a top-floor panoramic restaurant. In the surrounding area there are some great little local bars and restaurants as it’s a bit less touristy.
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Top Things to Do in Lisbon
There is more to see and do in Lisbon than just food. That said, we tend to spend a lot of time between meals just wandering and walking to our next one. We once ate a bifana sandwich in one end of town and walked an hour just to get our next bifana! There is also a great cafe culture with cute places to grab a cup of coffee. But, if you really need a break from food and drink, here’s our list.
Explore Lisbon’s Historic Waterfront (Praça do Comércio & Cais do Sodré)
Praça do Comércio is Lisbon’s grand harbor-facing square, framed by yellow 18th-century arcades and the triumphant Rua Augusta Arch.
Start your exploration right at the Tagus River. Walk through the grand arch into the pedestrianized Rua Augusta, or walk west along the riverfront promenade toward Cais do Sodré. It is flat, scenic, and the perfect orientation walk.
Visit Castelo de São Jorge & Alfama’s Miradouros
Perched atop the highest hill in central Lisbon, São Jorge Castle is an 11th-century Moorish fortress offering panoramic 360-degree vistas across the city.
After exploring the castle ramparts, wind your way down through Alfama, Lisbon’s oldest surviving medieval quarter. Its labyrinth of narrow cobblestone alleys survived the 1755 earthquake. Make sure to pause at Miradouro de Santa Luzia and Miradouro das Portas do Sol for sweeping views of white church domes and the river below.
Take a Day Trip to Historic Belém
Belém is a riverside district west of downtown, home to UNESCO maritime monuments and the birthplace of the original pastel de nata.
Take Tram 15 or a short Bolt ride out to Belém to explore two architectural masterpieces: the Manueline Jerónimos Monastery and the defensive Torre de Belém. Afterward, make the pilgrimage to the historic Pastéis de Belém bakery to taste tarts made from the monastery’s original 1837 recipe.
And, yes, we traveled there to grab a pastel de nata. But, we took in a bit of the sites while there!
What & Where to Eat in Lisbon
Lisbon is one of our favorite foodie destinations. Although the city is becoming a lot more popular with tourists, particularly for Europeans looking for a city break, there is still so much authenticity in the cuisine. Some of our favorite food memories took place in Lisbon. This is why we travel there so much.
Lisbon’s culinary scene bridges traditional, affordable tascas with world-class seafood and modern Portuguese gastronomy.
Local Food Tours: For a guided culinary deep dive, we recommend joining a walking tour through Mouraria and Chiado with Devour Tours, who do a stellar job introducing family-run tascas and regional wine pairings.
Seafood Feasts: Eat at Cervejaria Ramiro, where you feast on garlic prawns, spider crab, and barnacles (percebes), finishing with their famous steak sandwich (prego) for dessert.
Iconic Sandwiches: Grab a warm pork cutlet bifana from As Bifanas do Afonso or O Trevo.
Food Halls: Visit Time Out Market (Mercado da Ribeira) to sample small plates from Portugal’s top Michelin-starred chefs alongside casual burger and charcuterie stands.
Lisbon Custard Tarts: Read our tested guide on Where to Find the Best Custard Tarts in Lisbon.
Check out our Guide on What To Eat In Lisbon – there is too much to cover here!
The Perfect 2-Day Lisbon Itinerary
Generally, we tend to allocate at least two or three days in Lisbon. Because we’ve been writing about the city’s food, most of our visits tend to be 5-7 days at least. But, if you are short on time, here is our recommended itinerary to eat well in only two days.
Day 1: Historic Core, Tascas & Sunset Views
- Morning: Begin at Praça do Comércio, stroll through the Rua Augusta Arch, and grab a mid-morning coffee and warm pastel de nata at Manteigaria in Chiado. The waterfront is the most obvious place to start in Lisbon, and to orient yourself. Just a few blocks north is one of our favorite places for a bifana, As Bifanas do Afonso, and we generally go there for breakfast.
- Afternoon: Take the Santa Justa Lift or walk up through Carmo Convent ruins into Bairro Alto. Head across to Alfama and climb to Castelo de São Jorge for panoramic views.
- Evening: Grab dinner at a traditional neighborhood tasca in Mouraria, then head to a miradouro for sunset drinks.
Day 2: Belém, Seafood & Wine Bars
- Morning: Head out early to Belém to tour Jerónimos Monastery and the Belém Tower. Sit down at Pastéis de Belém for warm egg tarts and an espresso or bica. Or splurge and pair your pastel de nata with a glass of port wine.
- Afternoon: Head back toward Cais do Sodré for lunch inside Time Out Market or along the riverfront. Wander the boutique shops and galleries of Príncipe Real.
- Evening: Go for an evening feast at Cervejaria Ramiro, followed by a nightcap of ginjinha (sour cherry liqueur) at A Ginjinha near Rossio. Try making a reservation at Ramiro, or get there early to avoid the lines.
Frequently Asked Questions About Visiting Lisbon
How many days should I spend in Lisbon?
Three to four days is ideal for visiting Lisbon. This allows you to explore the central quarters (Baixa, Chiado, Alfama, and Bairro Alto), take a half-day trip to Belém, and take a full-day excursion to the fairy-tale palaces of Sintra without rushing.
Is Lisbon a walkable city?
Yes, Lisbon is very walkable, but it is exceptionally hilly with polished cobblestone sidewalks that can be slippery. While walking within individual neighborhoods like Baixa or Chiado is easy, you will want to utilize the metro, historic funiculars, or affordable rideshares (Bolt/Uber) when traveling between hilltops.
Do you need to tip in restaurants in Lisbon?
No. Tipping is not part of Portuguese dining culture, and staff are paid a living wage rather than relying on gratuities. While American tipping habits have begun to create awkward expectations in high-volume tourist spots, locals rarely tip. In casual cafes, pastelarias, and neighborhood tascas, leaving nothing or simply rounding up loose coins to the nearest euro is completely standard. Even at nice sit-down dinners, tipping is strictly optional; leaving 5% is an exceptional reward for extraordinary service, never an obligation.
What is the best way to get from Lisbon Airport to the city center?
The easiest and most affordable way is the Lisbon Metro (Red Line), which departs directly outside the arrivals terminal and connects to the downtown network in 20 to 25 minutes for under €2. Alternatively, a rideshare or official airport taxi into central Lisbon takes 15 to 20 minutes and typically costs between €10 and €18 depending on traffic.
Can you drink the tap water in Lisbon?
Yes, the tap water across Lisbon and mainland Portugal meets strict EU safety standards and is completely safe to drink. Bringing a reusable water bottle to refill during your sightseeing is recommended.