We stayed in a simple, but very nice (clean!) apartment that was either walking distance or a short Uber ride to just about everywhere. So once we arrived and dropped our bags, we set out to wonder. We actually followed along Rick Steve's (free) audio tour, "Lisbon City Walk" which was a great way to get acquainted with the city and see some hot spots right away.
Part of this walk led us along the Tagus River and to the most amazing yellow square (I love yellow!), where I was immediately smitten. This square, called Praça do Comércio, but also referred to as Terreiro do Paço, and is where the statue of King José is (quite magnificent).
There are some cute restaurants with patio seating, sidewalk vendors and food stands along the river in this area. As we walked, we stumbled upon a food tasting event and I got the most amazing mini-pot pie type snack (last picture above). This was my first sign that I might have been underestimating the food of Lisbon.
Later on, we wondered around more looking for dinner. Mostly, I would recommend reservations - as a lot of good places were booked up, but we got lucky and were able to sit at the bar of a well-rated restaurant, Oficio, which was amazing. I'm not sure how they cooked their veggies, but it was the most amazing roasted veggies I've ever had.
Otherwise, other famous Lisbon items are cod and cheese! So we had more of that, too!
Otherwise, other famous Lisbon items are cod and cheese! So we had more of that, too!
The next morning we hit the ground running for the ultimate tourist day. First we went to Belém Tower, which did require an Uber as it's a bit further out of the city. We had breakfast and coffee at the cafe near by over looking the tower and then wondered up close to it. We went on a Monday, which is when the tour is closed to tours/inside visit, so we didn't get to go inside.
We decided to do the longer walk back to the downtown area, walking by the Lisbon Cathedral (which was also closed on the Monday we were there, but it was beautiful from the outside!).
We did a ton of walking this day - and after walking from the Cathedral, we headed to the area of Castelo de S. Jorge! There was a fast moving line, but lots of little shops and restaurants around for a snack while in line.
Once inside the Castle, the views are amazing. So many different vantage points to get a real good look at colorful Lisbon.
Once inside the Castle, the views are amazing. So many different vantage points to get a real good look at colorful Lisbon.
After all the exploring and walking... we sat down to eat cheese, and more cheese and drink some wine. The weather was perfect and views relaxing after the long day on foot. Lisbon loves their white cheese! :)
On our way back to our airbnb apartment, we hit up a DIY wine tasting style place back in the yellow square (Praça do Comércio), Wines of Portugal Tasting Room. This place was cool because it was super laid back and you could drink what you wanted at your own pace. We tried a few before getting back for a quick rest before dinner.
After a long day of walking and seeing all the major things, we had another GREAT dinner at Versiculo. I stuck to the tried and true of Lisbon veggies, since they were so amazing the night before, and got the grill veggies on a skewer (also came with toasted almond rice) - and they were wonderful!
Day Three
Our last day of vacation with a few hours left in Lisbon before our flight, we spent the morning walking around, riding the trolly to see the rest of the city and grabbing breakfast.
We left Lisbon super impressed and ready to come back again on another stop over if it ever made sense. And after a full 10 days, we were ready to get home.
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