Have you planned your summer holiday yet?
I took a one-week holiday at the beginning of June to visit Portugal from Ankara, Turkey. I spent 3 nights each in Lisbon and Porto. It was before the peak of the traveling season, which is between July and September; therefore, I could easily find accommodations and places to eat and see without lining up a long queue.
How to get to the City from the Airport?
I took a 5-hour direct flight from Ankara and arrived at the Porto Airport at almost 10 pm. Most tourists were lining up for the taxi line, and the rest were waiting for the Bolt driver to pick them up, like me. I requested Bolt, but there was an unfortunate misunderstanding between me and the driver, and I ended up taking a normal taxi, which cost 25 euros, double the price of Bolt. Surprisingly, the taxi accepted only Cash. Be aware that there are some places that do not accept credit cards, such as taxis, local cafes, and restaurants.
1 Train: Frequent trains are accessible every half hour. It takes around 30 minutes from the Humberto Delgado Airport to the city center. However, it serves only until around 10:30 pm; after that, you should consider taking Bolt or a Taxi.
2 Bolt: Download the Bolt app in advance. You can access almost anywhere in the city of Lisbon, and the price is half that of a taxi.
3 Taxi: Some taxi drivers speak English, but some don't. They are generally kind, even if tourists don't speak Portuguese.
3 days in Lisbon
Many classical Portuguese tiles from several centuries are beautifully displayed with exhibits in English and Portuguese. Especially, I was impressed with the Chapel, which is definitely a highlight of this museum. Its location is a bit far, a half-hour walk or 20 minutes by bus from the downtown area, and it is not overcrowded.
Opening Hours: 10:00-18:00, Last entry 17:15
Ticket: 10 Euro
Make sure to get there in the early morning to capture the gorgeous castle view with fewer tourists. The historical arts, collections, and exhibits of archaeological excavations are incredible and help you gain knowledge about the history of Lisbon. After the visit, you can also enjoy shopping, hopping around the souvenir stores, and some designer shops.
Opening Hours: Summer time 9:00-21:00 / Winter time 9:00-18:00
Ticket: 15 Euro
Praça do Comércio
Great place for a meeting point, as well as for chilling, hanging out, and relaxing at the cafe nearby. There were lots of street performers on the day I visited, and tourists. You would definitely pass there at least four times during your stay in Lisbon, as it's in the middle of the city center.
Lots of artistic shops, selling handmade accessories, second-hand, souvenirs, and a beautiful bookstore. Great spot for dining and drinking, there are a variety of local and international food restaurants gathered in the market area. The average price of these restaurants seems a bit higher than the restaurants in the town.
A masterpiece of Portuguese culture and architecture, registered as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1983. People recommend this place as one of the must-visit tourist spots; however, honestly, I am not sure if it is worth considering the price of the ticket and the time of waiting. I booked an online ticket and visited there around 10:30 AM, and already there was a long queue. I undoubtedly expected that I could skip the line and avoid waiting under the sun, but the staff there just told me to join the queue regardless of my online ticket, which took me to get inside 1 hour. Although the architecture and the decorations inside were impressive, insufficient information and written explanation on each masterpiece didn't provide me with full satisfaction at that place. There was another line for the church you can access free of charge. I now think visiting a free church would have been enough for me.
Opening hours: May to September 10:00-18:30 / October to April 10:00-17:30
Ticket: 18 Euro
Monument to the Discoveries
After the Jerónimos Monastery, walking 5minutes to the Monument to the Discoveries is the most popular tourist itinerary. A stunning and inspiring monument was built in 1960 to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the death of Prince Henry the Navigator. The monuments represent the age of the Discovery of Portugal in the 15th century, sculpting 32 great contributors to the Discovery, such as Vasco da Gama and Pedro Álvares Cabral.
You can enjoy the landscape going up to the top of the tower with 8 Euro (included in the Lisbon card).
Belém Tower
As well as the Jerónimos Monastery, Belém Tower was also a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983. It was built in 1515 and has played an important role as a fortress to guard the Libon court. This iconic tower tells you 500 years of Lisbon's history, that the first international trader, Vasco da Gam, initiated his exploration, reaching India by sea.
Opening hours: 9:30-17:30
Ticket: 8 Euro
Viewpoints:
- Lisbon has lots of hilly streets that require lots of exercise, even walking 1 block, but at the same time, those hills provide you with impressive views throughout the day. Tourists come there to take pictures and wait for sunset, and locals enjoy beer or coffee on the terrace nearby, and street performers entertain people with attractive arts. These three are my favourite viewpoints.
- - Monte Agudo
- - Miradouro da Senhora do Monte
- - Miradouro de São Pedro de Alcântara
What to Eat 
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Portuguese Bakery
Rather than the typical Portuguese cuisene such as seafood and egg tart, I personally liked the bakeries and pastries the most! Each block in Lisbon has always had popular bakeries that are full of locals. I found a bakery near my Airbnb on the first day, and grabbing a cup of coffee and two to three kinds of bread became my morning routine during my stay in Lisbon. By observing what locals ordered, most people chose an orange taste muffin or a cheese and ham pie, standing at the counter with a cup of cappuccino.
Manteigaria - Cream Pastry Factory (Egg Tart): You cannot complete your travel experience until you try the Portuguese Egg Tart, also known as Pastel de Nata. Manteigaria is one of the largest chains of Pastel de Nata and can be easily identified by the long queues in front of the shops. Although there is a line, the waiting time is usually only 5-10 minutes as they serve you quickly, and there aren't many options to choose from. The combination of fluffy creamy egg custard and the crunchy tart base was the best I've ever tried.
A Merendeira (Potato soup and sandwich): The combo menu includes Portuguese traditional cuisine, potato soup, and a hot salami sandwich. Adding custard pudding seems popular there. It would be a great meal, especially in winter, to keep you warm. Taske was okay, but I could not see any special in this soup and sandwich.
RESTAURANTE OS BAROES(Seafood Restaurant): While walking towards A Merendeira mentioned above, I found a small seafood restaurant where it seemed like only neighbours and local office workers near that area were, and no tourists, which means a good indicator of addressing its authentic and traditional foods. For solo travelers like myself, it may be hard to get in, yet their staff are kindly welcome your visit and serve you a really great seafood!
