Lisbon suggestions for November

In My Humble Opinion
1

My wife and I are going to Lisbon for the Thanksgiving holiday, arriving Wed morning and leaving Sunday afternoon. I managed to snag cheap direct flights, and we just booked a hotel in the Chiado area so those pieces are taken care of. Our plans include:

  • Belem tower
  • Jeronimos Monastery
  • Se Cathedral
  • Castelo de Sao Jorge
  • Day trip to Sintra (Pena Palace, Qunta da Regaleira)
  • Fado show
  • Foodie tour
  • Tram 28

Any other suggestions? We’re dealing with Novermber weather so we understand it will be cooler and possibly rainy at times.

2

Re this specifically: I discussed it in detail here. Take note of the “reverse route” suggestion especially.

We also enjoyed this a lot.

3

Since you’re in Chiado, it will be a short stroll (albeit uphill) to this miradouro, which is a nice place to hang out, maybe grab a drink at a cafe, and catch great views of the city below and Alfama across the way.

Also in Chiado, I can strongly recommend this restaurant: funky decor, great service, delicious food.

We loved Sintra, particularly the Quinta da Regaleira. Pena Palace was too crowded for us to fully enjoy, but it is beautiful to look at and the grounds are lovely for strolling. If you want a great location for taking photos of it from a distance, let me know. Also Sintra will be noticeably colder than Lisbon.

We went to a Fado show (with dinner, also in Chiado) and it was a cool experience, but my god was it lonnnnnnnng. And you can’t just leave. We were trapped in there for like 3.5-4 hours. Be advised.

4

Go EVERYWHERE early. Or go with a pregnant wife and a two year old child. Portugal is wonderful for mothers and their plus-one husbands - always, straight to the front of the queue. Always, from customs to trains.

But go everywhere early. Really. You will see what I mean once you sleep in and arrive at any destination mid-morning.

Don’t waste time with waiting for Pasteis de Belem, your corner coffee shop will have their equal at far less and a fraction of the price… and without an hours wait.

Sintra is lovely. A side trip to Lagos is quite cool, lovely beaches and much less crowded than the ones in Lisbon.

The Tile Museum (link in Portuguese) is fascinating. I will note that I am something of an art nerd.

All the trams are a great was to travel, #28 is not that special and renouned for pick-pockets.

Graffiti and street musicians are ubiquitous. Many really, really good.

Be adventurous with food. There are like 15 or more varieties of bread in every corner café, for a start. The “Time Out Market” in Alfaeda is a little commercial but many famous restaurants have an offshoot there, so you can try places which you might have to book months in advance if you went to the original. Oh, and you can get Paisteis de Belem there.

Finally: you do not need a hired car. Everything is on a train, tram, or bus line. Even without basic Portuguese, it is really easy - and cheap - to get around. I did hire a car when we moved to the coast - which I highly reccomend, there is so much in Portugal outside Lisbon… but obviously time and effort is required.

If you are reasonably fit, then walk. Walk, walk walk.

You will find hidden gems. A puppet shop. A perfect café. A hidden away Doll Museum. The city centre is not huge, and despite dragging among a then 2yr old and a heavily pregnant wife, walking was glorious.

I was lucky to be there on St. Anthony’s day (my namesake) and, wow, Lisbon pulled out all the stops.

Just remember: go early. Relax in the afternoons. Plan everything for mornings, and early mornings.

5

Have a shot of ginjinha for us!

6

I just did 3 day trip two weeks ago so things are fresh in my head :slight_smile:
Sightseeing - all the sights you listed are great. The city is built on 7 hills to expect to go up and down non-stop. I did two days of only walking and seeing the outside of things (Monastery, castel, cathedral) and then bought a Lisboa-card for the last day. The card gives you free access or discounts to most sights PLUS free public transport so I used that to visit the monastery, castel and cathedral using public transport to get around. Belem Tower is closed for renovation but you can still walk up to it. I would add XL Factory and whichever church you walk past

Fado - the Fado museum is free (I believe) with Lisboa card. I can highly recommend ‘A Baiuca’ restaurant in Alfama; it’s tiny and the most amazing fado singer (some 80yrs old grandmother). It feels like you’re visiting locals whereas I find the ones that offer a Fado show to be too touristy.
Pasteis - best pasteis are from Castro (I find the ones from Belem too sweet). Tip for Belem bakery; skip the queue for the shop and get a table (the place goes on and on so plenty of tables)

Restaurants; A Baiuca (Alfama), Anta Bar (Cais do Sodre), Patio 13 (Alfama), Solar 31 (Alfama), Taberna Albricoque (Santa Apolonia)

7

Thank you so much for the recommendations. We’re trying to figure out how to use the Lisboa card to our best benefit.

8

(8 years ago you named yourself “future” Londonite. Are you now a Londonite or is that since in your past? :wink: )

9

I don’t know how to change it…hoping to move to Frankfurt so really ought to change it :slight_smile:

10

For the Lisbon-card; I’d say see what the weather does. You don’t have to pre-order them so that’s a plus…the city is best to be seen on foot though; the little alleyways, random churches, the miradouros (viewpoints)…if you can make it; miradouro de Graca at sunset is the best. You have the castel de sao Jorge and the river to your left and straight ahead you look out over Baixa and Chiado to the sunset

11

I quite liked Mozambique Restaurant (Alfama) because I as a southern African have been to the country Mozambique and eaten the heavily Portuguese influenced food.

But I could not say how to find it, it was in the tangles of narrow alleys.

I never really got into fado. I like folk music of various types, I like female vocalists… but it did not catch my attention. Still, that is just my opinion.

12

Is Pink Street anything more than an Instagram inspired photo op?

13

Sounds like some good choices. We lived in Bairro Alto for two years, very close to the Port Wine Institute. If you like port, give it a shot. They do tasting flights. The Alfama District is very quaint, lots of stairs and narrow alleyways. It was the only district to survive the fire in 1755. As for fado: I like listening to the late Amelia Rodriguez, who was a master of the form, but sitting through a live performance isn’t for everyone.

14

IMO, no, but take that with a grain of salt since we didn’t go there (based on that opinion).