Portugal: Lisbon Guide
I had the opportunity to go to Lisbon for work, it was my first time traveling to Europe and traveling alone as well so I was really excited for the opportunity and experience.
I stayed in Lisbon for two weeks and well I was basically a local by the end of my trip lol. I also had the opportunity to visit two other cities in one day, Cascais and Sintra.
Here’s how my trip went!
Weather
I didn’t know when I’d be going so this wasn’t planned out that far in advance. I went in October, which is fall weather.
It was rainy on some days, chilly on others and warm on other days. The best advice I have is to make sure you pack a variety of outfits that you can wear for any weather.
Currency
Portugal uses the EURO, which does have some currency conversion. When I was there 1EURO was equivalent to $1.11 (roughly).
I recommend taking cash out prior to getting to the country, I feel it’s easier to use than your card. Some restaurants charge a certain % for using an international card. Also, I like to have cash so that I can leave tips and things like that.
My Stay
The hotel I stayed at was called 9 Hotel Mercy and it was right in the middle of all the fun stuff.
The room I stayed in was amazing, it faced the front of the hotel and had amazing sunlight in the morning. The hotel also has a bar downstairs and a really cute and intimate rooftop bar upstairs. It was so beautiful and the drinks were soo yummy.
Let’s get into it;
Portugal is 5 hours ahead of New York so the adjustment to their time zone was a intense for me. It took me almost a week to adjust. The best thing I did though was take an overnight flight and land in the morning time there. It was a straight flight from JFK to Lisbon.
I was there for almost two weeks, and I was working while I was there so I had to make the most of each day after I got off work.
Eats and Drinks:
If you’re a vegan or vegetarian, eating here can be hard. All restaurants had an insane amount of meat dishes. I am not vegan or vegetarian but I don’t eat red meat or pork anymore, so it was hard for me to find much variety. There were a lot of restaurants that didn’t have many or any chicken options, it was honestly bizarre.
What I ate my entire trip was seafood. I am blessed to not have any seafood allergies so this was definitely the way to go. I am so sorry if you’re allergic to seafood because Lisbon is really good for it. It’s a coastal city so you should definitely expect to see an overwhelming amount of seafood options.
I drank A LOT of wine while I was there and had very little hard liquor or cocktails. Most of the places I had drinks at were at the restaurants that I ate in but I will list out what I can!
Restaurants:
Mesón Andaluz
Time Out Market Lisboa - There are SO many options here, so many lol
Pop Cereal
Wine Lover Bairro Alto -
Hatari
Fruit Chop - Good for morning juices and smoothies
Adega de São Roque - I tried sardines for the first time
Topo Chiado - CUTE ASS ROOFTOP BAR & RESTAURANT
Casa da Guia Cascais - Paladar da Guia
Casa Piriquita - Sintra
Fábrica Coffee Roasters
Noobai
Cervejaria Trinidade
Elti - Cozinha Consciente
Drinks:
Double 9 Bar - El Chan Chan
Topo Chiado - Fly Me To Cuba
Matilde Cafe Bar - Black Vodka (sooo interesting and GOOD)
Wine Lover Bairro Alto - I had the Avis Rara white wine from Setúbal and it was delicious
9 Hotel Mercy Rooftop
Casa da Guia Cascais - Paladar da Guia - Sangria
** These aren’t specific to any bars since these drinks are traditional in Portugal, definitely give them a try:
Moscatel
Ginja
What I did..
It was hard for me to do much since I was working and didn’t get out until the evening. A lot of what I did was just wandering around and discovering restaurants, cute shops and falling in love with the sights along the way. I didn’t really do anything specific until the one full weekend I spent there. I was able to visit two other cities, Cascais and Sintra, during that weekend.
Here are some things to check out:
Lisbona Centro
Receitas de Beleza - It’s a really cute shop with Brazilian brands represented inside
Bairro Alto
Cais do Sodré
Belem
Tiles Dorey Antiques - The tiles in this shop are GORGEOUS, I was ready to pack the whole store up and take it with me
Livraria Sa Da Costa - The library was filled with so many antiques and history, I could be in there all day.
Bairro Arte
Cascais - I took the train in to this city and walked all along the coast until we got to our brunch spot
Marechal Carmona Park
Marina of Cascais
Boca do Inferno
Praia da Ribeira de Cascais
Sintra - We took an Uber ride here to visit some palaces and get some pastries
Palacio Nacional de Pena
Quinta da Regaleira
Casa Piriquita
My Experience
I wish I had more time to do more sight seeing but I was happy with what I was able to do. This trip was exciting for me in so many ways because of where I am at currently at with my personal life.
The past couple months have not been easy and although this trip was for work, I was able to experience something new and refreshing in the midst of all of that.
Lisbon was beautiful, I had such an awesome time discovering some of the local businesses and restaurants. The architecture there was GORGEOUS and it honestly felt magical.
I definitely see myself going back there, but in the summer time next time. I want to be able to do more and explore more than I did while I was there. I also really want to go to their beaches, they are GORGEOUS.