Off to Porto today before getting the train to Lisbon, nothing really planned other than a visit to a Port cellar in Porto and the Benfica tour in Lisbon.
Any must dos and sees?
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Off to Porto today before getting the train to Lisbon, nothing really planned other than a visit to a Port cellar in Porto and the Benfica tour in Lisbon.
Any must dos and sees?
The Timeout Food Market in Lisbon is definitely worth a visit one evening.
Pink street and Bario Alto have a lot of cool bars.
In terms of site seeing I think it's definitely worth paying to get into the castle (great views up there), I wasn't as fussed with the elevator thing in the centre but it does have good views.
If the weather is good the beach which is 2 or 3 stops from Lisbon on the train is worth a visit too.
In Lisbon there is a small funicular which takes you to a small park over which there is a good view of the city. However, Lisbon is an unremarkable city. There is a bridge which is supposedly a near replica (apart from the steel deck) of the Golden Gate bridge in San Francisco but having been to both I know which one I prefer. Also make sure you have a strong bladder as there are few toilets in Lisbon and those that do exist charge. The cheapest way is to go into MacDonalds, buy something, and there is a code at the bottom of your receipt which gets you in to the toilet.
I took a bus to Belem, had a look around and the ferry back.
https://www.portugalvisitor.com/port...el/belem-ferry
Lisbon is a great city , as mentioned the Time Out Market is something very different ,try one of the outer stalls , on the perimeter of the of the main hall where you can sit order and watch your food prepared by a potential Michelin chef ,stay away from the middle chaotic part of the hall ie and burger pizzas stalls , Sardines are to die for .
Get a one day ticket and jump on and off the trams etc .great bars very cheap stay off the main squares not so nice but okay .
https://www.visitportugal.com/en/con...8aAhsAEALw_wcB
Both beautiful towns, I think. The view across the Luis I bridge in Porto is one to savour, and Lisbon has some nice funiculars. If you have time in Lisbon then Sintra is a worthwhile trip for a day/afternoon. You can also visit the National Stadium - the scene of our famous victory over a team of free agents on the pre-season tour of 2007.
Head to Lisbon’s Alfama district for a night listening to fado music. It’s basically folk music meets opera and it’s performed in most of the bars and restaurants. The locals love it and it’s good to see a bit of genuine local culture. Lisbon is a beautiful city, great to walk around and travel and eating out are cheap. Enjoy your visit.
Take tram 28 in Lisbon. Winding in and out of the narrow streets.
Get a ferry across the river to the Christ statue and head up for superb views of the city and of the bridge.
As said there are funicular railways to ride up and down and a lift in the centre of town that you can get up to a higher level - Elevador de Santa Justa.
Park of the Nations cable car
I thought it was a lovely place.
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Lisbon is my favourite city. But then I would say that, I'm married to a Lisbon native.
If you can get a table at O Tochadas then you'll be able to have the biggest and cheapest T-bone steak you'll ever eat (it tends to open at 7 in the evening and you can usually sneak in then as long as it's not Friday). Generally I would say avoid the fancy looking restaurants and go for the 'tascas' as the locals call them - more simple usually family run places to eat.
As above, the castle has great views and is worth the admission. Also, the best viewpoint of the whole city is Miradouro da Senhora do Monte, it looks like the bridge is floating above downtown from there and you can see a huge panorama of the entire city including the castle.
Definitely have a wander around Alfama, the most historic district and prepare to get lost. If you want to see Eusebio's tomb it's in the national pantheon behind Alfama, think it's like 4E to enter. The Pantheon isn't that spectacular compared to some of the churches and cathedrals, so shouldn't really be top of the list, but there's a nice market nearby. Bairro Alto is the place to head to at night as others have mentioned, but don't expect it to get lively before 11pm.
If you fancy somewhere to enjoy a beer in the day, ask for an imperial at one of the kiosks in Jardim do Principe Real, it's cheap and a lovely place to sit out.
You can jump on a bus or tram out to Belem to see the Jeronimos monastery (you have to pay to enter) or the cathedral next to the monastery (which is free and houses the tombs of Vasco da Gama and Luis de Camoes) There's also the Torre de Belem there, which is good to see but not really worth the entrance, and the monument to the explorers. Belem can get a bit heavy with tourists though so be warned.
One church too that's definitely worth looking inside (it's free) is the Igreja de Sao Domingos near Rossio square. It burned down in the 1950s but they left the inside as it was after the fire and its genuinely breathtaking. Round the corner you can pay 1.40E for a glass of the local Lisbon liquor Ginjinha.
Also worth taking in is the Carmo convent, they left it as it was after it was destroyed in the 1755 earthquake. Plus the square in front was where the key moment of their revolution in 74 happened. If you walk around the back of the Carmo church, you can go up some steps and come out at the top of the Santa Justa elevator, which will save you a massive queue and charge to pay to ride up it - instea d you can just pay 1.50E to get the amazing view from the top.
In Lisbon I went to a Fado (Portuguese blues music) performance in a restaurant in Bairo Alto - was fab. Can't remember the name.
In Porto, we did the food walking tour which was good & a boat tour of the Douro - took the train for the first bit because that part of the river was boring.
I'm off to Faro on Monday and heading for a Fado session...Quote:
Originally Posted by Dublinblue
So how was it?
Still here will update tomorrow 👍
Home now and thanks for all the advice all of which was useful. I somehow feel that we didn't do Lisbon justice as I hadn't planned anything and just wandered around, although we did go to both Belem and Sintra. A great city but the weather wasn't great (not that you should expect it to be mid October). The 'problem' with Lisbon is that it is also a cruise stop and in addition to the usual reams of tourists there are thousands more from the cruise ships. We went to see OMD on the Tuesday night in Lisbon, which we (or at least I) enjoyed for the first gig of their European tour.
Porto was hands down our favourite and one of those places I hope to return to one day. I'm done with holidays for this year now (or at least my wallet is). Next one is a super massive bucket lister to Oz in Feb.
Thanks again.
You talking to Peajay, Moggis?Quote:
Originally Posted by Michael Morris
For the record, Faro was OK but a tad limited. Short stay methinks.