My first time in Lisbon - a trip report.
Apr 1st, 2017, 12:21 PM
#1
Original Poster
My first time in Lisbon - a trip report.
This may take a while to complete, but if I make a start it will give me an incentive to finish.
Wednesday - Flew into Lisbon on Ryanair from Stansted. Neither would be my first choice, but the cheapness of the fare (< €25) meant it was silly not to use this option.
We had rented an apartment in the Alfama district from the Homeaway website. The owner picked us up from the airport as part of the rental deal and gave us a brief introductory tour, mostly showing us where to find the nearest supermarket, tram stop, elevators, train stations etc. We then parked up and walked on to the Apartment which was about 100 metres below the Portas do Sol viewing point.
While the outside of the building wasn't particularly attractive, the apartment, though quite small, was beautifully equipped, and spotlessly cleaned. The location was down a pedestrianised street so it was mostly very quiet. I cannot parise either the apartment, or the owner too highly. A great deal of thought had gone into "little touches".
As it was still relatively early, we wandered up to the viewing point admired the vistas and took a few pictures. We walked down the hill, until we reached the bottom near the museum of Fado, where we had a couple of drinks in the square opposite. We then proceeded to get horribly lost in the maze of streets around the Alfama area - this in itself wasn't a bad thing, we never felt unsafe, it meant we discovered a great many little shops, bars and restaurants while trying to find our way back . In fairness we had been told to use the cathedral and the castle as landmarks, and try and find the tram tracks between them - as following these would allow us to get back to the Miradouro de Santa Luzia - another viewing spot not far from our flat.
We ate that night at Farol de Santa Luiza, and had an excellent meal with cod fishcakes, grilled chorizo, and a main course of a seafood stew with onions, peppers and tomato, as well as very good local red wine for around €60. Possibly the best meal we ate in Lisbon itself.
Photos of the trip can be found here: https://goo.gl/photos/cmDt5xSZZV3q5RpK7
Wednesday - Flew into Lisbon on Ryanair from Stansted. Neither would be my first choice, but the cheapness of the fare (< €25) meant it was silly not to use this option.
We had rented an apartment in the Alfama district from the Homeaway website. The owner picked us up from the airport as part of the rental deal and gave us a brief introductory tour, mostly showing us where to find the nearest supermarket, tram stop, elevators, train stations etc. We then parked up and walked on to the Apartment which was about 100 metres below the Portas do Sol viewing point.
While the outside of the building wasn't particularly attractive, the apartment, though quite small, was beautifully equipped, and spotlessly cleaned. The location was down a pedestrianised street so it was mostly very quiet. I cannot parise either the apartment, or the owner too highly. A great deal of thought had gone into "little touches".
As it was still relatively early, we wandered up to the viewing point admired the vistas and took a few pictures. We walked down the hill, until we reached the bottom near the museum of Fado, where we had a couple of drinks in the square opposite. We then proceeded to get horribly lost in the maze of streets around the Alfama area - this in itself wasn't a bad thing, we never felt unsafe, it meant we discovered a great many little shops, bars and restaurants while trying to find our way back . In fairness we had been told to use the cathedral and the castle as landmarks, and try and find the tram tracks between them - as following these would allow us to get back to the Miradouro de Santa Luzia - another viewing spot not far from our flat.
We ate that night at Farol de Santa Luiza, and had an excellent meal with cod fishcakes, grilled chorizo, and a main course of a seafood stew with onions, peppers and tomato, as well as very good local red wine for around €60. Possibly the best meal we ate in Lisbon itself.
Photos of the trip can be found here: https://goo.gl/photos/cmDt5xSZZV3q5RpK7
Apr 1st, 2017, 12:42 PM
#3
Original Poster
Thursday.
We grabbed breakfast of coffee and pastel de nata (little custard tarts) at a local bar - Portuguese coffee was very good - on a par with the stuff I love so much in Italy, then walked down the hill and along the shore until we reached the Terreiro do Paço where we took a few photos, then headed down into the metro station to buy travel cards.
Like other major cities, Lisbon has a travel pass system that works on multiple types of transport: Buses, trains, trams, metro and ferries. You buy a card for €0.50 and load it with Euros. Using the card is cheaper than buying on board tickets.
Once we had purchased our tickets, we carried on walking briefly, until we reached the Praça do Municipio where we stopped for coffee at a kiosk, and admired some of the art in the square. Something that caught our eye was a tree made of plastic piping , topped with several solar panels. When we looked more closely, the "roots" contained multiple USB charging points so you could top up your phone if needed.
We caught a number 15 tram up to Belém (this is a modern, air conditioned line, not the 100 year old traditional trams used in the narrow streets of Alfama).
We first briefly explored the gardens near the shore, admiring various statues, before finding an underpass under the railway and road, and arriving at the Padrão dos Descobrimentos, the imposing monument to the Portuguese explorers of the 15th and 16th centuries. I found it quite stunning.
Walking on we got to the wonderfully over elaborate Belém Tower, and were tempted by a small Tuktuk kitted out with deck chairs and variety of bottles offering "wine with a view", but as it was still early afternoon, and we wished to keep exploring, we decided against it.
Next we passed a very striking memorial to soldiers who died in the overseas conflicts in the 1960s and 70s. A monument to the end of Portuguese colonialism, but beautiful nonetheless. The weather remained so lovely (sunny and warm), that it seemed a pity to actually go into any of the major attractions in Belém, so we merely passed by and admired the Monastery of Jeronimos, and planned to visit it, plus the archaeological and maritime museums on another day.
Heading back to the tram stop, we passed a long queue outside of the Pastéis de Belém - apparently THE place for pastel de nata. Maybe next trip.
Finally getting back to the Terreiro do Paço. we stopped and gazed at the river a bit, then had a quick beer at the Museu da Cerveja (nice range of beers, but very overly priced, saved by a great people watching location, and really fancy glasses).
Walking back up the hill we stopped for supper at the Malagueta restaurant. Not spectacular, but perfectly decent, and the prices were very reasonable.
All in All an enjoyable day of meandering - on getting back to the apartment, we found we had walked well over ten miles - so felt we had deserved our supper.
We grabbed breakfast of coffee and pastel de nata (little custard tarts) at a local bar - Portuguese coffee was very good - on a par with the stuff I love so much in Italy, then walked down the hill and along the shore until we reached the Terreiro do Paço where we took a few photos, then headed down into the metro station to buy travel cards.
Like other major cities, Lisbon has a travel pass system that works on multiple types of transport: Buses, trains, trams, metro and ferries. You buy a card for €0.50 and load it with Euros. Using the card is cheaper than buying on board tickets.
Once we had purchased our tickets, we carried on walking briefly, until we reached the Praça do Municipio where we stopped for coffee at a kiosk, and admired some of the art in the square. Something that caught our eye was a tree made of plastic piping , topped with several solar panels. When we looked more closely, the "roots" contained multiple USB charging points so you could top up your phone if needed.
We caught a number 15 tram up to Belém (this is a modern, air conditioned line, not the 100 year old traditional trams used in the narrow streets of Alfama).
We first briefly explored the gardens near the shore, admiring various statues, before finding an underpass under the railway and road, and arriving at the Padrão dos Descobrimentos, the imposing monument to the Portuguese explorers of the 15th and 16th centuries. I found it quite stunning.
Walking on we got to the wonderfully over elaborate Belém Tower, and were tempted by a small Tuktuk kitted out with deck chairs and variety of bottles offering "wine with a view", but as it was still early afternoon, and we wished to keep exploring, we decided against it.
Next we passed a very striking memorial to soldiers who died in the overseas conflicts in the 1960s and 70s. A monument to the end of Portuguese colonialism, but beautiful nonetheless. The weather remained so lovely (sunny and warm), that it seemed a pity to actually go into any of the major attractions in Belém, so we merely passed by and admired the Monastery of Jeronimos, and planned to visit it, plus the archaeological and maritime museums on another day.
Heading back to the tram stop, we passed a long queue outside of the Pastéis de Belém - apparently THE place for pastel de nata. Maybe next trip.
Finally getting back to the Terreiro do Paço. we stopped and gazed at the river a bit, then had a quick beer at the Museu da Cerveja (nice range of beers, but very overly priced, saved by a great people watching location, and really fancy glasses).
Walking back up the hill we stopped for supper at the Malagueta restaurant. Not spectacular, but perfectly decent, and the prices were very reasonable.
All in All an enjoyable day of meandering - on getting back to the apartment, we found we had walked well over ten miles - so felt we had deserved our supper.
Apr 1st, 2017, 02:44 PM
#4
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I love your photos! Portugal is on my bucket list. How long were you there? Did you go to other places besides Lisbon? What was the weather like? And the crowds? Based on your photos, it doesn't look very crowded.
I have shied away from renting apartments because I've heard of people having to wait outside the apartment for the owner to show up with keys, or that arrangements to get the keys can be tricky or complicated. I like that the owner picked you up at the airport.
I have shied away from renting apartments because I've heard of people having to wait outside the apartment for the owner to show up with keys, or that arrangements to get the keys can be tricky or complicated. I like that the owner picked you up at the airport.
Apr 2nd, 2017, 08:05 AM
#5
Love your pictures, very neat !!
Great picture of Sintra and the Valley and Pena Palace.
I see you made it to Cascais Beach Area.
Nice picture of the April 25th Bridge.
Did you take the boat ride across the Tagus River .?
Did you take the Tram to the Olympic site or did you walk.?
That red building, is that the Museum of Decorative art.?
I will be following your report.
Thanks for taking the time to post.
Great picture of Sintra and the Valley and Pena Palace.
I see you made it to Cascais Beach Area.
Nice picture of the April 25th Bridge.
Did you take the boat ride across the Tagus River .?
Did you take the Tram to the Olympic site or did you walk.?
That red building, is that the Museum of Decorative art.?
I will be following your report.
Thanks for taking the time to post.
Apr 3rd, 2017, 02:32 AM
#8
Original Poster
lobo_mau - don't worry, I'm sure the mistakes will be along any moment - I can barely spell in my own language 
Seriously, I tend to copy and paste from Google maps , but I am never sure whether to use the full Portuguese names, the English names, or very ocassionally , mixtures of both.
Seriously, I tend to copy and paste from Google maps , but I am never sure whether to use the full Portuguese names, the English names, or very ocassionally , mixtures of both.
Apr 3rd, 2017, 02:35 AM
#9
Original Poster
Friday
Another beautiful day, so we headed off to "the seaside" , our normal walk down from alfama, via coffee and cake, and on to the railway station at Cais do Sodré and the train up to Cascais.
We had originally planned to walk back from here to Estoril, but from the train it seemed a relatively short distance, so we strolled around the town (pleasant enough - but the paving on the streets has a wave pattern, which can be quite disconcerting - walking across a large section made me feel slightly queezy), walked through the old castle and past a memorial to the Peninsular war, through the marina and found ourselves crossing over a bridge across a small cove with a lighthouse, and some "fairytale palace" type grand houses.
Next to the bridge was a small restaurant, the Esplanada Santa Marta, which had several stickers from the Le Routard. It was basic, clean, had friendly service, a reasonably priced menu, good sardines, and the worst grilled squid I have ever tasted: tough to the point of being inedible, and smothered with huge amounts of garlic. There was a little black cat begging among the tables - he hadn't come near ours -"he must know about the squid" quipped my beloved.
After this disappointment, we carried on along the coast as the weather could not have been better for walking, around 20 degrees, with a cool breeze coming off the sea - we wandered up past the Boca do Inferno, a sea cave which is supposedly quite spectacular when the sea is rough (today was quite flat) , and then on to the lighthouse at Farol da Guia. There were several restaurants near this lighthouse and this is where I would probably eat if we return to the area.
Heading back down the hill we stopped briefly in a beach side patio bar, before catching the train back to Lisbon. I really enjoyed the day in Cascais - the town was interesting and the scenery well worth seeing - unfortunately, it is going to become part of family folklore as home to "the sh** squid restaurant"
Arriving back at the station, we walked along the shore back towards Alfama - Friday evening, the sun was beginning to set, and there were hundreds of people, strolling, sightseeing, or just sitting in the sun on the edge of the river. There were numerous buskers and the atmosphere was really relaxed.
We stopped again at the Museu da Cerveja, just watching the world go by for an hour or so before returning home.
Another beautiful day, so we headed off to "the seaside" , our normal walk down from alfama, via coffee and cake, and on to the railway station at Cais do Sodré and the train up to Cascais.
We had originally planned to walk back from here to Estoril, but from the train it seemed a relatively short distance, so we strolled around the town (pleasant enough - but the paving on the streets has a wave pattern, which can be quite disconcerting - walking across a large section made me feel slightly queezy), walked through the old castle and past a memorial to the Peninsular war, through the marina and found ourselves crossing over a bridge across a small cove with a lighthouse, and some "fairytale palace" type grand houses.
Next to the bridge was a small restaurant, the Esplanada Santa Marta, which had several stickers from the Le Routard. It was basic, clean, had friendly service, a reasonably priced menu, good sardines, and the worst grilled squid I have ever tasted: tough to the point of being inedible, and smothered with huge amounts of garlic. There was a little black cat begging among the tables - he hadn't come near ours -"he must know about the squid" quipped my beloved.
After this disappointment, we carried on along the coast as the weather could not have been better for walking, around 20 degrees, with a cool breeze coming off the sea - we wandered up past the Boca do Inferno, a sea cave which is supposedly quite spectacular when the sea is rough (today was quite flat) , and then on to the lighthouse at Farol da Guia. There were several restaurants near this lighthouse and this is where I would probably eat if we return to the area.
Heading back down the hill we stopped briefly in a beach side patio bar, before catching the train back to Lisbon. I really enjoyed the day in Cascais - the town was interesting and the scenery well worth seeing - unfortunately, it is going to become part of family folklore as home to "the sh** squid restaurant"
Arriving back at the station, we walked along the shore back towards Alfama - Friday evening, the sun was beginning to set, and there were hundreds of people, strolling, sightseeing, or just sitting in the sun on the edge of the river. There were numerous buskers and the atmosphere was really relaxed.
We stopped again at the Museu da Cerveja, just watching the world go by for an hour or so before returning home.
Apr 3rd, 2017, 02:37 AM
#10
Original Poster
Saturday
On the southern bank of the Tagus, near the suspension bridge is the statue of Christo Rei.
To reach it, we took the ferry from Cais do Sodré to Cacilhas (Lisbon ferries all seem to be enclosed - with no outside deck access, the only "open ferry" that we saw on the trip belonged to the yellow bus company, and seemed quite expensive). We walked along the river until we got to the scenic elevator that goes up to Miradouro Boca Do Vento (fee €1), then up through the streets of Almada until we eventually reached the Santuário Nacional de Cristo Rei. The route is relatively well signposted, but is steep in parts.
Quite apart from the attractions of the Statue itself, the views from the surrounding park are breathtaking - The April 25th Bridge (built by the same company responsible for the Golden Gate Bridge) and across to the Lisbon skyline, photographs just don't do it justice. After an hour or so, we caught the bus back down to Cacilhas, and stopped briefly to view the "Fernando II E Gloria", the last Portuguese wooden built frigate.
As it was now early afternoon, we walked up the main street looking for a place to have a drink - there were many restaurants, several grilling seafood on barbeques, but all of them packed. We found a table open at Restaurante O Mirrita. The food of the nearby diners looked OK, so we ordered a seafood rice dish for two - and it was wonderful - rice with prawns, clams, mussels and chunks of crab - delicious if somewhat messy to eat.
As we ate, a troop of saxophone players started coming down the street, I believe they were part of an art event being held in the town - they were musically very good, but their frontman/singer was so over the top that at times I wished to beat him with his own unicycle! (to be fair, he was entertaining).
That evening, we went exploring in the Biarro Alto region, walking up past the Elevador de Santa Justa before admiring the nightime views from the Miradouro de São Pedro de Alcântara. Sadly, I've not quite got to grips with my new camera, so none of my night shots really came out well.
On the southern bank of the Tagus, near the suspension bridge is the statue of Christo Rei.
To reach it, we took the ferry from Cais do Sodré to Cacilhas (Lisbon ferries all seem to be enclosed - with no outside deck access, the only "open ferry" that we saw on the trip belonged to the yellow bus company, and seemed quite expensive). We walked along the river until we got to the scenic elevator that goes up to Miradouro Boca Do Vento (fee €1), then up through the streets of Almada until we eventually reached the Santuário Nacional de Cristo Rei. The route is relatively well signposted, but is steep in parts.
Quite apart from the attractions of the Statue itself, the views from the surrounding park are breathtaking - The April 25th Bridge (built by the same company responsible for the Golden Gate Bridge) and across to the Lisbon skyline, photographs just don't do it justice. After an hour or so, we caught the bus back down to Cacilhas, and stopped briefly to view the "Fernando II E Gloria", the last Portuguese wooden built frigate.
As it was now early afternoon, we walked up the main street looking for a place to have a drink - there were many restaurants, several grilling seafood on barbeques, but all of them packed. We found a table open at Restaurante O Mirrita. The food of the nearby diners looked OK, so we ordered a seafood rice dish for two - and it was wonderful - rice with prawns, clams, mussels and chunks of crab - delicious if somewhat messy to eat.
As we ate, a troop of saxophone players started coming down the street, I believe they were part of an art event being held in the town - they were musically very good, but their frontman/singer was so over the top that at times I wished to beat him with his own unicycle! (to be fair, he was entertaining).
That evening, we went exploring in the Biarro Alto region, walking up past the Elevador de Santa Justa before admiring the nightime views from the Miradouro de São Pedro de Alcântara. Sadly, I've not quite got to grips with my new camera, so none of my night shots really came out well.
Apr 3rd, 2017, 06:24 AM
#11
Thanks for posting, I am following along.
Apr 3rd, 2017, 01:21 PM
#13
Original Poster
Sunday
We took a train up to Oriente station and Parque das Nações. The latter being the area where they held the Lisbon Expo in 1998, and it now contains the Oceanarium, a science museum, conference centre, shopping complex, a multipurpose arena and various exhibition halls.
We had no great plans, but simply wandered around , walking up to the beautiful Vasco da Gama bridge, and surrounding parks, and greatly enjoying watching the large numbers of families out cycling, running, walking and all manner of other activities.
We then took the cable car back to the other end of the promenade, spent some time admiring the boats in the marina, and had a light lunch at one of the waterside cafes. Although the food was good, service was exceptionally slow (they only appeared to have two waiting staff on duty), and when we had a disagreement with the manager about beers which we had ordered that had never arrived.
Heading back towards the station, we noticed an exhibition of replicas of the artefacts found in Tutankhamun's tomb, and it proved to be very good, and probably as close as I am likely to get to seeing the originals.
We caught the metro back down to the Terreiro do Paço station, we couldn't seem to keep away from this area, particularly around sunset when there always seemed to be something happening.
After a quiet beer we tried to get into the Cervejaria Ramiro - A seafood restaurant that had been recommended to us. Unfortunately , it being Sunday evening, the queue was very long, and we would probably have had to wait for well over an hour (we had previously been told that they did not accept reservations but later found out this might not be correct).
Instead we climbed back up to hill to the Cervejaria Trindade - a former monastery. While the setting is wonderful, the tiled walls and decorations are really atmospheric, the food was no more than OK, the service friendly, but seemed very "hard sell" - whatever we ordered they seemed to have a more expensive suggestion. Overall, I liked it far less than I had anticipated. Even though it was relatively early, the cumulative walking was getting to us, so we decided on an early night.
We took a train up to Oriente station and Parque das Nações. The latter being the area where they held the Lisbon Expo in 1998, and it now contains the Oceanarium, a science museum, conference centre, shopping complex, a multipurpose arena and various exhibition halls.
We had no great plans, but simply wandered around , walking up to the beautiful Vasco da Gama bridge, and surrounding parks, and greatly enjoying watching the large numbers of families out cycling, running, walking and all manner of other activities.
We then took the cable car back to the other end of the promenade, spent some time admiring the boats in the marina, and had a light lunch at one of the waterside cafes. Although the food was good, service was exceptionally slow (they only appeared to have two waiting staff on duty), and when we had a disagreement with the manager about beers which we had ordered that had never arrived.
Heading back towards the station, we noticed an exhibition of replicas of the artefacts found in Tutankhamun's tomb, and it proved to be very good, and probably as close as I am likely to get to seeing the originals.
We caught the metro back down to the Terreiro do Paço station, we couldn't seem to keep away from this area, particularly around sunset when there always seemed to be something happening.
After a quiet beer we tried to get into the Cervejaria Ramiro - A seafood restaurant that had been recommended to us. Unfortunately , it being Sunday evening, the queue was very long, and we would probably have had to wait for well over an hour (we had previously been told that they did not accept reservations but later found out this might not be correct).
Instead we climbed back up to hill to the Cervejaria Trindade - a former monastery. While the setting is wonderful, the tiled walls and decorations are really atmospheric, the food was no more than OK, the service friendly, but seemed very "hard sell" - whatever we ordered they seemed to have a more expensive suggestion. Overall, I liked it far less than I had anticipated. Even though it was relatively early, the cumulative walking was getting to us, so we decided on an early night.
Apr 3rd, 2017, 06:04 PM
#15
Following along.
Glad you went to the 1998 Lisbon Expo Olympic site.
I don't think people who have not been there, know how beautiful this station is.
Here is a link , maybe Dukey1 will go there.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gare_do_Oriente
Glad you went to the 1998 Lisbon Expo Olympic site.
I don't think people who have not been there, know how beautiful this station is.
Here is a link , maybe Dukey1 will go there.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gare_do_Oriente
Apr 4th, 2017, 04:36 AM
#17
Original Poster
Monday
A bad attack of laziness, and we didn't get out of bed until late. The weather forecast promised a colder, wetter day, and neither of us seemed to be able to make a decision about what to do. Eventually we thought to visit the palace at Queluz, but somehow, on the ,train from Rossio station, this evolved into "let's carry on until Sintra".
From the railway station at Sintra, the Castelo dos Mouros dominated the hill above. Foolishly, we decided to forgo the bus, and walk up. Although there was a building near the station advertising itself as tourist information, it appeared entirely devoted to selling various tours, and seemed to lack any sort of "do it yourself" guide.
We searched in vain for any easily understood route map or indicator of how to get up to the castle, so started following the road signs , and it began as a pleasant walk, not too steep, passing assorted pieces of sculpture and modern art. Thinking to cut out some of the "hairpins" of the ascent, we walked through a rather lovely park/ botanical garden at Parque da Liberdade.
Eventually we followed the road and took a very long and convoluted route around the hill before finally finding the road to the Parque da Pena and the castle. This was narrow at times, and we had to often stand to the side to let cars, buses and Tuktuks pass by.
At this stage I must say that on the way down, we found the trail well marked, but somehow, at the main road, the side streets that you needed to take to get onto the footpath were no longer marked (or more likely, the markings weren't as obvious).
Having reached the top of the hill, we debated about visiting the Pena Palace or the castle. Because of our relatively late start, and general dithering, it was already 2pm, so we thought we probably didn't have time for both. We decided on the castle, and didn't regret the decision. The views from the walls were probably worth the admission fee alone. The walkways are narrow enough to make journey along them seem faintly dangerous, and at various points they were too narrow to allow more than one person to pass.
By this stage the wind had got up, and the assorted flags were flying straight out from their masts - and it had got significantly colder. (Looking at the time stamps of the photographs, it seems that we spent only about an hour at the castle - It seemed longer to me, but it was probably a result of the wind and threat of rain).
I feel we didn't give Sintra nearly enough time, there are several palaces that I would go back to next time we are in Portugal.
Arriving back in Lisbon in the late afternoon, we inevitably ended up back at Terreiro do Paço. and the Museu da Cerveja. We visited the actual Museum of Beer (upstairs, above the restaurant) , but it was relatively disappointing - many historic beer bottles, and many photographs tracing the history of Portuguese (and Portuguese Colony) brewing, and a small ceramic container of beer to drink while you viewed the exhibits.
We were quite tired, so decided on an early supper. Bonjardim gets rave reviews on places like Tripadvisor for its spit roast chicken and piri-piri (or peri-peri depending on where you are from) sauce. From the outside, it didn't look much, and it was nearly empty - but why not. It was great - the chicken beautifully cooked, the sauce in a separate container with a pastry brush so you could add as much or little as you wished. the waiter told us we didn't need two portions of fries - one would be enough - and it was plenty. One of the best "cheap meals" that I have eaten - chicken, chips, salad, two large beers and I think the bill was <€25 for the two of us.
One final treat awaited us, just past Bonjardim on our way home was Fabrica da Nata. Although they do savouries and sandwiches, they specialise in Pastel da nata - the little custard tarts. They looked so inviting, we stopped for a "nata" and espresso. They were exquisite - by far the best of any we tasted on our trip.
A bad attack of laziness, and we didn't get out of bed until late. The weather forecast promised a colder, wetter day, and neither of us seemed to be able to make a decision about what to do. Eventually we thought to visit the palace at Queluz, but somehow, on the ,train from Rossio station, this evolved into "let's carry on until Sintra".
From the railway station at Sintra, the Castelo dos Mouros dominated the hill above. Foolishly, we decided to forgo the bus, and walk up. Although there was a building near the station advertising itself as tourist information, it appeared entirely devoted to selling various tours, and seemed to lack any sort of "do it yourself" guide.
We searched in vain for any easily understood route map or indicator of how to get up to the castle, so started following the road signs , and it began as a pleasant walk, not too steep, passing assorted pieces of sculpture and modern art. Thinking to cut out some of the "hairpins" of the ascent, we walked through a rather lovely park/ botanical garden at Parque da Liberdade.
Eventually we followed the road and took a very long and convoluted route around the hill before finally finding the road to the Parque da Pena and the castle. This was narrow at times, and we had to often stand to the side to let cars, buses and Tuktuks pass by.
At this stage I must say that on the way down, we found the trail well marked, but somehow, at the main road, the side streets that you needed to take to get onto the footpath were no longer marked (or more likely, the markings weren't as obvious).
Having reached the top of the hill, we debated about visiting the Pena Palace or the castle. Because of our relatively late start, and general dithering, it was already 2pm, so we thought we probably didn't have time for both. We decided on the castle, and didn't regret the decision. The views from the walls were probably worth the admission fee alone. The walkways are narrow enough to make journey along them seem faintly dangerous, and at various points they were too narrow to allow more than one person to pass.
By this stage the wind had got up, and the assorted flags were flying straight out from their masts - and it had got significantly colder. (Looking at the time stamps of the photographs, it seems that we spent only about an hour at the castle - It seemed longer to me, but it was probably a result of the wind and threat of rain).
I feel we didn't give Sintra nearly enough time, there are several palaces that I would go back to next time we are in Portugal.
Arriving back in Lisbon in the late afternoon, we inevitably ended up back at Terreiro do Paço. and the Museu da Cerveja. We visited the actual Museum of Beer (upstairs, above the restaurant) , but it was relatively disappointing - many historic beer bottles, and many photographs tracing the history of Portuguese (and Portuguese Colony) brewing, and a small ceramic container of beer to drink while you viewed the exhibits.
We were quite tired, so decided on an early supper. Bonjardim gets rave reviews on places like Tripadvisor for its spit roast chicken and piri-piri (or peri-peri depending on where you are from) sauce. From the outside, it didn't look much, and it was nearly empty - but why not. It was great - the chicken beautifully cooked, the sauce in a separate container with a pastry brush so you could add as much or little as you wished. the waiter told us we didn't need two portions of fries - one would be enough - and it was plenty. One of the best "cheap meals" that I have eaten - chicken, chips, salad, two large beers and I think the bill was <€25 for the two of us.
One final treat awaited us, just past Bonjardim on our way home was Fabrica da Nata. Although they do savouries and sandwiches, they specialise in Pastel da nata - the little custard tarts. They looked so inviting, we stopped for a "nata" and espresso. They were exquisite - by far the best of any we tasted on our trip.
Apr 4th, 2017, 06:20 AM
#18
Original Poster
Tuesday
Our last full day in Lisbon, and we didn't achieve much at all. I think the accumulation of walking (we had averaged over 10 miles a day for the previous 5 days) was beginning to take its toll- so we planned for a quiet day - starting with the mundane task of "doing the washing" (the apartment had a washing machine, which meant we could travel with carry on luggage only).
We walked up to the Miradouro da graça, another splendid viewing point with great views across the city, and then off to the nearby Feira da Ladra - the thieves' market near the Panteão Nacional
One website described this as "the perfect place to buy back your stolen mobile phone", which was harsh, but not necessarily untrue. Mostly it was not unlike a giant "car boot" sale: part junk sale, part antique market.
My browsing was cut short when, bending down to look at a wallet, an ominous tearing sound indicated that I had done some damage to my trousers. Fortunately it wasn't immediately obvious to passers by, and putting on my raincoat saved my modesty. After going back to the apartment, and changing (trousers were a write off ), we set out with every intention of visiting the Castelo de S. Jorge. As it was approaching lunchtime we thought we would stop for a lunchtime beer, and something light for lunch (we had a restaurant reservation that night)
The Canto da Vila , near the apartment, had some tables out in the sunshine. We ordered some bread, olives and a bean and bacon soup that was incredibly tasty. The restaurant had a handwritten sign advertising "Portuguese craft beer", but I could find none on the menu. I must have looked confused when I ordered a normal lager, as the waiter asked if I would like to see their local selection, and came back with about 8 different bottles from the Dois Corvos brewery.
I'm a bit of a fan of craft beer and real ales, and was curious to see how local craft beer compared to the stuff I normall drink in the UK. They were exceptionally good, but one turned into two, turned into several , and at between 6 and 8% alcohol, the afternoon plans were soon abandoned in favour of heading back to the apartment and sleeping off "Lunch".
We ate dinner at Chapito, it had been recommended by the apartment owner. The view has apparently been voted in the top ten terrace views in the world by an up market travel magazine - I'm not sure if it deserved this , but it was certainly spectacular. The food and service were both excellent, and it was a great way to finish off our trip.
Wednesday.
We woke up surprisingly early, which meant that by 9 the apartment was cleaned up and we were fully packed and ready to go. As our train didn't leave until noon, we set off on one last stroll,
As we got to the Miradouro de Santa Luzia we encountered something we had not seen before, and almost empty number 28 tram. We couldn't resist a short journey down the hill , if only to say "we did it". We wandered, aimlessly, taking a few last photos, and ending up back at the Fabrica da Nata where we ate custard tarts and drank fresh orange juice and evilly dark coffee, Then back to the apartment and the half mile walk down to Santa Apolonía station where we caught the fast train to Porto.
I really liked Lisbon. The weather was very kind to us, and we managed a great deal of walking, but there is so much we didn't manage: The monuments and museums of Belém, the Queluz Palace, probably at least two days in Sintra, that I feel I need to go back for at least another week.
Our last full day in Lisbon, and we didn't achieve much at all. I think the accumulation of walking (we had averaged over 10 miles a day for the previous 5 days) was beginning to take its toll- so we planned for a quiet day - starting with the mundane task of "doing the washing" (the apartment had a washing machine, which meant we could travel with carry on luggage only).
We walked up to the Miradouro da graça, another splendid viewing point with great views across the city, and then off to the nearby Feira da Ladra - the thieves' market near the Panteão Nacional
One website described this as "the perfect place to buy back your stolen mobile phone", which was harsh, but not necessarily untrue. Mostly it was not unlike a giant "car boot" sale: part junk sale, part antique market.
My browsing was cut short when, bending down to look at a wallet, an ominous tearing sound indicated that I had done some damage to my trousers. Fortunately it wasn't immediately obvious to passers by, and putting on my raincoat saved my modesty. After going back to the apartment, and changing (trousers were a write off ), we set out with every intention of visiting the Castelo de S. Jorge. As it was approaching lunchtime we thought we would stop for a lunchtime beer, and something light for lunch (we had a restaurant reservation that night)
The Canto da Vila , near the apartment, had some tables out in the sunshine. We ordered some bread, olives and a bean and bacon soup that was incredibly tasty. The restaurant had a handwritten sign advertising "Portuguese craft beer", but I could find none on the menu. I must have looked confused when I ordered a normal lager, as the waiter asked if I would like to see their local selection, and came back with about 8 different bottles from the Dois Corvos brewery.
I'm a bit of a fan of craft beer and real ales, and was curious to see how local craft beer compared to the stuff I normall drink in the UK. They were exceptionally good, but one turned into two, turned into several , and at between 6 and 8% alcohol, the afternoon plans were soon abandoned in favour of heading back to the apartment and sleeping off "Lunch".
We ate dinner at Chapito, it had been recommended by the apartment owner. The view has apparently been voted in the top ten terrace views in the world by an up market travel magazine - I'm not sure if it deserved this , but it was certainly spectacular. The food and service were both excellent, and it was a great way to finish off our trip.
Wednesday.
We woke up surprisingly early, which meant that by 9 the apartment was cleaned up and we were fully packed and ready to go. As our train didn't leave until noon, we set off on one last stroll,
As we got to the Miradouro de Santa Luzia we encountered something we had not seen before, and almost empty number 28 tram. We couldn't resist a short journey down the hill , if only to say "we did it". We wandered, aimlessly, taking a few last photos, and ending up back at the Fabrica da Nata where we ate custard tarts and drank fresh orange juice and evilly dark coffee, Then back to the apartment and the half mile walk down to Santa Apolonía station where we caught the fast train to Porto.
I really liked Lisbon. The weather was very kind to us, and we managed a great deal of walking, but there is so much we didn't manage: The monuments and museums of Belém, the Queluz Palace, probably at least two days in Sintra, that I feel I need to go back for at least another week.
Apr 4th, 2017, 06:50 AM
#19
Good Morning, I should say Good Afternnon where you are.
Thank You very much ,it was and enjoyable memory ladened journey for me.
Thank You very much ,it was and enjoyable memory ladened journey for me.
Apr 10th, 2017, 01:56 PM
#20
Join Date: Jan 2015
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I Loved reading your report, thank you! We are going to Portugal in October. I have been really debating how much time to give to Lisbon, you not only made me want to spend more time there but maybe the whole time there! Cant wait to hear what your have to say about Porto.......
