Brass tacks on planning - 4 days in Lisbon
 

Okay, the wedding is over, it was fabulous, and I have a wonderful new daughter-in-law! Now, back to trip planning.

My list of things to get feedback on here is:

1) Rough 4 day itinerary for Lisbon.
2) Just checking on practicalities, my get ready to go to Europe travel checklist may have better options since the last time we were there in…. 2018! (We HAD planned to go to Portugal in 2019 but had to cancel, wonder why?).
3) Rough 4 day itinerary for Porto.

So, this is number 1, 4 days in Lisbon.

Day 1 is arrival day, we get in mid-morning I think. On arrival, at the airport, we’ll get some cash at an ATM, and get a travel card (not the Lisboa card). We’re over 60 (getting close to over 70), so I’m counting on senior discounts at a number of places. We’ll get to our hotel and either our room will be ready or we will store our luggage there until it is.

Since I will be sleep deprived (I’ll get a little sleep on the plane, but not nearly what I need), we’ll likely just explore – we’re staying in Baixa and so we’ll walk a bit there and then go to Chiado. I need to fill this in some more, but I do know I want to see that bookstore (I’m a big bookstore fan).

Day 2 Perhaps we’ll concentrate on Alfama. I do want to go to the Gulbenkian Museum, maybe that’s the day for it. Maybe we’ll book a walking tour. Again, I need to fill this in more, but I need the bones first.

Day 3 I think will be for Sintra. I have a thread on that, and need to make some final decisions about what to see and in what order and what tickets to buy ahead, but this is a good day for that.

Day 4 is for Belem, the Jeronimos Monastery and I don’t know what else and whether we’re there all day or do something else later in the day.

But that’s the bones of the itinerary. I’ve based this on various other threads I’ve seen and after looking at Rick Steves and some other travel guides.

Comments MORE than welcome.

Thanks so much to this helpful and unbelievably knowledgeable group.
Alice

Day 1
Guerra Junqueiro Garden
Parque Eduardo VII
get out in the green spaces and keep walking

bilboburgler, I like the green spaces and walking suggestions, we are of like minds on that. I will check out the garden and park you recommend, thanks very much!

Alice

For your day in Belem I'd recommend the Coach Museum. On the day I went I was tired and thought about skipping it, but I'm so glad I didn't. If you go, I'd recommend seeing the coaches in reverse chronological order. That way you'll start with "cool" and "interesting" and move to "WOW!" since the older coaches are the really impressive ones.

Alice9,
Glad that your son and daughter-in -aw had a fabulous wedding!

Day 1:
What works for me with jet lag (but I arrive from the west coast) is just to wander out in the bright sun (no museums, no bus tours, no boat rides),
I think your plan of wandering in the Baixa and up to Chiado is a good one. And if you need coffee there's the A Brasileira or the Pastelaria Bernard, both next to each other on Chiado's Rua Garrett (I like the latter a bit better, as it's somewhat less crowded). There's also the café in the back room of the wonderful Bertrand bookstore there. And a "meia de leite" is more or less the equivalent of a latte. (but a bica is a shot of espresso, w/o milk).

Day 2;
Alfama would work, but remembering that if it's a Monday, the Monastery São Vicente de Fora, with its magnificent tiles, will be closed, as will the National Pantheon. But the cathedral, Sé, will be open, as well as the Ricardo do Espírito Santo Silva Foundation, a decorative arts museum housed in a palace (which is closed on Tuesday). And if it's rainy, that walk on slippery cobblestones, up and down staircases, won't be much fun.

The Gulbenkian, could also work, remembering that the Gulbenkian is closed on Tuesdays and you can follow it by a walk through Eduardo VII Park--that makes a nice combo-- followed by the walk back to your hotel (all downhill!) along the broad and leafy Avenida da Liberdade. If you need a rest stop there are plenty of red benches, now each dedicated to one of Lisbon's famous female fado singers, with written commentary about their lives, plus refreshment kiosks (quiosques--they're all over the city), like "Banana Café" and "O Melhor Bolo de Chocolate do Mundo" on the avenue, for a stop for a drink or even food.

A walking tour would also work in the afternoon. I do go to museums in the morning, when my powers of concentration are much better, then use the afternoons for walking around.

Day 3: whether this is a good day for Sintra will depend, I think, on what day of the week it is. Sintra gets packed on weekends but also on Mondays when most of the Belém monuments are closed. But Fri/Sat/Sun/Mon may be the days that you have in Lisbon?

Day 4: If it's Monday, the Jerónimos Monastery and other Belém monuments are closed.
Depending on your interests there (and the crowds), Belém can take the entire day, if you want to hit Jerónimos (I would do it first before large bus tours arrive), then the Monument to the Discoveries (elevator to the top, or not), then the walk up to the Torre de Belém (the inside we skipped because of the close quarters), then back to the far eastern end of Belém, to hit one of these also in Belém: (it's a lot to pack in)

Your other Belém options-
Berardo Modern Art Museum, a walk on the rooftop of the MAAT, the vast Naval Museum, tracing Portugal's rich nautical history, or the lovely Coach Museum (we now do this one last before making our way back to our hotel), which doesn't get too crowded in the afternoon. You don't need to visit both the contemporary building, with the largest collection of carriages, AND the original museum, housed in the former riding school, since the collection there is much smaller, although the frescoes are beautiful. Both are included on your ticket, but the old building is closed on Tuesday but open on Monday.
Homepage - EN - National Coach Museum.

Hope this helps to get you started.

Maribel, I meant to put in our days of the week - we arrive on WED and depart for Porto on SUN. So perhaps we shouldn't go to Sintra on Friday? Our four days are Wed-Sat.
I agree about museums in the morning and walking tours in the afternoon.
So we have no Monday closure problems for the Lisbon part of the trip.

Thanks as always,
Alice

Alice9,
Glad you have n Monday closure problems.

I probably wouldn't go to Sintra on the day after arrival (that would be Thursday for you), since I'd want to spend my second day getting to know the city better, getting better oriented, discovering a different neighborhood or two....but that's me, not you.

If you get an early start to Sintra on Friday morning, it might be better than trying to tackle it the very next morning after your Wed. arrival, unless you opt for a small group guided tour rather than a DIY. Just a thought....
Every traveler is different.

I agree with Maribel recommendations.
I was impressed with São Vicente de Fora church roof, it's made of big blocks of stone and completely flat except for the bell towers and cupola. Considering how long ago the church was built, what a feat of engineering. There's no indication from inside the church but at the time I was allowed to go to the roof, also great for photo of city skyline towards the river.
Home - Mosteiro de São Vicente de Fora

At Jeronimos visit not just the church but also the cloister ($fee).
If you're in Belem on a Saturday you can visit the President's palace.
https://www.lisbonportugaltourism.com/guide/palacio-de-belem.html

On the south side of river, by the bridge you'll see a large statue of Christ the King (Cristo Rei), it has an elevator inside to the top. Really great views of Lisbon, great for photos and the statute itself is impressive.
https://www.lisbonportugaltourism.co...to-christ.html

Happy travels

If you wish, you can click on my name to read my trip report for Lisbon and Sintra to see what we did there, and how we organized our days.

In a nutshell, we visited the Gulbenkian in the morning. We did spend about 3 - 3.5 hours there because we like to take our time and not rush through things. We enjoyed both the Modern Collection building and the Founders Collection building. We enjoyed walking through the gardens and we had a light lunch at their outdoor cafe. Later on that afternoon we went to Miradouro de Alcantara, one of the many viewpoints in Lisbon. Partially followed a Rick Steves walking tour of Bairro Alto, and visited the Sao Roque Church.

On another day, we visited the Castle Sao Jorge in the morning, then had a light lunch, and then wandered around the Alfama. Also visited the Mosteiro De Sao Vicente De Fora. Don't miss the rooftop for spectacular views!

The next day we visited Belem and spent most of the day there. First on our list was the Jeronimos Monastery. Then the Discoveries Monument. I highly recommend taking the elevator to the top. A very short line, and the views are spectacular. We admired the Belem Tower from afar. Visited the Coach Museum, and also had lunch at Restauraunt Vela at the Belem Dock.

The day before we flew home, we took a guided tour to Sintra and Cascais.

Hope this helps.

We flew to Portugal after visiting our daughter in France, so we didn't have to worry about what to do on arrival day regarding getting over jetlag.

I agree about going ahead with Sintra on Friday, for exactly the reasons you give, that's why I had arranged my days that way - you just gave me pause about avoiding it Thu-Sun. We're going on our own, and as I said in another posting, will save Pena Palace for afternoon, so hopefully we should do okay.

Alice

aulop, thanks for the recommendations, adding to my list!

Alice

Thanks, KarenWoo, what you have here is great, but I will definitely read your trip report, I find trip reports SO helpful.
I agree about not rushing museums. And I see you are into great views, as am I, so thanks for the tips on those.
We're doing Sintra on our own, and not Cascais because I think doing both doesn't give you enough time in Sintra - but I do see LOTS of Sintra/Cascais tours, so it must work well for many people.

Great information, thanks!
Alice

Alice,
I do think that Sintra and Cascais, under present circumstances, given the huge Sintra crowds/long lines, is now too much during high season, unfortunately.

I think that Pena may be better after 3, given the recent reports on other travel forums.

If on your Belém day, if you find the waterside restaurants too crowded (the Vela at the Doca Bom Sucesso docks/marina is a great choice), and you just want a quick and nice (huge) sandwich, there's a new Confeitaria Nacional just east of the Belém Tower, (one of the city's famed pastéis de nata places).
It also has an outdoor terrace, and because it's mostly sandwichs/salads, there's a good ebb and flow there. You order and pay at the counter, but the wait staff brings your food to you. It's usually not as crowded as the other places that are closer to Jerónimos.

Thanks, Maribel, you've confirmed my plans about Sintra. And thanks for the restaurant tips in Belém, that will be a big help.
Alice

A place in Belém that seems to not get much mention here but which we found excellent is the Maritime Museum.

Yes, Seamus, the Naval Museum that I mentioned is actually called the Maritime Museum, Museu de Marinha, (wrong terminology). It really is excellent, and it's vast! It sits next to Jerónimos and the attached Archaeological Museum. There's soooooo much to see in Belém!
https://ccm.marinha.pt/pt/museu

What about the Tile Museum? I've seen several positive references about that, and it seems right up m alley.

Alice

Thanks, Seamus, will investigate!

Alice

Absolutely, Alice,
The tile museum, Museu Nacional do Azulejo, is amazing, one of my top 3 museums to visit, and its chapel is a masterpiece of Baroque. It's closed on Mondays but that won't affect you, just a note for others.

http://www.museudoazulejo.gov.pt/en-...entDetail.aspx.

I’ll mention the Museum of Resistance and Liberty in the Lisbon’s Alfama, not only because I liked it myself, but also because it hasn’t been mentioned on this response “thread” (nor on any other Lisbon forum thread I’ve ever seen). As of my visit (2017) it contained mainly large, well-illistratred wall posters, in both Portuguese and English, describing in detail the Antonio Salazar dictatorship, and the resistance to it. Otherwise, there wasn’t a lot of concrete “stuff,” though there was a reconstructed resistance apartment showing some of the methods used by the resistance to operate and communicate in secret. (Also, a very small display of medieval artifacts — the museum is located in an old Moorish building known as the “Aljube.”)

Note that my visit was December, 2017; things may have changed since then. Note too that they have a website, and while I found museum inspiring myself, fascists and authoritarians may not appreciate it as much.

Yes, we really liked the Tile Museum, much more than we expected. A definite don't miss in Lisbon!

Of course in my note above I meant "well-illustrated..."

Faedus, thanks for mentioning the the Museum of Resistance and Liberty. I haven't heard of it. And it sounds very interesting and informative. If we return to Lisbon, I will put it on my sightseeing list. Along with the Tile Museum, which we missed in 2018.

KarenWoo,
The Tile Museum also has a very pretty café/restaurant facing the winter garden, with walls covered with beautiful 18th blue/white tiles once part of the kitchen of the palace in which the museum is housed, and an esplanade in the garden where you can have a drink...along with a shop.

And the top (3rd US, 2nd Europe) floor has an amazing, huge, tiled mural or panorama of Lisbon pre 1755 earthquake.

Thanks, Faedus, I hadn't seen anything about it, I will definitely look it up.
Alice

Well, now the Tile Museum is DEFINITELY on my list!
Alice

Well, after looking at all my notes gathered from your good suggestions, I have come to the conclusion that I won't have enough time in Lisbon! (I'm sure this is not a surprise to anyone but me). So here's what I've got, with a few questions.
Day 1 (Wed) arrival day, walk, hang out in Baixa and Chiado, lots of suggestions of things to look at, places to eat etc. That seems fine.
Day 2 (Thu) Probably mostly Alfama. I think the Gulbenkian Museum, lots of other things to see in that area.
Day 3 (Fri) Devoted to a day trip to Sintra, whole separate post on THAT.
Day 4 (Sat) Belem, the Monastery, possibly the President's Palace.

Questions - do we just follow some of the RS walking tours, or take one of the free or otherwise ones? Afternoon Day 2?
And when do I fit in the Tile Museum, which has moved to my 'must' list. Could we do that afternoon of Day 4?

I really don't want to be running around the whole time, I do enjoy beautiful views and people watching. Also as to food - I think I mentioned this elsewhere, but we don't like big meals late at night, so I might prefer larger lunches, and small dinners, I assume this is not frowned upon.

Again, I want to thank everyone for all the excellent information and help I always get on these forums.

Alice

Day 1--Chiado and Baixa, hanging out at the cafés (Art Deco A Brasileira, Pastelaria Bernard, both on Garret), visit Bertrand book shop, lunch, window shopping in Chiado, visit the enormous gateway square, Praça do Coméricio (aka Terreiro do Paço) at the river's edge in Baixa, pick up maps/info from the Visit Lisbon tourist office...

Day 2--Gulbenkian isn't in the Alfama. It's close to Praça de Espanha in the northern, modern section of the city. It's reachable by metro (red and blue lines) at the São Sebastião station, then a walk downhill.
Info about getting there here-
https://gulbenkian.pt/museu/en/visit/.
It's best combined with Eduardo VII Park

In the Alfama area you can visit the St George castle, the cathedral (Sé), the Monastery of São Vicente da Fora for its tiles and rooftop views, the National Pantheon, whatever interests you most. Most people want to visit the Castle. We start our Alfama walk by going to the highest point, to the Miradouro de Graça next to the church (nice quiosque there for coffee), then work our way down, slowly, usually getting lost at some point.
The Tile Museum is 4 km. west of the Cathedral, about a 10-min. taxi or uber ride.

Some people take the free tours. I do a version of the RS walk but start at the top and make my way down to the Cathedral.

Day 3-whole day in Sintra

Day 4-most of the day in Belém. Number one priority should be the Jerónimos Monastery that opens at 10.
Your other Belém choices, depending on your interests--you'll need to pick and choose
Maritime Museum, just west of Jerónimos (vast!!),
Monument to the Discoveries (take the underground passageway below the highway to reach it), elevator to the top for the views, if lines aren't too long
Belém Tower, walkable from the Monument to the Discoveries, at the far western end (crowded on the inside)--places to rest and grab a bite along the way
back to the eastern end of Belém to tour the wonderful Coach Museum, a walk east from Jerónimos, past the Antiga Confeitaria de Belém (for a pastéis de nata)
rooftop walk on the MAAT
Centro Cultural de Belém for its Berardo Modern Art Museum, but if you're not a fan of modern art, it's skippable

It's really, really hard (as in impossible) to do all the above, given the crowds these days and there's LOTS to walking involved
I wouldn't try to combine Belém with the Tile Museum. They're 10 km. apart, a 20-minute taxi or uber ride. I think most people are tired at the end of a Belém day.

The President's Palace visits, only on Saturdays and with an appointment, have been temporarily suspended, so that option is out.

About dinners--we prefer to have our main meal at lunch. At night, we just go out for small plates, "petiscos" to share. Not frowned on at all. There are lots of great places in Lisbon for this. Your concierge should be able to give you good tips, but the best ones aren't in the Baixa in the immediate vicinity of your hotel.

Hope this helps.

Thanks, Maribel, it helps a lot and confirms my realization that I can't do everything. Since the Tile Museum is more... unique than the Gulbenkian, maybe it's heresy, but I'd consider doing the former and not the latter. I've been to LOTS of excellent museums (I live outside of DC, it's ALL museums), but never one devoted to tiles.
Good to know about the President's Palace, thanks.
I'm getting tickets ahead for the few things discussed earlier, so that should help with waiting in line.
And very good to know about aiming for a big lunch and small plates for dinners, that will work much better for us.
AND the big fat book I'm in the middle of and didn't want to drag to Portugal was available to borrow from the library for my Kindle, so that's good news.
All is very well, thanks to you and others in this forum.

Alice

Maribel, I feel validated! Your Days 1-4 are exactly the agenda I have planned. Fortunately, we have a 5th day, which we will start at the tile museum. The rest of the day is "unplanned: until 8 pm dinner reservations.

The one thing I've noted is that any real shopping must be done on arrival day and the next day, as I've read that shops close at noon on Saturday.

realgirl58,
I think you'll be surprised (as I was) at the number of shops in Chiado that are open 7 days a week.

I know that my favorite, "A Vida Portuguesa" for Portuguese handicrafts is open daily from 10 am until 7:30 pm.
The cool Embaixada shopping complex in Príncipe Real is open daily from noon until 8 pm
The famous glove store (smallest shop in Portugal at 4 square meters), the Luvaria Ulisses is open Mon-Sat from 10 am-7 pm
The tinned sardine and paté shop, Loja das Conservas, is open daily in Cais do Sodré Mon-Sat: 10:00 am - 08:00 pm | Sun: 12:00 pm - 08:00 pm
The same kind of shop, Conserveira de Lisboa on Rua dos Bacalhoeiros in Baixa is open Mon-Sat 10:00 am-7:00 pm
The Benamôr shop for made-in-Portugal cosmetics is open Monday to Saturday: 10-8 and Sunday, noon-8
The Claus Porto perfumes and creams (made in Porto) on Rua da Misericordia in Chiado is open Monday to Sunday: 10h - 19h

All the chocolate shops are open daily, like the Chocolataria Equador, on Rua da Prata in Baixa, open Sat from 10:00-7:00 and Sunday from 2:00-7:00

Just trying to do my best to promote these Portuguese shop keepers!:)

Thanks~

That glove store was on my list! Now there are more shops to check out…

Luvaria Ulisses
Luvaria Ulisses - Home.

Maribel

New to the forum. Will be leaving Monday May 23 for Lisbon. My itinerary is similar to what you have recommended. Will be staying in Cais Sodre. Can you recommend restaurants and also which ones do I need a reservation. Thank you

Do you want to travel to other areas of the city to dine, or are you looking for ones that are within a short walking distance of Cais do Sodré?

If it's the latter, I really love the Restaurante Ibo with views of the river. It's housed in a former salt warehouse with two levels. It features cuisine from Mozanbique and its seafood dishes are wonderful. Best to reserve, and we enjoy the more tranquil upstairs dining room rather than the busy and bustling outdoor terrace.
Home | IBO Restaurante

We also like Pap'Açorda, which has moved from its popular Bairro Alto location to the top floor of the Time Out Market. While a stroll through the downstairs food hall of the Time Out Market is always interesting, it gets very crowded, so we seek refuge for a quiet meal and well spaced tables upstairs at Pap'Açorda.
https://papacorda.com/en/.

For meat lovers, there's the steakhouse Sala de Corte.
https://saladecorte.pt/?lang=en

The 3 above can be booked on The Fork.

In the AlmaLusa hotel, there's Defina Cantina Portuguesa--probably don't need reservations here. It's been recently praised on Iwan2go's Lisbon trip report. It sits on the pretty Praça do Municipio.
https://www.almalusahotels.com/delfina/en/