Lisbon-mini trip report
 

Hello
I've not posted a trip report before but feel compelled this time.

We've considered going to Lisbon before but were deterred by reports that said that it is not a safe city, with crime and so on.

I can tell you that this was falsest statement.

First, the city was very safe, full of tourists, especially French.

The Portuguese were friendly, not great english speakers but very easy to communicate with. The language is not hard, somewhere between French and Spanish, signs were very easy to read, it's spoken Portuguese that is a bit hard to understand.

Because of the number of French tourists, personnel of most tourist establishments speak French like waiters in the very recommended Martinho de Aracada restaurant.

Public transport is very easy to use. Tram is great but unreliable in terms of timing. We found the tube to be the best option, fast, safe, and on time.
Tram 28 was a great experience very early in the morning and from the very beginning at Martim Moniz.

Even the Aerobus from the airport was easy to use and the bus driver welcomed the tourist to the city!

It's a very walkable city, albeit not easy with all the steep hill and cobblestone which gets pretty slippery when there is a bit of rain.

The Portuguese like to stay up at night so the streets are busy until 1 and 2 am.
Colombo mall opens till midnight if that is something that interest you.

Corte Ingles supermarket and gourmet shop are heaven. It wasn't easy finding a good restaurant in the city centre. We used the Cortes to buy excellent cheese and gourmet items. Pingo Doce is the value supermarket chain there, easy to find in each barrio, but the items are very "basic".

Belem, was an easy excursion although we found the monastery to be too crowded for any kind of personal experience. On the way to Belelm, you can slo visit Time out's v interesting indoors food market, http://www.timeoutmarket.com/en/concept/

Don't miss the excellent and free Berardo museum across the road from the monastery, it also has a very nice restaurant with alfresco and in door dinning.
Pastei de Belem was good although not much better than Manteigaria in Chiado. The line was long but v fast moving.
Pharmacia Restaurant- interesting food and concept, and in a great location.

Great street art and specialised museums such as Saramago's and Pessoa's museums.


Overall, Lisbon is a v pleasant city with kind people. The weather was fantastic, sunny everyday.

Yes! Lisbon is a wonderful destination for most people. A few people don't like it and seem to get their opinion taken too seriously. Obviously no one place is going to make every blessed human being happy when it comes to a vacation, but Lisbon has loads of beauty, charm, great food and history for those who love travel and exploration. (It's really all about exploration and the exploring spirit.) Also, there are apparently some people, sadly, who cannot get used to the idea that Europe also has dark-skinned residents, and those tourists seem to pack their racial anxieties with them everywhere they go. Again, these people seem to think they should have the last word on Lisbon, but if you havn't got that problem, Lisbon is a very important part of the history of not just Europe, but the whole world.

Travel and Leisure magazine just named Portugal as the 2017 destination of the year.

I booked a ticket to Lisbon yesterday. Was there a couple of years ago and am looking forward to returning.

Thank you for posting.

We also loved Lisbon and shopped at a Pingo Doce near our rental apt. for our Vinho Verde. I have a fair complexrion and blue eyes and many locals thought I was French. Now I understand why! Glad you enjoyed your visit.

My first trip to Europe was to Lisbon, so it holds a special place in my heart and it got me hooked on travel. Thank you for sharing about your trip, it made me smile:)

Thanks for the nice replies mms and HappyTrvlr :)

frencharmoire, actually one of the reasons I liked Lisbon is the well-integrated racial diversity. There was no vibe of hostility. There were also less drunk people on the street, especially late at night, unlike many European capitals.

weekender-have a great trip.

Other things I loved:
The market on Avenida de Liberdade on weekends.

Hot Club de Portugal-for jazz lovers

Starbucks on Avenida de Liberdade (great building and location, opens till late too!)

Chill-out walking tours, joined in half way after stepping out of Saramago foundation-was welcomed to join. The guide was fantastic and spoke English expertly.

Fado in Chiado.

Lisbon Street Art Tours-a different perspective on Lisbon, very interesting.

Now I really want to see Porto, I like cities.

I enjoyed reading your brief report. Good to hear Lisbon is safe. I definitely want to travel to Portugal in the next year or two.

Great to hear you liked Lisbon, it´s a great city. I live in the Algarve in Portugal, many people don´t think of Portugal as the great holiday destination it is, but this country has so much to offer!