Lisbon

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i recommend...

listen

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surf

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Surf schools pick up students in the city center and drive them out to the beach.

Another option is booking a couple days at Surf Lisbon's house, which offers private and shared rooms. 

drink

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Click through for a good story and 4 great spots to find ginjinha in Lisbon

THE CITY GUIDES YOU'LL MEET

Follow Miguel's recommendations, from must-see monuments to really nice hot dogs

Take Catarina's architectural tour of Lisbon and end up on a spaceship

Explore the Rota das Tascas da Mouraria with June

Read the Night in Lisbon with Ana

Have a chat with Jean-Pierre--and learn what it's like when it rains

See a few of Micas' favorite things, from ginja in a chocolate cup to noodles in a smoky room

Visit some of Lisbon's new creative spaces with Sara

Wander up and down seven hills with Andreia, and stop for a bifana

Go out with Sergio and Sylvia (and get their take on Illegal Chinese)

Rooftop bars and other cool places with Sergio and Sylvia

LX Factory has restaurants, shops, and a flea market.

Sergio: Cool places, cool places… Oh, LX!

Sylvia: Yes, LX Factory is a really cool place! It's not far. It's by bus, just 10-15 minutes. 

Sergio: They don’t have a subway that goes there, so that is why it feels far, since we use the subway so much. But there is a bus.

Sylvia: But they organize a lot of events, so it’s fun. They have a market on Sundays, a flea market with handmade stuff, vintage, everything. It's one of my favorite spots in Lisbon. And Cais do Sodré. There are bars and restaurants. Pensão Amor! 

The pink streets of Cais do Sodre.

The entrance to Pensao Amor.

Sergio: Yes, it’s a really nice place to go now. Before the bars were not there. Now there is a place called Pensão Amor. You know, with the girls? They didn’t get rid of the brothel, but they gave it a new life. You still see all the old things. It’s very cool.

Sylvia: Then you have Bairro Alto. The outside of Bairro Alto, there’s a place called Lost In. It’s a very cool Indian-style place with a nice terrace near the miradouro.

Outside of Foxtrot. Inside, there's a game of pool going on, and a cat napping on an overstuffed chair.

Sergio: This area is a really nice neighborhood too, I really like it. São Bento and Praça das Flores. There are a lot of gay bars here—Finalmente, Woof, Tr3s. Then we have Foxtrot. It’s the oldest bar in the neighborhood. It has the ambiance of the '20s and '30s. And you have a similar bar in Príncipe Real, Pavilhão Chinês. You have to just get in and look around and get lost in the millions of things you have on the walls and ceilings. 

Sylvia: It’s like dolls and strange stuff, you can just stare at the walls forever. But the people are not as friendly as at Foxtrot, don’t you think? Because it's kinda fancy. Like I just went inside and took a look and left.

Sergio: I guess.

Sylvia: And in Santa Apolonia, you have a bar on the rooftop. That’s where the train station is, so they have the bar with train seats. Bit expensive but it’s a cool experience. Here in Lisbon, you have a lot of nice rooftop bars, with great views. 

Sergio: Yes, Park is really cool too, in Bairro Alto.

Sylvia: And Illegal Chinese! When I take friends around Lisbon, I always take them there because it's interesting. You don't have any labels outside, but when you go into the building, it’s a Chinese restaurant. It's so traditional now, and very famous here. It’s not a proper restaurant, and well, I’ve never seen any receipt! It's cool and a bit unusual. When you take your friends there, they're like, where are you taking me...

Sergio: It’s like you go up the stairs, and feel like, umm, now are my last hours in this world…

Sylvia: They’re all near Martim Moniz. One is on its own a bit further away, and then you have two more—one on the first and one on the second floor. The one on the second floor is best.

A walking tour of Lisbon with Andreia

A tram winds through Alfama.

The first thing I organize for my friends who are visiting is a walking tour of the city. Usually I start in Santa Apolonia by the river and then Alfama, Mouraria, and all the old parts of Lisbon, and then Bairro Alto and Chiado. It’s a long day of walking. Walking up and down. It's seven hills!

There isn’t one neighborhood I like especially. All the old parts of Lisbon are nice. They're very similar. But it’s changing. Many of the old people…well, you know, they’re going. Youngsters are taking over, so it's becoming a more bohemian place. Plus, there are a lot of foreigners coming. It's a good vibe. It’s a very rich mix of people, and there are lots of associations of young people trying to make a difference.

Tasty, garlicky pork, waiting to be made into a bifana.

I usually have a snack with me on my tour. Or I stop at a traditional restaurant and have my traditional steak with fries and an egg. It’s called bitoque. The sandwiches are also good. Bifana is pork meat and prego is steak. They are really good. I would say garlic is one of our biggest assets in the kitchen.

Then if you have the opportunity, take the ferry to Cacilhas, especially at sunset. It's beautiful to see Lisbon at night. You take the ferry from Cais do Sodre, and then you go to the other side of the river. There isn't much to see there. It’s not even really a very nice place to be. But the views are great. Just go have a beer and relax and see the views.

In terms of food and sightseeing, Lisbon has great places. There's a lot of live music for free and low cost. The jazz school here in Lisbon is called Hot Club. It might be free still. It's a bar, and when they have invited bands, you pay 5 to 10 euros, but when it's students it's free and they just jam all night.

What makes Lisbon special?

I think it's the light. If it's a beautiful sunny day and you sit somewhere where you can see the castle… Lisbon has a very good energy because of the light. I I lived abroad for a year and when I came back I spent so much time walking around just looking up at the light. 

Lisbon at dusk, from across the river in Cacilhas.

Exploring Lisbon's creative boom with Sara

I would recommend my friends to visit the design museum in Lisbon downtown. Then I want them to see all the streets. There are all sorts of new spaces like this one, which is called Rés do Chão.

Come to Poço de Dos Negros street. They're opening all kinds of new spaces here. There are designers and creative people coming to this area and opening new shops. It's pretty recent, so now is a good time to visit Lisbon.

There are so many new things happening. It was like a boom, because of the crisis. There were lots of young people unemployed, and the only way they could do something was to establish themselves and make this new scene. So there's a lot of things happening in design and illustration. It was the only way we could do something new, and work in the areas that we study. 

Saloia, a cafe and shop on Rua de Sao Bento.

And street food too! It's rising in Lisbon, with little places to eat and drink. Have you gone to the Mercado da Ribeira? That's one of my favorite places. They take the big restaurants around Lisbon and set up a small version in the market. 

You should try caco. It's a traditional Portuguese thing, and you can go to this building called Taberna Madeirense, and there you have bread de caco, from Madeira. And you can drink poncha, a traditional drink also from Madeira that you have to try. It’s a cool place to eat things like that.

For lunch go to Saloia. It is on São Bento street. They have all sorts of food there, and they have a grocery too, so you can eat and buy all sorts of Portuguese products.

Not "street food" but all over the streets in Lisbon, you'll find kiosks where you can order coffee, a pastry, or a drink.

Illegal Chinese and other favorite things of Micas

I will just tell you all the things I like. 

Tram 28 is very nice. It will take you from Alfama, all the way to the Basilica.

And ginjinha, in a chocolate cup! It’s really cool. Well, the thing is, I don’t like ginja. But I hear the one by Rossio square, there’s a really old one there, is quite good.

Ginjinha, or ginja, in a chocolate cup.

Ginjinha Sem Rival, a more traditional spot to find the Portuguese sour cherry liqueur.

The line spilled out the door at this "Illegal Chinese"--down the stairs of this apartment building in an otherwise un-busy street. A single waitress moved dishes on and off tables while answering the doorbell to bark wait times to groups of 20-somethings trying to snag a table.

I would also go to the Belém for pastries. You take tram 15E there. In Belém, you can also look at the tower and the monastery.

I love the contemporary art museum, but I’m not sure if that’s a must-see.

I also really like the Illegal Chinese. It’s not something very touristic, because you don’t come to Lisbon to eat Chinese food, but we have a lot of Chinese and Pakistani immigrants who live in Mouraria and Alfama, and they are just as part of the city as the Portuguese, so it’s a cool part of the city to see. These restaurants are very good. I’m a smoker, and inside you’re very chill, you smoke, you eat, and the food is amazing. 

Feira da Ladra, the flea market, which is open on Saturday. It’s nearby Santa Apolonia train station. It’s second-hand stuff—books, shampoos, a bit of everything. You just have to see it.

Also eat in Bairro Alto. I like Stasha, which is a very good one. It’s Portuguese food in a very contemporary way. The steak is really good, even if it’s not that traditional. Bitoque might be traditional, but Stasha isn’t a very traditional place. It’s just good food.

Then go listen to fado. I recommend Tasco do Chico. It’s like an old traditional restaurant for wine and beer, and they sing fado, traditional Portuguese music. Very Portuguese. They have two, one in Bairro Alto, but Alfama is the place to go to listen to fado. For live music, it’s either one of the other, they switch days.

You know, the main touristic spots are not everyday spots. But Lisbon is special that way, because our downtown is also an everyday Lisbon spot. It’s touristic, but the locals spend a lot of time here, too. The viewpoints, too. One of the Portuguese things to do is to have a beer, and enjoy the sunsets from a viewpoint.

"The sweetness of the easy life of Lisbon" with Jean-Pierre

I have lived in Lisbon many years.

Normally I don't tell people to go to a specific place. I say you only have to walk, in the center of the city. Walking the old parts--Alfama, Mouraria, Bairro Alto, Bica.

Because that's one of the pleasures of Lisbon. Having no destination. The sweetness of the easy life of Lisbon is that. It's really that. Suddenly, you turn a corner and see a very nice view. There's a nice terrace and you just want to sit.

Miradouro de Sao Pedro de Alcantara

Sunset on the Rio Tejo.

Miradouro da Graca, or technically, Miraodouro de Sophia de Mello Breyner Andresen

Do you have a favorite view?

Let me think. It may be something obvious—a view with the river. Well, it depends, I mean, maybe you could look north. 

Ah. Some time before my birthday, around the end of May or beginning of June, you have two or three streets in the city with jacaranda. The tree that flowers before it leaves. When they fall down its slippery. It's quite dangerous, actually, on the streets. One street is Avenida Dom Carlos, which begins at the parliament. At the end of Rua de São Bento, until the river. You have another one by the university, Duque de Ávila. 

It’s not purple. It's light purple. It's lilac. It's not natural. Something pops. It comes from Brazil. It's talking with the rain. Here, you are still in Europe, but always maybe with one foot or one finger in the tropics. This color is really not common. It's something painted. It's something like 15 days that they are flowering, so it's very uncommon. It's always for my birthday! I arrived in Lisbon, and said, it’s for me. 

What was your first impression when you moved to Lisbon?

I'm from Paris. I wasn't wrong, with my first impression. Because I was rapidly seeing that it was my city. A city for me. A city good for life. Sometimes it's hard to put into words. It's a question of feeling. It's a question of reason. A question of life.

Maybe it was obvious for me, because Paris was a very crowded city. Lots of people, lots of activity. This is a middle sized city. For me, I just arrived, and said it’s the city for me. The size of the city was for me.

Here, be careful. We always imagine Lisbon is a Mediterranean city. True. But with a more oceanic influence, so it's more like San Francisco. A lot of fog, a lot of rain. You don't have so many seasons. You have summer, but all the rest of the year, you never know. You can have cold, warm. In four days you could have four seasons.

And for me the big problem of Lisbon...because every nice place has problems. It's maybe not the weather itself, but how the city was built. Everything is built for summer. It's as if it doesn't rain here. But it does. And it's ugly when it rains. We don't have gutters, so when it rains, everything goes everywhere. So you just want to stay at home. And sometimes you have like one week, you wake up and it's raining, and you go to bed, and it’s raining. You wake up in the middle of the night, it's raining. For one week. 

Everything is nice, aesthetically, but nothing practical for the rain. And even when it's dry, you can easily slip. You have no place to stop when you're falling down the hill. You have to have someone in your way to stop you.

How many years have you lived here?

Many. I forget the number. How long are you here?

Maybe a month.

Good. So many come for a few days or even one week, and they think they know the city. I'm quite fed up with the tourists who imagine they can understand this place in two or three days. Maybe they have the impression that it's an easy city. But it's a very complicated city. And since the crisis, it has changed, in the last few, maybe three, years. There has been a wave of tourists from Northern Europe. Many of the apartments around here are now rented to tourists by the week. I know so many locals who have sold their apartments recently.

People here love to speak. And maybe you feel this is one of the good things about Lisbon...well, every good thing has an opposite side. Sometimes, you understand, they don't even have a conversation. Only a "versation."

And the notion of time here is not really Northern European time. It's very south European time, very Mediterranean. There are lots of things to say about time here. There's no word for if you have a meeting with someone and he doesn't arrive. There's no word. It's not a problem.

The Night in Lisbon with Ana

Our travel bookshop in the neighborhood of São Bento is an excellent beginning to a visit in Lisbon. From here, follow the tram track, because as you go up you have little shops, like tea shops where you can buy tea, little places to eat, get a drink.

And then we start going up, following the tram tracks. As we go up, to the right there's this beautiful view over the river. It’s called the Miradouro at Santa Catarina.

And then I would eat a little snack and maybe go to a movie. There's a place to eat when you are at the miradouro. There are these stairs and a little cafe there, and from the terrace, you have the same view as at the miradouro. Nice salads, all that, great juices.

Then I'd come back to the main street with the tram and go the cinema. There's a cinema called Ideal, and they have indie movies. Then go out in Bairro Alto.

Most people just stay in the more touristic places and they don't walk around. But it's nice to just get lost. You have to forget the travel guide, and just walk.

What do tourists usually look for at your bookshop?

Travel guides for Lisbon, or a novel that takes place in Lisbon. My favorite is The Night in Lisbon. During World War 2, many Jews from around Europe fled to Lisbon, and it was a route to the United States. In this book, this young man who is trying to go to the States tells his story to a Portuguese man and they go from cafe to cafe to talk as places close, because they've only just met, they're strangers. So you have the story of a young couple and also the story of the places that these two men go through the night in Lisbon.

But that’s not the one I sell the most. The one I sell the most is Night Train to Lisbon. Because of the movie, the one with Jeremy Irons. Unfortunately there are also a lot of other Lisbon books but they're not translated.

Miradouro de Santa Catarina is a popular meeting spot, with a fantastic view of the river. With a kiosk, a cafe, and lots of space to sit and picnic, this viewpoint is one of my favorites.

Mouraria's tasca-crawl with June

I recommend to walk the district of Mouraria. There is a route called Rota das Tascas da Mouraria. It is a very old district that is not very touristic, but is one of my favorites. It is on the bottom of the castle. 

You can find the Rota das Tascas online. "Tasco" is bar. So you don't have to go to every single bar, but I recommend taking a ginjinha in one of them, and seeing the atmosphere of the district. It's authentic! It's like an old town, with children playing in the streets and dogs running around. It's like the old home of your grandmother. The architecture is very old because, like Alfama, this district survived the earthquake. They were the only ones,  so the structure is quite peculiar, like many of the buildings are a little sideways, because of the earthquake.

There is one tasco called Os Amigos da Severa. It's in a street where fado was born--like, people started singing fado there. The wall of the street had pictures in wood in the wall of famous fado singers. There is also a vegetarian restaurant I love, The Food Temple. It's in a very small square—I love that square. Go in there for a tea or a piece of cake or dinner. One of the cooks is from Thailand, so it's different. 

What do you love about Lisbon?

People is what I love. I'm not originally from Lisbon, I'm from Spain. The first time I came here it was a surprise. Everyone in Lisbon is open and so warm. I was standing in the square waiting for someone, reading a book, and an old woman walked up to me and was like, are you lost? Can I help you? And that would never happen in Spain, but it happens here in Lisbon.

So for me that's the best, the people. And I like that it is small, a lot happening, a lot of free live music. Small coffees and restaurants, and I like the variety. You can find the more sophisticated, bohemian, hippie, rockabilly.

The Secret Lisbon is the best Lisbon guide ever. It's not like, "In 19blahblahblah the king blah." It's a really nice book. It's not a novel, so read it in parts. It’s divided in districts, and it changes how you walk to the small districts, the small details. It's my favorite book about Lisbon. 

You know where you should go, is Estrela da Bica. It's not traditional Portuguese, but Portuguese people go there. You have to go early--like at 8. Otherwise it will fill up completely. I've gone many times around 8:30 and they are already booked for the first night. It's very very good. Maybe go up the funicular, have a tea and look around, and then drop by early to book a table.

Illegal Chinese is very cool. In Mouraria, there are three. There's one that is really good. There is one that is horrible, it's awful, it’s so bad. Everything tastes the same because they just cook everything in the same sauce. But it's cheap, I guess. But when I went there I was like, I'm never coming back.

Which one is the bad one? 

I don't know, they don't have names! They're just houses. You walk in and they have tables in the living room, the dining room, all the rooms. The last time, I went with four people, and there was just one little table for us in like, a tiny room.

An architectural tour with Catarina

I'll give you some architectural tips. I'm a student of architecture. There’s a place called the Champalimaud Foundation. It's near the Tower of Belém, west a little, like 500 meters from the tower, and you can walk there very quickly. It’s like a center for cancer research, and you have a public space there, like an open amphitheater. It's one of my favorite places here to relax. You have a really nice view to the river from there. You can also go inside, and there you have a really high-ceiling garden. It's really cool and different.

Also in Belém, on the same street as the monastery, you have a restaurant called Belém 2 a 8 It's my restaurant! My family’s. You can follow on Instagram! It's typical Portuguese food, tapas--you must go there and share tapas with friends. You have to try the cod. Cod 2 a 8, it's like the name of the restaurant. And do you like truffles? You must try the prosciutto with olive and truffles, it's really nice. And I think that's the top thing on the menu.

You also have CCB, the Cultural Center of Belém. 

Other examples of great architecture in Lisbon?

You have to visit Palácio de Monserrate, it's really really beautiful. You know the Alhambra  in Granada? It's similar architecture, with really nice ceilings, and the colors are beautiful. At Sintra you also have to go to Quinta da Regaleira. The Quinta da Regaleira was a place for the Masons. It has a lot of symbols and secret passages. It's one of my favorite places here, it's really really cool! It's one of the cheapest museums in Sintra.

Describe Lisbon's architectural style.

Messy! It's messy. You have a lot of narrow streets, and it's really easy to get lost. Especially in the old parts like Alfama.

Walking around the Champlimaud Foundation feels like riding a UFO.

The must-sees with Miguel

In Lisbon, you have to see the monuments in Belém, the castle, and the ancient—well not ancient, but typical—neighborhoods. 

Padrão dos Descobrimentos, or the Monument of the Discoveries, on the Tagus River in Belem.

The monuments are not quite in the center of the city, but in Belém. It was from there that in the really old days, they left for conquering the world. That’s what the monuments are celebrating. There are also gardens and museums in Belém.

The castle is important to see. Not just the neighborhood, but the castle, which is one of the most typical points in Lisbon.

The view from Castelo de Sao George, overlooking the city.

The neighborhoods to see are Alfama, Bairro Alto, and Mouraria. What’s special about them is the streets, basically. There are lots of different types of streets that go up and down, very skinny streets with lots of things to do and see. Like, hidden gardens. The best thing to do is just get lost in the neighborhoods, because every time you climb a street and turn around, you can see the river and the little buildings--everything. And Bairro Alto, at night, it’s the place to get some booze. Drink a bottle of wine, beer, hang out with friends. Cais do Sodré, also.

Then we have some really nice restaurants in the area. It depends on your wallet, really. My favorite place...Well, yesterday I went to a place with really nice hot dogs at Frankie Hot Dogs. I spent 15 euros and had 3 hot dogs with chips and bacon. So good. It’s near the university, so it’s cheap and all the students go there at lunch. And if you like fish, it’s not low budget but it’s really good, a place called Sea Me. 

Also, you have the restaurant Trevo. It’s at the beginning of Praça de Camões, which is a very important meeting point in the night when you go out with friends. In Trevo, you can have bifana, a pork slice on bread with sauce, and a beer. In Lisbon, we call it an "imperial."

Two more. Nearby, there’s a store that sells wine, ham, cheese, and olive oil, called Baco Alto. God of the Wine. There’s a shop downtown called Pollux. If you go to the top floor there, you have a view from one side of the city to the other side. You can also see a good view of the city from Park. It’s a parking lot where on the top floor, there’s a bar. And finally, just to check it out, the Elevator of Santa Justa. Then you’ll have a nice scene of the city.

Then by car or train, you can visit the village of Cascais. Really nice, really quiet. You can find some beaches, and it’s nice for a warm sunny day like this. Today it’s the 9th of November? On the 11th of November, it’s called…I don’t know. We eat chestnuts, and we drink wine. We call it the summer of San Martinho and say that the weather will be good, at least until the 11th.

One way to manage the hills of Lisbon: Elevators. After the many stairs that go up and down the city, they were the obvious next step. Elevador de Santa Justa dates from 1901.

Chestnuts sold in the streets of Lisbon in November, before St. Martin's Day on Nov. 11.