Lisbon

crystal0462
Jun 30
4 min read

A weekend in Lisbon

Lisbon is full of cobbled streets, steep hills, pastel abodes, clattering trams and history. Our arrival coincides with the Pope’s visit; luckily, the hotel gave us advance warning. So, for ease, we take the Metro, about 40 minutes from Lisbon airport to Baixa Chaido. It’s hot, stuffy and not very fragrant, like the Central Line, but with cork inlay red seats and light blue walls.

We’re pleased to arrive at the square of Praca do Muncipio to cool hotel Alma Lusa Baixa/Chiado with contemporary rooms. Instantly spritzing myself with Portuguese fragrance Leme, which is available for sale on the reception desk. I recommend the scent of ‘Algarve’ perfume you can also buy at the nearby store A Vida Portuguesa - great for gifts, full of Portuguese craft, including gorgeous Bordallo Pinheiro quirky ceramics, soaps, notebooks or Andorinha swallows. Shop for ceramics at Cerâmicas na Linha in Chiado.

This boutique hotel Alma Lusa Baixa/Chiado with its 15th century flag stones, is in a fantastic location near Tagus river with 28 restful rooms and a great place to discover Lisbon. A stylishly chic hideaway with Delfina restaurant in which we enjoy both breakfast and lunch in! The salt cod is a local dish and perhaps an acquired taste.

We wanted to check out quirky, theatrical Palacio Grilo for dinner, but the event's road closures (not quite of biblical proportions) have other ideas. So instead we walk to the Bairro Alto area for Goan inspired cuisine. At the Indian bistro Gunpowder restaurant, we dine on rich and saucy Chaat: crispy potatoes topped with tamarind, yoghurt, black chickpeas, plus broccoli and a delicious dessert of passion fruit sorbet.

Alternative dining options are Prado, or Bahr at The Bairro Alto Hotel. Blue and white azulejo tiles adorn walls as we stumble upon fabulous restaurant Rocco in The Ivens Hotel in the lively, cosmopolitan neighbourhood of Chiado, on the night time stroll back to the hotel.

Saturday

A pastel de nata custard tart for breakfast at the hotel’s Delfina restaurant, then out into blue skies and sunshine, past Lisbon City Hall in the Praça do Município.

For specialty coffee and magazines for creatives head to Hello, Kristof or to the unconventional bookshop Under the cover for carefully curated international magazines, journals, books and artworks.

We walk out of the hotel through the square and hop on an electric tourist bus. Its covered canopy offers respite from today’s August sweltering 34ºC heat. Our jolly driver whizzes us around on a whistle-stop tour and we tick off so many sights without having to trudge up slippery cobbled streets.

I highly recommend one of these tours if short on time (or legs like me!) You could also try Tuk on Me tours. We get to see Lisbon Cathedral, Santa Maria Maior, Largo Portas do Sol, and the iconic and vintage, sunny yellow 28 tram taking people up and down the steep hills.

Stop at popular viewpoint Miradouro de Santa Luzia for panoramic views of Alfama district and the Tagus river. There are graphic stickers on the wall, terracotta roofs, and a cruise ship looms on the horizon. Admire the views across the city by the religious statue of St Vincent.

We see stone walls, cypress trees, bougainvillaea, churches, historic buildings and graffiti. Enjoy the heat of the city, listen to the sounds of Fado drifting, see the colourful graffiti and street art juxtaposed against traditional buildings.

A woman sings Fado music and strums a guitar as we look through the silhouetted padlocks on the fence, past graffiti stone and cobbled pavement to the beautiful view at Såo Vicente. Fragrant pine trees, a religious Mary statue (Our Lady of Fatima) blue skies, and behind is ‘the Italian job’ of tourist vehicles cheerfully reversing and overtaking one another.

With the wind in my hair, the vehicle sails past the baroque facade of the Church of Sao Vicente de Fora and under the arch of the Monastery of São Vicente de Fora. Colourful plates adorn the walls outside a ceramic store.

National Pantheon/ Panteão Nacionale is a beautiful white baroque building that was once a church in the Alfama neighbourhood.

Through winding steep, streets, of the historic neighbourhoods, past blue tiles and custard yellow and pastel buildings and the Museum of Fado.

We see Praça do Comerica /Commerce Square - the most important square in Lisbon, built on the site of the Royal Palace, which was destroyed by the Great Earthquake of 1755 and the Time Out Market Lisboa - food and cultural market.

Talking of food and custard it’s time for a pit stop as we spy a delivery cyclist wheeling his bike full of pastés past us. We stop at the famous bakery store ‘Pastéis de belém’ for sweet treats and a refreshing cold drink.

Lisbon's Ponte de 25 Abril is the longest suspension bridge in Europe and reminiscent of the Golden Gate Bridge. Named after the day in 1974 of the Carnation Revolution, when a military coup overthrew Portugal's Estado Novo authoritarian regime. It connects Lisbon to Almada, on the opposite side of the River Tagus.

The statue of Christ - The Sanctuary of Christ the King is a Catholic monument and is reminiscent of Brazil.

The viewpoint Miradouro de São Pedro de Alcântara offers panoramic views of the city and São George Castle and a decorative fountain.

I take a Radley cross-body handbag (it fits passport, Cubitts sunglasses and purse) and Nobody's Child summer dress, perfect for sightseeing and evenings out. I prep skin with Super Facialist Vit C micro-polish face wash and protect with Supergoop sun lotion Play Everyday Lotion, and Unseen Sunscreen.