Portugal Guide

A pastel de nata a day keeps the doctor away.

Lisbon

Activities

180 views @ Graca Church – Wonderful view of the city from this church. Entry is free, but if you want to go to the terrace, it’s 5€. I enjoyed the walk up as well; the streets are lined with cute tourist shops, with the trolley passing through the narrow streets. Pro tip: take the escalators by Escadinhas da Saúde.
Monastery of Sao Vicente de Fora – I enjoyed the outdoor terrace here, a peaceful water fountain and shaded area, you can also freely enter the church that’s directly next to the monastery. The remains of the Portuguese royal family are here and the roof is accessible.
Lisbon Flea Market – This was a really fun market to walk around. SO many different knickknacks being sold, from clothing to jewelry to records. Open Mon – Sat 9 am – 7pm, and 10am – 7pm Sunday.
Estatue de D. Jose I – Iconic square, with monuments, that is close to the water.
Church of St. María of Belém – One of their iconic churches, absolutely worth visiting, free entry.
Monument to the Discoveries – Massive monument dedicated to the explorers.
Jerónimos Monastery – This monastery is one of the best in the country with insane architecture, just look at the entry door! Ticket required.
Belém Tower / Tower of St. Vincent – Beautiful little tower hugging the coastline. A ticket is required for entry, but it’s great to see even if you’re just walking around.
Parque Eduardo VII – This park is absolutely massive and a great place to watch the sunset.

Eats

Antiga Confeitaria de Belem – The best pastel de natas you will ever have. They’re served hot and come with two packets, one of cinnamon and one of powdered sugar. The crust is the crunchiest and lightest dough, absolutely sublime.
Special Dishes – Beco Barbadela 18, 1100-394 Lisboa, Portugal. Unbeknownst to me until the girl on my flight casually mentioned it, Portugal has incredible Chinese food served in “illegal” restaurants, which people operate out of typical apartments to avoid paying taxes. The food is bomb, best peking duck I’ve ever had, and one of these days, I want to do a more in-depth series.
Frangasqueira Nacional – Known for being cash-only, stressful to order as it’s run by the “chicken nazi,” a one-woman army with limited hours and availability. This unique spot is one I can absolutely, confidently recommend. Incredible chicken, sausage and ribs; ask for extra sauce, which she’ll ask if you can handle the spiciness of it…but I didn’t find it spicy at all.
L’os à Moelle – They’re known for their bone marrow, which was good, but I wasn’t super impressed with the rest of their menu.
Manifest Lisbon – This place was solid, amazing shakshouka.
Confeitaria Victória – AMAZING! Their staff was so nice; one employee had been working there for over 40 years. I tried some classic Portuguese pastries:
- Pao de Deus – Amazing sweet bread with coconut and powdered sugar on top.
- Xadrez – This cake is too sweet for me. Its presentation of checkerboards looks so cool, but they use additional buttercream to hold it all together, and it was too sweet.
- Bola de Berlim – I was looking for a custard donut, and that was the wrong perception going into this one. The pastry is heavy, and so is the custard.
Cozinha Caseira – Good selection of dishes, pastries aren’t remarkable, but really affordable.
Rialva – I got their steak, eggs, potato, and tomato salad, which were okay. Not impressed.

Note:

Continente – Common grocery store chain if you need to grab something. I’d recommend stopping into one of the more locally run mom and pop markets and getting some fresh seasonal fruit. Almost all of them accept credit cards but may have a 3 euro minimums for a card to be used.

Sintra

Worth a day trip. Easily accessible from Lisbon by train for 6€ round trip.

Palacio Nacional de Sintra – Their palace which has been turned into a museum also offers stunning views of the city.
Jardins do Palácio de Seteais – I walked to this park from the train, which wasn’t more than 25 minutes. I had a lovely breakfast there and enjoyed seeing the heart of the city on my way through. The streets have some lovely textiles. The park is spacious and calm, and if you’re lucky, you’ll see some peacocks!
Quinta Da Regaleira – Pay the 13 euros to visit this old castle. It also includes the well (Torre da Regaleira), and you can walk around the grounds, explore their insane underground tunnel system, and go into the house.
Villa Sassetti – This was quite a nice area, enjoyed the hike.

South Lisbon

I ended up spending a day in the south of Lisbon and wasn’t super impressed. Most people do biking tours around this area, but I don’t think you need to visit it to see anything specific. The highlight of the trip was taking the return ferry to the heart of Lisbon.

The Aquaduct Garden – I took a bus that passed under the aqueducts. It was cool to view.
Santuario Nacional do Cristo Rei – A statue of Jesus thanking him for sparing Portugal from WWII.
D. Fernando II e Gloria Frigate – An old ship you can explore.
Rua do Ginjal Street Art – A wall bordering the ocean with a lot of graffiti.

Albuferia

If you’re going to Albuferia, you’re going to the beach. Voted by travelers as the best beach in the world by TripAdvisors “Traveler Awards” I’d describe it as a true Utahn, like if Bryce canyon was transformed to the beach.

Eats:

Adega Do Ze – The price for the value here is actually crazy.
Gelataria Amar – Okay gelato.
Torrão de Açúcar – This is one of those shops that you find and you’re like, you have no right to be this good. Their salads, burgers, pastel de nata, everything was so good here.
Casa do Frango – Chain chicken restaurant. I got their half chicken and it was okay.

Activities: