Portugal: Lisbon

We had a long weekend open and decided to take a quick trip to Lisbon. The weather looked amazing for that weekend, so the timing was perfect!

BEFORE YOU GO

ADAPTER: If you are traveling from the US, you will need an adapter. Know the wattage of your electronics before you go, so that you know if you need a converter, adapter or both. I have a universal wattage flat iron. It saves me the hassle of worrying if I need an adapter AND converter. Many hotels have USB ports in the room, double check if that's all you need.

PHONE:  T-Mobile gives unlimited data and texting, but charges $0.25 per minute per call. You can download WhatsApp, which uses Wi-Fi to make calls. The recipient also has to have the app installed. We use WhatsApp for calls and face-time connections when abroad.

Internet:  T-Mobile gives customers free connectivity with streaming on American Airlines, Alaska Airlines and Delta Air Lines. This includes data, streaming, and text messaging. All you do is connect to the Wi-Fi and add your phone number to the T-Mobile prompt.

CONTACT YOUR BANK & CREDIT CARD COMPANIES:  Contact your bank with your travel dates so that you can withdrawal your money when you get to your destination. You also may need to notify your credit card company of the travel dates.

We like to withdraw local currency when we arrive at our destination from a bank ATM in one lump sum. This avoids extra fees for multiple transactions. You can get away with using a credit card almost everywhere, but having some local currency is always a good idea. Some credit cards charge fees for international use, so ask about fees before traveling. Use cards that do not charge foreign transaction fees. We took out some cash in Lisbon but didn't need much.  We used our credit cards almost everywhere.

WHERE TO STAY: Central locations are pricier, so if you are trying to stay on a budget don't be afraid to stay on the outskirts near a train or bus stop. Group the sites you want to see within each city by neighborhood and make a hotel decision from there.

Things to consider are parking fees if you rent a car, easy access to metro if you are not staying close to the city center, and if you are in the city center, a walkable location to your sites.  We try to use credit card points for stays as much as possible. This sometimes dictates the location where we stay.

We stayed at the Hyatt Regency Lisbon. The room was huge and we wished we were staying longer as it had all of the amenities to make a stay more comfortable, including a kitchen, dining area, living room, shower and tub, dishwasher, washer, and furnished kitchen. It's a beautiful hotel if you are looking to stay in the Belem area. There is also a close metro station and e-bike rental.

CAR RENTAL: Always compare car rental prices. We usually find good luck with Hertz or Sixt when overseas. Costco can also be a great option for renting. Do some research and go with whoever has the best deal. Be sure you know how to drive a manual if you rent the cheapest option as most cars will be manual. If available, you will pay a bit more for automatic. We did not rent a car this trip and utilized the metro, uber or walked everywhere.

WHEN YOU ARRIVE

TRANSPORTATION: Depending on your mode of transportation you will taxi, Uber, rent a car, or take the metro to your hotel. Be sure to familiarize yourself with the country's metro system before you travel so you know what to expect.

Car:  Decide if you will need a car for your trip. We found Uber cheap, so we did not rent a car. If you decide to rent, take your International Driver's License. You can get one at any AAA office in the US. Some countries require it and some never ask for it. So just be sure to always take it with you when traveling abroad.

Metro: Having used the metro in 27 countries, it was pretty easy to navigate. The issue with most of the trams in the areas we were wanting to use them was that they were full. So, you could be standing at the right stop, but there was just no room to get on. We used the e-bikes in Belem and then Uber the rest of the time. We did take a bus back to Belem from downtown one night and that was very easy and plenty of space.

SIGHTSEEING

Day 1: Arrival Day. Lucky for us we were able to check into the hotel early to clean up and get started exploring Belem.

Just out the door and across the pedestrian bridge you can walk along the Passeio Carlos do Carmo. This promenade takes you to some of the historical sites of Belem. There are restaurants, sculptures, food trucks, pedestrians and bikers along this cobblestone path.

The first thing we noticed about Lisbon was all of the beautiful old tiles on all of the buildings. The entire outside of many buildings are fully decorated with beautiful square tiles of all different colors.

Our first stop was to grab a coffee and try the famous Pasteis de Belem. These tarts may not look like much, but I'm telling you they are fantastic. We couldn't get enough of them on this trip! Honestly one of my favorite deserts from all of our travels.

The Monesary of Jeronimos is absolutely stunning. Unfortunately, the front had a huge amount of scaffolding on the outside of the building, but the inside did not disappoint. You can get physical tickets right across the street or purchase them online.

Take a walk through the Jardim da Praca do Imperio on your way to the next stop. I'm sure it's stunning when the flowers are in bloom.

Back on the promenade, we stopped at the Monument to the Discoveries along the Tagus River. The side shows sculptures of important Portuguese explorers.

We tried to get a look at Belem Tower, but it was closed and had scaffolding around it. So, we rented e-bikes and headed back to the hotel.

We headed to dinner at Bonjardim. When we arrived, there were only a couple people in front of us waiting and when we left, the line was down the street. The food was great as was the staff. They were fast with service, and everything was delicious. I had the sea bream and my husband got the famous roasted chicken. Be sure and ask for the piri piri sauce to go with it! If you order fish in Lisbon, you will be doing a lot of deboning, so be prepared. It's so worth it though!

Be sure to walk around Lisbon at night. There is so much to see and do. Even the train station is beautiful in Lisbon. So much to see! The elevator wasn't working while we were there, but it's just as easy to take the stairs. We walked through the Arco da Rua Augusta to Rossio Square. You can get a photo in front of the Lisbon sign here.

Day 2: We started our day by stopping by Pastelaria Santo Antonio just down the street from the castle. It has an upstairs seating area with a great view. We got a table by the window and opened it to get some fresh air. It was a much-needed coffee and pastry to enjoy before heading to the castle.

St. George's Castle ruins were fun to explore. The grounds are a decent size, so give yourself plenty of time here to explore. There are beautiful views overlooking the city. You can see Rossio Square from here. We walked around the perimeter and then went inside. There are peacocks all over the castle grounds.

You can walk the inside walls of the castle and all around the top perimeter.

So many peacocks!

There are lots of shops and restaurants when you walk out of the castle. We stopped to get a couple of souvenirs and then walked to a lookout where they were playing live music and selling drinks to sit and enjoy the view.

We walked down the street a little further and found a place to sit and have a drink at a table. There was a kiosk there to get snacks and drinks. We sat and relaxed a little bit.

We took historic Tram 28 to our next stop. It can get crowded, but you definitely want to ride a tram while you are in Lisbon. It's a fun, unique experience.

We had a fantastic meal at Antonia Petiscos restaurant. I had the sardines and my husband had the steak. We enjoyed it with some white wine sangria. At the end of the meal, we were served Ginginha. It's a Portuguese sour cherry liquor infused with jinja berries. It was delicious. We loved our experience here. We never felt rushed and the inside felt cozy.

We popped into a couple churches in the area. They were beautiful inside.

They were right across the street from each other.

We wandered around and ended up at Rossio Square.

We wandered around and window shopped some stores. There were lots of sardine stores. We didn't end up buying anything. We also stopped by the popular pink street area. If you are looking for a party, this is the spot. We got an Uber back to the hotel.

We got a very late start to the day as I had some stomach issues that kept us from taking our day trip to Sintra. We stopped at A Merendinha do Arco Bandeira for lunch. It's an authentic restaurant with excellent food. My husband got the mussels, and I got the cod (yes, there is cod under that salad). We really enjoyed it.

Then of course we had to try another pastel de nata shop. Amazing as always. My husband tried one topped with ice cream too.

We visited Lisbon Cathedral. The inside is stunning. Definitely make a stop here.

We enjoyed wandering around the city and all of the beautiful architecture.

Our last bite in Lisbon was at Bifanas do Afonso for a pork sandwich. This marinated pork sandwich was worth the uphill walk. Be warned that you need cash to buy sandwiches here.

Well, that was our quick trip to Lisbon. There are lots of uphill roads, so prepare yourself. I planned our days starting at the top and walking down, so we didn't have too much uphill. There are so many more things to see and do and I would definitely try to get in a day trip. Sintra seemed doable, unfortunately my stomach didn't agree. I blame room service. That leaves it open for us to come back and explore. We'd also love to see Porto. Hope this helps with your travel planning. It's really a nice, relaxed city. Enjoy!