Things to Do in Lisbon

The hills decide the order you see things

Lisbon is spread across seven hills and the walk between two of them is often steeper than the map suggests. The single most useful planning decision is to group each day around one hill and come down only once.

1. Alfama and Castelo — the oldest quarter, on the hill east of the centre. One morning, downhill towards the river at the end.
2. Baixa and Chiado — the flat grid rebuilt after the 1755 earthquake, with Chiado rising to the west of it.
3. Bairro Alto and Príncipe Real — above Chiado; the lifts and funiculars exist precisely because the climb is unpleasant.
4. Belém — flat, but 6 km west of the centre. It is a separate half day, not an add-on.

The funiculars and the Santa Justa lift are not sightseeing — they are how the city moves people up hills, and using them as transport rather than as an attraction is what saves the legs.

Belém is a half day, and the queue is optional

Belém holds the two UNESCO monuments and the most famous custard tart in Portugal, all within about a kilometre of each other along the river.

1. Jerónimos Monastery — the cloister is the part worth the ticket; the church next door is free and often has no queue at all.
2. Torre de Belém — small inside, and the queue is frequently longer than the visit. Worth seeing from the outside even if you skip going up.
3. Padrão dos Descobrimentos — the monument on the waterfront, with a lift to the top for a view back over the monastery.
4. Pastéis de Belém — the original bakery, making the tart to the same recipe since 1837.

The queue outside Pastéis de Belém is the takeaway queue. The sit-down rooms inside run deep into the building and are usually far emptier — walk in past the line, ask for a table, and you will often be served faster than the people standing outside.

Tram 28 is a working tram, not a ride

Every guide to Lisbon recommends Tram 28, and almost none of them mention what riding it is actually like in season: a queue of forty minutes at Martim Moniz, then a full carriage, standing, with your bag in front of you.

1. It is a scheduled service used by residents — it runs from Martim Moniz through Graça, Alfama, Baixa and Chiado to Campo de Ourique.
2. The pickpocketing on it is well documented and concentrated at the crowded stops in the centre.
3. Board at Campo de Ourique, the far end, if you want a seat — the queue there is a fraction of the one at Martim Moniz.
4. Tram 12 covers a shorter loop through the same old streets and is usually near-empty.

If the point is the view rather than the tram, walking down through Alfama gives you the same streets at your own pace, and you can stop.

The miradouros are free, and they are the best part

A miradouro is a public terrace built where a hill drops away. Lisbon has dozens, they cost nothing, and collectively they are the thing visitors remember.

1. Portas do Sol — over the rooftops of Alfama towards the river; the classic view of the city.
2. Santa Luzia — a minute away, with tiled panels and a small garden, usually calmer.
3. Senhora do Monte — the highest of them, and the one to aim for at sunset.
4. São Pedro de Alcântara — above Bairro Alto, looking back across Baixa to the castle.

Sintra needs a whole day, not an afternoon

Sintra is about forty minutes by train from Rossio station, and almost every itinerary underestimates it. The palaces are spread across a wooded hillside, the shuttle bus between them is slow, and the main sites use timed entry.

If you only have three days in total, Sintra is the thing to cut. Half a day there is worse than not going: you will spend it queueing and travelling rather than seeing anything properly.