Quick answer
A four-day Lisbon itinerary gives one day to the castle and Alfama, one to Belém, one to Bairro Alto, Chiado and Baixa, and the fourth to Sintra; one-, two- and five-day versions are cuts of the same plan.
In short
- Plan every Lisbon day to start at the top of a hill and walk down: the castle before Alfama, Bairro Alto before Chiado and Baixa.
- Belém is 6 km west of the centre and flat, so it is a separate morning rather than an add-on to a day in the old city.
- Sintra is about forty minutes by train from Rossio station and needs a full day with timed tickets booked ahead.
This Lisbon itinerary runs four days: the castle and Alfama, then Belém, 6 km west of the centre, then Bairro Alto, Chiado and Baixa, with Sintra on day four. One-, two- and five-day versions follow as cuts of the same plan. The rule that makes every version work is direction: start each day at the top of a hill and walk down, using the trams and funiculars for the climbs. If you have exactly three days and must choose between a third city day and Sintra, use Lisbon in 3 days instead.
Where to sleep on this route
A plan built one area at a time only works if you sleep near those areas. The map shows the same property across Booking.com and Agoda, with prices live from them.
The four days at a glance
| Day | Area | Start at the top | End at |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Castle and Alfama | Castelo de São Jorge | Sunset at Senhora do Monte |
| 2 | Belém | Jerónimos Monastery, early | The Torre de Belém |
| 3 | Bairro Alto, Chiado, Baixa | São Pedro de Alcântara | Bairro Alto in the evening |
| 4 | Sintra | An early train from Rossio | Back in Lisbon for dinner |
Changing the order of the days
Keep day one first, because the castle and Alfama show how the city fits together. After that, put Sintra on the day with the best forecast, since its palaces are spread across a wooded hillside.
Belém suits a cloudier day, because the Jerónimos cloister and the rooms inside Pastéis de Belém are indoors. Bairro Alto, Chiado and Baixa can go on any day, and they work well as the last one.
Day 1: the castle and Alfama, top to bottom
Alfama is the oldest quarter and the steepest walking in the city, so do it downhill and in the morning, before the heat and the crowds.
- Morning: start at Castelo de São Jorge at the top of the hill. Take a taxi or tram up rather than climbing.
- Mid-morning: walk down to the Portas do Sol viewpoint for the classic view over the rooftops, then Santa Luzia a minute away, with its tiled panels and small garden.
- Late morning: lose yourself downhill through Alfama towards the river. The lanes do not follow a plan and are better without one.
- Lunch: at the bottom, near the river, from about 1pm.
- Afternoon: rest. Alfama is hard on the legs, and the rest of the day works better after a break.
- Evening: sunset at Senhora do Monte, the highest viewpoint in the city.
Day 2: Belém
Belém holds the two UNESCO monuments and the most famous custard tart in Portugal, within about a kilometre of each other along the river. It is flat, but it is 6 km west of the centre — a separate half day.
- Go early. Take the train from Cais do Sodré or a tram along the river.
- Jerónimos Monastery first: the cloister is the part worth the ticket. The church next door is free and often has no queue at all.
- Pastéis de Belém next. The queue outside is the takeaway queue; the sit-down rooms inside are usually far emptier.
- Walk the waterfront to the Padrão dos Descobrimentos, which has a lift to the top for a view back over the monastery.
- End at the Torre de Belém. It is small inside and the queue is often longer than the visit, so it is fine to see it from outside.
- Afternoon: back to the centre, and an unplanned few hours in the neighbourhood you liked on day one.
Belém with children
Belém is flat and along the river, which makes it the easiest of the four days with children. The waterfront walk between the monuments has space to run, the lift in the Padrão dos Descobrimentos is a sight in itself, and a pastry stop is built into the route.
Day 3: Bairro Alto, Chiado and Baixa
The rule is the same as on day one: start high, walk down. Bairro Alto and Príncipe Real sit above Chiado, which sits above the flat grid of Baixa.
- Morning: take a funicular up to São Pedro de Alcântara, the viewpoint above Bairro Alto that looks back across Baixa to the castle.
- Late morning: walk north to Príncipe Real, the quieter hilltop neighbourhood beyond it.
- Lunch: in Chiado, the elegant slope between Bairro Alto and Baixa.
- Afternoon: down into Baixa, the flat grid rebuilt after the 1755 earthquake, and out to the river at its southern edge.
- Evening: back up to Bairro Alto, which comes alive late.
If you want to ride Tram 28, do it on this day and board at Campo de Ourique, the far end of the line. The queue at Martim Moniz is often forty minutes in season, and the tram is a scheduled service used by residents, not a tour.
Day 4: Sintra
Sintra is about forty minutes by train from Rossio station, and it takes longer than the distance suggests. The palaces are spread across a wooded hillside, the shuttle bus between them is slow, and the main sites use timed entry.
- Take an early train. The queues and the shuttle bus both get worse from late morning.
- Book the timed tickets for the palaces before you go, especially between June and September.
- Aim for two palaces and the walk between them. Three in one day is a rush.
- Plan to be back in Lisbon for dinner, not for lunch.
If Sintra does not fit, Cascais is the half-day alternative: forty minutes by train from Cais do Sodré, a beach town walkable from the station.
Getting back from Sintra
Plan the return before leaving Lisbon. The trains run to Rossio, so the return is simple, but the shuttle bus between the palaces gets slower through the afternoon. Leave the last palace with time to spare rather than squeezing in a third.
One day, two days or five in Lisbon
Each length is a different cut of the same four-day plan, and two days means choosing. The three-day version, with the choice between a third city day and Sintra, is in Lisbon in 3 days; what each extra day adds is in how many days in Lisbon.
One day in Lisbon
A single day works best as one downhill walk. Take a taxi or tram to the Castelo de São Jorge at opening time, walk down through Alfama past Portas do Sol and Santa Luzia, cross Baixa to the river, then climb Chiado by funicular for sunset at São Pedro de Alcântara.
Leave Belém and Sintra for another trip. Trying to add either turns the day into transport.
Two days in Lisbon
Keep the two hills and give Belém half a day; drop Sintra entirely.
- Day 1 morning: the castle and Alfama, top to bottom.
- Day 1 afternoon: Baixa and the riverfront.
- Day 1 evening: sunset at Senhora do Monte.
- Day 2 morning: Belém, early.
- Day 2 afternoon: Chiado and a funicular up to São Pedro de Alcântara.
- Day 2 evening: Bairro Alto.
Five days in Lisbon
Keep days one to four as above and use the fifth for one of these:
- Cascais and the coast: forty minutes by train from Cais do Sodré, with the seafront walk to the Boca do Inferno cliffs.
- A museum day: the Gulbenkian in the morning, the National Tile Museum in the afternoon.
- Parque das Nações and the Oceanário, the modern riverside district built for Expo 98.
- A slow day in Campo de Ourique and Estrela, with the basilica and the gardens, and Tram 28 from its quiet end.
With a week, add a second day trip, or take the train north and finish in Porto; see the Porto itinerary.
Lisbon with children
With children, treat the trams and funiculars as part of the fun. Keep the steep walking for the morning, and plan one easy day by the river.
- Parque das Nações and the Oceanário, the flat riverside district built for Expo 98.
- Belém, with its waterfront and the lift in the Padrão dos Descobrimentos.
- Cascais, forty minutes by train from Cais do Sodré, for a beach day.
- A funicular ride up to São Pedro de Alcântara instead of the climb.
Getting around between the hills
Trams and funiculars take the steep stretches in the centre, and taxis are the simplest way up to the castle at the start of day one.
For the trips out, trains leave from two stations: Cais do Sodré for Belém and Cascais, and Rossio for Sintra. Knowing which station each day starts from saves a wasted morning.
How the season changes the itinerary
The weather sets how much hill walking a Lisbon day can hold. These are the 1991-2020 climate normals for Lisboa / Instituto Geofísico from IPMA, the Portuguese meteorological institute.
- August averages 27.4 days above 25°C: start Alfama by 9am and keep the early afternoon for Belém’s interiors or a long lunch.
- July and August average 18.7 days above 30°C between them, so the steepest walking belongs in the morning.
- November averages 133.9 mm of rain and October 110.6 mm — keep the Jerónimos cloister and the Sintra palaces as the rainy-day switches.
- June and September are the months this itinerary works at full length, with highs of about 26°C and little rain.
- In winter the light goes early, so move the sunset viewpoint to the late afternoon.
A rainy-day version of the four days
On a wet day, swap the viewpoints for interiors. Keep the castle and Alfama for a dry morning, and move a wet day to the Gulbenkian and the National Tile Museum, or to Parque das Nações and the Oceanário.
Belém still works in the rain, because the Jerónimos cloister and the rooms inside Pastéis de Belém are indoors. Watch the cobbled pavements on the hills, which become slippery when wet.
What not to build a day around
Direction and queues cause the mistakes that cost the most time:
- Walking Alfama uphill. Start at the castle and come down; the climb the other way leaves little energy for the rest of the old quarter.
- Belém tacked onto the end of a day in the old city. It is 6 km west, the monuments close in the evening, and it deserves a fresh morning.
- Standing in the takeaway queue at Pastéis de Belém. Walk in past it and ask for a table in the rooms inside.
- Sintra as an afternoon trip. Half a day there is spent on the train and in queues.
- Boarding Tram 28 at Martim Moniz in season. Board at Campo de Ourique, or walk the same streets through Alfama.
Where to stay for this itinerary
Three of the four days start from the centre, so a base in or between Baixa and Chiado sits at the foot of both hills and close to Rossio and Cais do Sodré, the two stations for the day trips.
Alfama and Bairro Alto are more atmospheric but steeper, and Bairro Alto is loud late at night. Choose them only if the climbs and the noise are part of what you want.
Common questions
How many days do you need in Lisbon?
You need three days in Lisbon for the city and a fourth for Sintra. Give one day to the castle and Alfama, one to Belém and one to Bairro Alto, Chiado and Baixa, then a full day for Sintra’s palaces, which use timed entry. With five days, add Cascais or a museum day.
What should you not miss in Lisbon?
Do not miss the castle and Alfama, the viewpoints at Portas do Sol and Senhora do Monte, the Jerónimos cloister in Belém, and a pastel de nata at the original bakery there. Sintra is the day trip not to miss, with its palaces spread across a wooded hillside forty minutes from Rossio.
Should you go to Porto or Lisbon first?
Either order works, because the train links Porto and Lisbon in about three hours. Put Lisbon last if your flight home leaves from there, so the final day is spent in the city rather than in transit. If you arrive in Porto, start there and travel south.
What should you avoid in Lisbon?
Avoid walking the hills upwards when you can walk them down, queuing for Tram 28 at Martim Moniz in season, and trying to fit Sintra into an afternoon. Avoid the takeaway queue at Pastéis de Belém too: walk in past it and ask for a table in the rooms inside.
What is the best order to see Lisbon?
The best order to see Lisbon is hill by hill, from the top down: the castle and Alfama on one day, Bairro Alto down through Chiado to Baixa on another, and Belém as a separate morning, 6 km west of the centre. Sintra comes last, on a full day of its own.
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