10 amazing things to do in Lisbon

Lisbon was awesome! Not only did I meet some amazing people, but the city is also beautiful, exciting and full of amazing food! If you are there, be sure not to miss these 10 experiences:

Castelo de Sao Jorge

The beautiful castle was built before the 11th century. You can visit the ruins of ancient times and walk within the places inside the walls. The walls themselves surround the complex and you can walk on top of them. The castle has some amazing viewpoints over the city and can also be visited during the sunset (a must when you are in Lisbon).

Cathedral: Convento do Carmo

The cathedral is impressive for one reason: It has no roof. The roof collapsed during the immense earthquake in 1755, burying the prayers underneath it. It has never been rebuilt so that people will always remember this immense catastrophe. It gives you a strange feeling walking inside these walls. There’s also an archaeological museum in the remaining building beside it.

Christo rei

This huge statue of Christ is 28m high and build on a 75m base. You can climb up and will have an amazing view over the city and the river Tejo. To get there (The statue is on the other side of the river) you can either go by boat or take the bus over the bridge of the 25 April.

Park bar

The Park bar, even if it’s really difficult to find, is probably the most famous rooftop bar in Lisbon. It is on top of a car park, so yes you have to enter the car park and take the elevator to the rooftop (sounds creepy right?). But you will be rewarded with an awesome view over the city and very nice cocktails. I definitely recommend to visit this one, you won’t regret it. Plus, during the day, it’s also a restaurant. Sadly we couldn’t try the food, as we went there in the evening.

Tram 28

Rule number one is Lisbon: If you take the tram, only take the yellow ones. You will also see red and green ones, but they are only used by the tourists and charge you more than double the price. The tram 28 is the oldest one, driving you through less touristic neighbourhoods.

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Pink street and Pensao Amor

Yes, you heard right ladies, the street PINK! Actually, the street is not that big but you can grab a nice cheap beer (Imagine: 1€ for half a litre of beer and it is not even bad^^). Another interesting place is here:

Pensao Amor.The shy people please look away now. This is a bar/club, which used to be a brothel at the time. And there are still a lot of reminders: Even though no more official prostitution here, you have a sex shop inside the club (No, I’m not kidding), poles to dance on and soft Pornos projected on the wall behind the dance floor. Best part: The Dj is a sweet elderly lady who really rocks! A funthere is place to get some drinks and shake your booty.

Viewpoints

Lisbon is full with viewpoints. You will find them on every city map and every part of town. Prepare to climb some hills to get there to watch the sunset.

Belém

Belém is only 10 minutes away by train from the city. It is a district near the Tejo river and famous for its monuments. The most popular ones are the “Torre de Belem” and the monastery. Watch out, both are closed on Mondays. I will soon talk more about Belém in another post. (I just took too many pictures I guess^^)

Sintra

Go to Sintra. You have to. It’s a small town filled with palaces, half an hour away from Lisbon. Some palaces are hundreds of years old and the gardens are just breathtaking.You can go by train or, and this I recommend, do a tour. Why? Because there are so many other beautiful places around to which you can’t get by train. Especially the wild beaches and Capo da Roca, the most western point of Europe. But again, another post about Sintra and its surroundings will follow.

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The food and drinks

Omg, the food! I think I gained like 5 pounds. The food is amazing, especially the typical codfish “Bacalhau”. Generally, I’ve never had a bad meal in Lisbon. If you like the sweet stuff, don’t miss the “egg tarts”. Sounds strange, I know, but they are amazing! In my next post about Belém I will tell you where to get the best ones. I can’t even remember how many I ate. Oh, and after the meal, you should finish with cherry liquor. Don’t worry girls, you will get used to it;)

Recommendations for your stay

Hostel: Personally, I just love hostels for Solo-trips. You just meet so many different people. In Lisbon, I stayed at the “Good morning” hostel and I have to say it was one of the best ones I’ve ever been in. The staff is really great, they offer so many tours and activities and they have the absolute best hostel breakfast in the world (thank you for this Tatjana, especially for the waffles!!). It is just so easy to get to know other people and I made some nice friends there.

Hotel: A big thank you also for the hotel Metropole. I know lots of people don’t like hostels, so here is the alternative. The hotel is nice and clean, has an amazing view over the square and a really good location. Everything is within walking distance and the reception is also open 24/7. Would have liked to stay a little while longer:)

Pictures:

Kitchen in the hostel