Short on Time? Here’s a 48 Hour Lisbon Guide
When I started planning my five day trip to Portugal, one of the most difficult parts was deciding how to divide up my time across three different cities, especially without a proper guide. I set aside just two days for Lisbon, but it was just enough to get through some of the major highlights. If you’re short on time like I was, you can use this 48 hour Lisbon guide I’ve put together. If you do have more time though, stay there longer.
TRANSPORTATION:
As part of this Lisbon guide, I wanted to also include the how to of transportation. If you plan to be on the move throughout the whole day like I was, the Viva Viagem Card will save you money. The metro and suburban train stations all have automatic ticket machines for you to purchase them, with an option in English as well. The pass covers travel on the subway, all buses, trams, funiculars, ferries and even suburban trains (only journeys to/from Cascais, Sintra and Estoril are covered with the pass).
I purchased two of the three options available for the pass. For day one, I purchased the the Carris/Metro option for just 6.40 euros. This covers unlimited travel on the bus, metro, trams and funiculars for 24 hours. For day two, I purchased the next option for 10.55 euros, which is like the first but also includes travel on the suburban train to Sintra.
DAY ONE:
BARRIO ALTO — The host at my Airbnb gave me a Lisbon guide that had this neighborhood marked as one to visit — a Bohemian neighborhood known for its steep cobblestone streets and picturesque views (also come back in the evening, I’ve this is a great spot to catch all the nightlife. All the bars open up until early the next morning, and the you can hear Fado music from many of the traditional restaurants). Barrio Alto also contains one of the most popular miradouros, or viewpoints, of the city. Miradouro de Sao Pedro de Alcantara is a beautifully landscaped terrace with a fountain, located within a park, with a beautiful little viewpoint over the rest of Lisbon.
Afterwards, right around the corner, you can take the funicular, or Elevador da Gloria (one of Lisbon’s three iconic funiculars), down towards the Restauradores station. The price of a ticket is about 3 euros, but with your metro pass you can just tap and go. A short walk away is Casa do Alentejo, a popular restaurant in Lisbon — not necessarily for its food, but for its architecture. Now, I can’t actually comment on the food as I didn’t eat there, but from reviews, the food was average.
The main highlight is the interior, which you can still visit for free even if you do not stay to eat. Walk up to the second floor and you’re in. The restaurant opens at 12, so I suggest to arrive before opening like I did (got there around 11 and only ran into a couple of tourists walking in briefly) to enjoy the place to yourself.
If you don’t want to stop here for a meal, the area around Casa do Alentejo is lined with lots of different places to eat. One day, I would like to go back to this area and test out some of the restaurants, because the options were endless. A Lisbon guide needs some food options right? If you’re on a budget, scan the menus for the daily specials. Most places have specific dishes on a special price. For just 6 euros, I had this tasty fried calamari with rice and a salad.
LX FACTORY — A must on any Lisbon guide. Walk off your lunch with a short 10 minute walk to the bus station. Now it’s time for a trip to the south of Lisbon. Take the 15E bus towards Alges and get off at Calvario. The journeys takes about 25 minutes and the bus will drop you off about 2 minutes away from the LX Factory. This was one of my favorite neighborhoods in Lisbon. Situated in a historical industrial complex, this place is lined with cute little restaurants and artsy stores.
The LX Factory is also where you can find one of the most Instagrammable bookshops, Livraria Ler Devagar. Even though lots of people come inside to take photos, it wasn’t as crowded as I thought. The people come and go, and there’s lots of seating space. On the second floor, you can get a great shot of the art hanging from the ceiling. When you’re done, you can continue to wander the rest of the LX Factory, which reminded me a lot of DUMBO/ Brooklyn Heights.
SITES ALONG THE TAGUS RIVER
MAAT
The next part involves lots of walking. I really wanted to keep my extra expenses at a minimum, so I decided to avoid Uber and just walk. Of course I had the option to ride the bus, but I decided to walk along the Tagus River. From here you can see Ponte 25 de abril, the bridge that connects Lisbon to Almada. It’s about a 25 minute walk to the next destination, the MAAT, or Museum of Art, Architecture and Technology. While I didn’t go inside, architecture lovers will love the exterior just as much. You can get a great shot here with the river and bridge in the background!
Later, I hopped back on the 15E bus further into Belem, which will be on every Lisbon guide as well. Here you can see the Belem Tower (you can also walk here from the MAAT, takes around 25 minutes and is easy to get to — simply stay by the river and keep west).
The Belem Tower is located at the edge of a park, Jardim da Torre de Belem. This park is perfect for gatherings, hanging out, bike/scooter riding, or simply taking a walk with a view of the Tagus. Though I love to enjoy landmarks to myself and I’m usually all for getting there before the crowd comes through, it was nice to see this area full of people just enjoying a summer day at the park. As you walk towards the tower, I definitely suggest stopping for a frozen yogurt from Weeel Frozen Yogurt. I’ve had lots of froyo before, but theirs by far was the best!
BELEM TOWER & JERONIMOS MONASTERY
An individual ticket to the Tower costs 6 euros, but with your Lisboa Card, entry is already covered. Because I was short on time , I didn’t enter the Tower to make time for other places. I will note that I was there around 4-4:30 and the line to enter was ridiculously long. If you are going and plan to actually enter the Tower, try to get there early. If you are there for opening, you can not only enjoy the place with less crowds, but you can also head over to the Jeronimos Monastery (just a 15 minute walk away) at a decent time before more tourists arrive.
I unfortunately didn’t make it in time to go inside the Monastery. I had to stop in a nearby Starbucks to charge my phone for a bit, and by the time I walked back to the Monastery, I was informed they sell their last tickets for entry at 5:45. If you’re interested though, tickets cost 10 euros, and they are also included in the Lisbon Card for free.
Of course, many people say that a trip to Lisbon isn’t complete without stopping by Pasteis de Belem for the famous pastel de nata. The shop is just a few minutes away from the Jeronimos Monastery. Since I tried the pastel de nata in Porto, I wasn’t too concerned with trying them here, so I passed. However, the line to get in will be extremely long .. like longer than two buses combined.
Tip: My Airbnb host was the best guide for Lisbon. He gave me little tips here and there. He let me know that this line is usually if you just want to buy them for take out. You can get in faster if you pass the line to go inside and grab a table. Another tip, if you want to take any pasteis de nata home, don’t get them from here. Pasteis de Belem is more of a place to get them fresh and warm. (If you want to take back home, check out Manteigaria Lisbon. Each one costs just 1 euro, and you can get them packaged in boxes of 6, perfect for gifting.)
PRACA DO COMERCIO
Lisbon’s well known plaza, Praca do Comercio is the perfect spot to catch the sunset along the Tagus River. From viewpoints, to wonderful architecture to numerous shops and restaurants, there is so much for tourists to do here at the plaza. Definitely put this on your list! (You can take the 15E bus from the Monastery here)
PINK STREET (Rua Nova do Carvalho) — 8 minute walk from Praca do Comercio
You’ve probably seen this pink colored street all over Instagram, mainly at daytime. During the day, you won’t find much here, except a cute little spot for a photo. The street comes more alive at night as all the restaurants open up right on the street.
DAY TWO:
SINTRA, SINTRA, SINTRA! No Lisbon guide would be complete without including Sintra. This place is all over Instagram and for good reason. Sintra was one of my favorite parts of Portugal. It’s like a fairytale land full of palaces and castles, but because it will take up your whole day, it’s important to plan it out accordingly, especially if you’re going in the summertime, when the crowds flood the place. Sintra is a popular day trip from Lisbon, as it’s only 30 minutes away. The suburban trains to Sintra (covered by the Viva Viagem pass) leave every 30 minutes from the Rossio metro station.
Getting Around — Buses are the easiest way to get around Sintra. You can walk, but trust me, you will not want to … you will waste most of your day hiking uphill and regret it! You can also drive there, but as the day progresses and more and more people come into Sintra, the traffic and lack of parking will make you lose time.
Understanding the buses is what will help make your experience here go smoothly. To get to the different sites across Sintra, you have the option to take either the public buses or the hop on/hop off buses. There are multiple routes in Sintra (some routes go to Cascais) and so many castles/palaces beyond those you see all over social media, so you have to plan out ahead of time which sites you want to visit the most and which ones aren’t so important. If you only have one day, I suggest you check out the best ones:
- Monserrate Palace
- Pena Palace
- Quinta da Regaleira
- Cabo da Roca — the westernmost point of Europe (I didn’t get to visit since I started my day late, but I did catch a peek of it from the sightseeing bus. This site is doable if you get to Sintra before everything opens up and leave this for last in time for sunset)
You will probably see a lot of people catching the 434 bus, as this is the more popular route and most people want to just see Pena Palace. This circuit passes the train station, the National Palace, Castelo dos Mouros, Pena Palace, and back to the station. Another option is the 435 bus route, which passes through the station, National Palace, Quinta da Regaleira, Setais Palace, and Monserrate Palace. I opted for the hop on/hop off bus that passes through all of these locations, and still gives admission to both the 434/435 bus as well.
While the entire circuit takes more than an hour, it does connect you to Cabo da Roca, which is not included on the other buses, and you can also connect to the buses that go to Cascais. This bus also provides an open roof and sits a limited amount, so you get to enjoy the sights instead of being crammed in a big bus. The sightseeing bus is operated by Scotturb and costs 20.50 euros. Click here for the link for the company, which includes more information on the other routes in Sintra/Cascais along with the prices — Scotturb Bus Routes
KEY: Be PATIENT. I got in to Sintra at 12, thinking I could still make it to all those four sites I had planned, as they technically weren’t that long of a drive away. However, I soon realized that Sintra is a full day thing because once the crowds start coming in, more traffic builds up, which means buses takes forever to make it to the next location. This is why I suggest starting as early as possible, especially since the sightseeing buses only run until about 7pm. You don’t want to get stuck in Sintra in the middle of nowhere.
The order in which you visit the sites is on you, but had I reached to Sintra in the morning, I would have started with Pena Palace. This is the most popular of all the castles/palaces, and the line to simply enter to buy a ticket would have taken at least an hour. My friend got there in the morning and had a completely different experience, and was able to have the palace practically empty. Because of the crowds, I only bought a ticket to walk around the outside of the palace. Even so, trying to get a decent photo alone was near to impossible.
Tip: If you’re visiting another site before Pena Palace, buy your ticket there to avoid lines once you reach the palace. I bought my ticket when I was in Monserrate, saving me some time once I got to Pena.
To be quite honest, Pena Palace wasn’t the best. It was very BEAUTIFUL, but with all the crowds, I didn’t enjoy it much. My favorite by far was Monserrate Palace, followed by Regaleira. Both of these spots are very underrated, and you will find these spots to be quite empty, which allows you to enjoy it more. All the beautiful architecture, the gardens … you can spend the whole day wandering through here. My photos only show the main attractions, but both Quinta da Regaleira and Monserrate are huge parks which so much more to explore within. If I had time, I would have stayed in Sintra for a few days to truly enjoy all the sites.
Cabo da Roca was a spot my Airbnb host highly recommended, as there is a lighthouse there with incredible views. If you have time, definitely check this spot out. I would imagine it’s much more beautiful at sunset.
Oh by the way, I suggest for you to either pack a lunch or bring snacks. As I was running around the whole day, I didn’t really get hungry and just munched on some chips I had, but you will save lots of time by bringing your own food. Also, make sure to bring WATER!
While my time in Lisbon was rushed and spent mainly running all over town, I am glad I got to experience the most I could. There is so much to do/see in Lisbon/Sintra, and I cannot wait to make a trip there again someday to explore where I left off. If you’re also pressed on time, I hope this 48 hour Lisbon guide was helpful enough. If you have any questions, drop them in the comments!
If you’re in Lisbon and are also planning to take a quick trip up to Porto, I’ve included a guide to the city as well to help you plan! Click below:
https://mybucketlistjourneys.blog/guide-to-porto/
