The beauty of Lisbon is that places that look far away are in reality quite near – give or take a steep hill or two… and on the first afternoon we set out on foot to explore the city and stretch our legs after the flight.
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A midweek break in Lisbon was a great way to kick off 2023 travel plans and is a city that I have longed to visit for a while. Flying out British airways and staying at the PortoBay Marquês hotel - a 4* property that features a rooftop terrace and outdoor pool is a great spot to take a dip and enjoy the sunshine. The hotel has a restaurant, Il Basilico, which serves Italian cuisine and is open for lunch and dinner. Had dinner one evening and food was good and service attentive and friendly. Breakfast was on offer at the hotel but decided that to explore the local restaurants as had some good recommendations.
Other highlights at the hotel include 2 bars/lounges, a fitness centre and a sauna. It’s also only a short walk to public transportation but we tended to walk or use Uber as it was a cheap way to get out and about quickly.
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The advantage of Lisbon being built over seven hills is that there’s no lack of cinematic viewpoints. It’s hard to beat the panorama of red-tiled rooftops and views of The Castelo de São Jorge from The Santa Justa Lift.The Elevator is one of the truly unique tourist attractions of Lisbon. This 19th century lift gets passengers up 45m from the Baixa district to the Largo do Carmo. It’s an iron structure with two stunning polished wood carriages whisk passengers up in style.
Historically the Santa Justa was an invaluable part of Lisbon’s public transport network, but today it is primarily a tourist attraction so a viewing platform has been created at the top of the lift, and offers some of the finest views of central Lisbon.
Being a popular tourist attraction there can be long queues and the return fare is excessively priced (€5.30)- we took the lift up but decided not to do the return trip as went for a walk and explored the area and ended up back by the hotel -it’s a hilly city but not huge so good for a walk around.
Another beautiful spot for a good view of the city is definitely Miradoura de Nossa senhora do Monte - It’s the highest point of Lisbon and it’s worth the hike and with a tile panel that allows you to locate the main monuments at the top , it’s a City map so can pin point the sites and stare out to the cityscape and river. From here, you can see all the way to Lisbon’s downtown and there is a chapel and coffee spot to relax and take in the sunshine.
As beautiful as the city is and there is so much to see and do, make sure you make time to head out to Sintra and explore this extraordinary town to the west of the city, a mixture of palaces, gardens and shops and restaurants, giving plenty to see and do for the day. There are plenty of options but I recommend the Quinta da Regaleira.
Designed and built in the late 1800s, The main house is a gothic style building that spans across five floors - not all are open the public and to be honest the house is stunning but the real draw for the Quinta da Regaleira; has to be the enchanted gardens that surround the property and hillsides nearby.
The gardens feature an network of hidden tunnels, fountains, sculptures and buildings. It’s a relaxing spot to walk around and although the property was busy it didn't feel over crowded or noisy.
At the top of the gardens you will find the Initiation Well - an 88-foot-deep well, that was allegedly never used as a well and was actually built for secret ceremonial purposes. The walk down the spiral steps of the well is worth doing, it leads out into caverns and a waterfall and you'll be back into the heart of the gardens, once again surrounded by nature and gothic buildings that scatter the 9 acres that the house sits upon.
The Café has a relaxed garden terrace where you can lunch or grab a drink, watch the world go by and appreciate the beautiful surroundings. Sintra has plenty of options for food and drinks and is worth spending sometime wandering around and taking in the views and beautiful architecture.
There is a train from Rossio station but we decided to Uber from our hotel - took around 25mins and cost approx. 25 Euros
On the way back, we decided to stop at the busy seaside town of Cascais and indulge in lunch in the harbor, on the walk along the coastline to marina- which has a great selection of food and drink places on offer we passed by a stunning lighthouse and cove with a small beach area to sit and relax.
The Santa Marta lighthouse is situated to the south of Cascaia, in the estuary of the river Tagus. The lighthouse has been providing a light for the Cascais Bay since 1868 (automated in 1981) aswell as guide for the town's new marina. It was built on the grounds of the Santa Marta Fort, which now houses a lighthouse museum.
We walked off lunch by taking a walk along the promenade into the old town, past the beaches and sunbathers enjoying some beautiful sunshine in March - made a welcome change from the rain I'd left in the UK.
The calm and waves felt a world away from Lisbon city centre but still had a similar friendly vibe and the buildings and shops held the same character.
A city break to Lisbon is well worthwhile and a few days to enjoy the food, atmosphere, architecture and beautiful weather is great value and be sure to sample a large amount of
pastéis de nata and espresso- honourable mentions to Pastelaria Santo António and Fábrica da Nata but for me the best tart of the trip was at the Time Out Market, called MANTEIGARIA. It offered crispy, crunchy case and a cream filling and Boxed up so could enjoy them later in the day- definitely my favourite of the many we sampled So save room after lunch in the market.
to be continued…