[LISBON, PORTUGAL] — Way back in 2012, NY Times writer Frank Bruni got me with his game-changing article on Lisbon. “Lisbon??” I thought when I read the headline way back then. “Who goes to Lisbon?” At the time, everyone called Lisbon ‘the old grandmother of Europe.’ But his writing and insight was so fantastic, by the time I reached the end of his article I was like “I need to go to Lisbon!” and added it to my list. I finally booked a flight the next July. He was right. I fell in love. I was like, “Holy cow, I could live here.” How’s that for a turnaround?

I came back to Portugal again a couple years later for a longer two weeks in 2015, then again in 2018 and 2019. Here are my notes about the changes since then and recommendations on the best things to do In Lisbon. There are a million other more comprehensive guides, so I’ll just hit on my favorites from visits in 2013, 2015, 2018 and 2019.

I had a lot of stale, lame old posts about Lisbon on my webpage for years, but I’ve upgraded all the pictures and consolidated them here in one comprehensive post. It’s not everything, just what I’ve found and liked.

Consider the post like a cluttered postcard rack at a train station. Look for what you like and then go there.

Back in 2013, when I first saw Frank Bruni’s NY Times groundbreaking article on Lisbon I thought “Lisbon? Why would anyone want to go to Lisbon?” by the end of the article I was like “I need to go to Lisbon.”

And then booked a flight the next summer.

I was not alone. Everyone you know, Americans especially, are heading to Portugal. I just read an article in a Portuguese newspaper that said one million Americans and 13 million tourists other people went to Portugal in the first six months of 2024, a 40% increase. That’s in a country of 10 million. About the same increase over the previous year and the year before that. In fact, like Barcelona, it’s really suffering from over-tourism now. Prices have gone through the roof compared to when I first started going.

My, How Things Have Changed

On my first visit to Lisbon in 2013 Portugal was still coming out of a painful economic depression, nearly going bankrupt a couple years before. Most of the now-popular Baixa district was mostly boarded up and abandoned, so much so I barely spent any time there. I never heard English anywhere, mostly German and Italian and French.

But fast-forward to now and Baixa is the beating heart of Lisbon’s tourism. Whole buildings, abandoned for years, now transformed into boutique hotels, shops, restaurants and Airbnbs. Almost too many, now.

When I did an overnight before catching a flight in 2018, I couldn’t believe how fast everything had changed in just a few years. Walking around Alfama, the castle and Bairrio Alto I was like “Holy cow, this place is loaded with tourists. I don’t think I’ve seen anyone that actually lives here in hours! All I hear is English.”

Even the once boarded-up Baixa was chock-full of hotels, shops and sidewalk cafes, nothing but tourists in all of them, just like Rome. It was crazy what a difference five years made.

But everyone loves Lisbon. Like Italy, people keep coming back and new people are just discovering it, you just have to plan ahead a bit more now. What used to be the best value spot in Europe is now becoming expensive. Hotel rooms that used to be $200 are now $400-500. The $400 really nice places are now $700+.

A friend just texted me the other day after hiking the Portuguese Camino. Used to booking a day in advance on the Camino, he was frustrated that he couldn’t find any hotel longer than a single night, everything was booked, he had to move three times in three days. Most of the available hotels were $700+/night. My, how things have changed.

Lisbon is Like the San Francisco of Europe

The first thing that hits you about Lisbon are the gorgeous white buildings and red rooftops that climb up hills in every direction. Some streets as steep as San Francisco. Each opening up views to the Tagus river below — the longest river on the Iberian Peninsula, crisscrossing Spain to empty out here.

There’s even a bridge that’s nearly identical to the Golden Gate Bridge, spanning the river, with boats and ships chugging below it.

Quaint streetcars chug up the hills, carrying people back from their errands. Tiny stores and cute cafes are on every corner. The parallels are endless between the two cities. This is a walking city, so leave your heels at home, bring sensible shoes that you can wear as you tromp up and down the hills, because you will be doing a lot of tromping. It’s delightful.

Run All Around Castelo de São Jorge

Castelo de São Jorge is one of my favorite spots in the city. And you can see it from almost any angle across the city. Some of its current fortifications date back to Roman times, 1st Century BCE, but there are signs of forts here going back to the 8th Century BC. People have been bombarding people below from this hill for eons, occupied successively by Phoenicians, Greeks, Carthaginians, Romans, and Moors, until it was finally conquered by the Portuguese in the 1147 Siege of Lisbon.

As far as forts go, this is one of my favorites. It looks like the castle examples from a children’s book. With battlements and walkways, shooting ports and an inner courtyard. It should be the picture they use on Wikipedia when you google “castle”.

There are parks and cafes leading up to the castle itself, then perfectly preserved ramparts that you can run all over, getting great views of the red roof city below. You can see why people liked it up here.

I liked coming up here in the mornings, when the air is sweet, the breeze cool and the warm morning light makes all the white buildings below incandescent.

The best views of the city from Castelo de São Jorge, especially in the morning when the sun is at your back. My old camera I had on my first trip had a Toy Camera setting, which makes the buildings look like they are toy models.

Get Away from the Crowds in Príncipe Real and Campo de Ourique

One of my favorite Lisbon neighborhoods are the interconnected Príncipe Real and Campo de Ourique hoods, on a plateau above the tourist slog below. Cool shops, great cafes, cool restaurants and great little pocket parks. It’s all so civilized. If I were to move to Lisbon, this is where I’d live.

Go For Sunset Views at Miradouro de São Pedro de Alcântara⁩⁦

At the edge of Bairrio Alto, high above the city, the street ends at a perfect little park, Miradouro de São Pedro de Alcântara⁩⁦, the best overlook of the city, the castle and the rooftops of Alfama.

Go Find Dinner in Bairrio Alto

Bairrio Alto is a cool low-slung neighborhood on one of the seven hills overlooking Lisbon. It’s loaded with small shops and tiny bars and outdoor cafes, tapas bars set up on the steps connecting each level. There’s a good chance your Airbnb is up here, too. It’s pretty sleepy by day, if not empty, but go at night for a great place to stroll around, it’s bustling with activity.

Here’s the Top Things to do in Bairrio Alto from the Culture Trip. And here’s TripAdvisor’s Guide.

Have Drinks Overlooking the City

On my first trip to Lisbon I stayed at the Bairrio Alto Hotel — a gorgeous boutique hotel on one of the biggest plazas in Bairrio Alto. They have a fantastic rooftop bar that overlooks Lisbon with views all the way down to the River Tagus. Reserve a table for sunset, it can’t be beat.

Ride Up the Santa Justa Lift⁩⁦

Everyone does it. It’s kinda cool, an Eiffel Tower-style giant elevator that’s been around for centuries. But if the lines are crazy, it’s not that big of a deal to miss — it only lasts a minute — unless you don’t want to walk up the hill. There are steps nearby if you want to skip the line.

Feel the Creative Vibe at the Hip LX Factory

On my first trip to Lisbon in 2013, I went to the super hip LX Factory area, a former giant car factory turned into a creative hub, with movie studios, design firms, cool cafes and hip boutiques. Lisbon was just bustling out then, so it felt like a beehive of creativity. Now the whole city feels like that, with so many digital nomads crawling all over the place.

It’s still cool to walk around, in the shadows of the giant bridge rising above. I haven’t been in years, but I’m certain that nearly every building — some of them were roughly-taken-over old industrial buildings — have been spruced up and added to.

One of the things that drew me to LX Factory was the gorgeous Ler Devagar bookstore in the NYTimes article and in Monocle magazine. This giant room of books is inside an old printing building and actually built around the still-there giant web press.

One of my first jobs was marketing Swedish newspaper presses, so I know it probably cost more to remove the press than clean it up and leave it there. But the irony of a bookstore inside a printing plant is rich. There’s even a cool little cafe to snog an espresso and sit on the printing press itself.

The sprawling LX Factory has lots of small and large cafes and bars scattered about to serve the office peoples. All of them are super cool. I LOVED 1300 Taberna, a gorgeous airy and open cafe in an old industrial building, with the most perfect skylights. I would like a house like this.

Get Wowed by the Jerónimos Monastery⁩⁦

 Down in Belém, is the stunning ⁩⁦Jerónimos Monastery⁩⁦. It’s on everyone’s must-see lists. I would definitely go see it. It’s a big compound, part of which was closed when I went there, so I only got to check out the beautiful monochromatic cathedral. Check the times for hours or reservations before heading down there.

The monastery is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, so you know it’s good.

Swing by the Belém Tower

Belém Tower is just so photogenic, just sitting out there in the river. It’s also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It used to be the embarking point for all the Portuguese ships heading out all over to conquer the world in the 1600s and a ceremonial welcome. I don’t think you can go inside it, so it’s mostly a drive-by for a good pic on your way to wait inline for the bakery nearby.

Walk Around in the Quiet Botanic Gardens

Founded in 1906, the Jardim Botânico Tropical was planned as a center for the study of tropical plants and agriculture from Portugal’s colonies. There are trees from all over the world, include the Portuguese colonies of Angola, Cape Verde, East Timor, Guinea-Bissau, Macau, Mozambique and São Tomé.

The Jardim Botânico Tropical is a nice place to duck into and cool off if you’re down near Belém and the Jerónimos Monastery.

Where to Eat In Lisbon

Here’s a link to another post I made of my favorite places in Lisbon to eat. A few of my faves plus lots of recommendations for Instagram friends.

We also stumbled upon this great outdoor cafe, Mar ao Carmo, in a lovely little plaza Largo do Carmo in Bairrio Alto. We were totally blown away with the quality on a place we just had to stop “I gotta eat something NOW!” All the food comes out of the corner restaurant.

Where to Stay in Lisbon

There has been such an explosion in hotels in Lisbon the last ten years. One of the earliest was The Lisboans apartment-hotel opened by a couple of architects who were early in the development of the formerly-dilapidated old buildings in Baixa. Here’s a big post I made about it. It’s as perfect as you want.

It’s hard to get into it’s so popular, so book ahead. There’s a similar concept called Baixa House, I think owned by the same couple. Both are highly recommended from friends. I could live in this place.

The last time I was in Lisbon with a large group of friends, we stayed here. Palacio Ramalhete I was blown away by how cool it was, especially the location and the gorgeous lobby and bar. I think Madonna rented it for a year for her entourage. Here’s a big post I made about Palacio Ramalhete

Take a Daytrip to Cascais — Lisbon’s Beachy Suburb

Even better, stay there when you’re on your way in/out of town. Cascais, pronounced Cash-CAY. It’s easy to get to the airport from here, easy to train into Lisbon, but it feels like a small town far away from busy Lisbon. Here’s a big post I made on all the cool things to do in Cascais and where to stay.

One of the Best Beaches in the World, Right Outside Lisbon

From Cascais, it’s just a short drive or lovely bike ride to Praia do Guincho, one of the best beaches in the world. It’s so close to Lisbon, it’s scary, so you gotta build a day in to go hang out here. Here’s a big post I made about Guincho.

Go With Everybody Else to Sintra

Pena Palace. It’s worth it, but you gotta plan ahead. It has become so busy, especially with large bus tours. I have had so many friends try to go on the spur of the moment and it was just too crowded. Definitely book reservations in advance.

It’s an amazing palace, town and old fort on the Sintra coast outside Lisbon. Here’s a big post I made about visiting Sintra and the colorful Pena Palace.

— Last Visited 2013, 2015, 2018, 2019 —

More Information on the Best Things to Do in Lisbon

Here’s the official Lisbon tourist website. Here’s Conde Nast Traveler’s Top 25 things to do in Lisbon. And a picture gallery from CNT. Here’s the always-good 36 Hours in Lisbon column from the NYTimes. And How to Spend a Weekend in Lisbon from The Telegraph. And here is TimeOut’s guide to Lisbon. And AtlasObscura’s Unusual Things to Do in Lisbon.