About a week before this trip, two friends and I were joking about seeing Taylor Swift in Europe. A few hours later flights and concert tickets were booked to see her the following week in Lisbon! We were able to find great flight deals with a connection in Paris for only 65k points roundtrip. Many Americans have been flying to Europe to see the Eras Tour since it’s so much more expensive to get tickets in the US than it is in Europe. We decided to spend 1 night in Paris and have 24hrs there, and the other 5 nights in Lisbon.

ABOUT

Lisbon is the capital of Portugal, a beautiful coastal city on a hill with many neighborhoods and districts to explore. I think a few days there is enough to see the whole city! We did one day trip to Cascais, a cute beach town only 30 minutes away by car. One of the coolest parts about Lisbon was the hand painted tiles on many buildings and the stone sidewalk designs (pretty to look at but careful as they can be slippery!) Wearing heels in Lisbon is pretty much a no-go, so make sure and pack comfortable sneakers or sandals! Portugal is known to be pretty affordable as compared to many other European countries. Uber is very cheap (even cheaper than the metro if you’re splitting with a friend or two)!

WHERE TO STAY

We stayed at the Vignette Collection Convent Square Hotel for the duration of our trip and absolutely loved it. Although it’s a 4 star hotel, we truly think it deserves 5 stars! This 121 room hotel was built in an 800-year-old convent, part of a nunnery attached to the 13th-century church of São Domingo next door. The location is ideal- right in the center of the city by Rossio Square and very walkable. The staff went above and beyond to welcome us and make us feel at home! Cannot recommend it here enough!

THINGS TO DO

There are so many places and sights to see in Lisbon it can be overwhelming! Here are some highlights we saw on our trip! I really recommend doing a TukTuk tour (you can book in advance on Viatour or find plenty in the main squares that are available day of). This is a quick and easy way to see all the viewpoints of the city and learn more about the history of Lisbon! Not to mention it’s much more pleasant than hiking up the hills by foot!

• Take Tram 28 around the city to stop at iconic spots
• São Jorge Castle- a beautiful hilltop castle, walk down from there and explore the quaint streets of Alfama- the oldest neighborhood in Lisbon
• Pink Street- an instagrammable spot where the street is painted pink and has rainbow umbrellas hanging, this is also a big nightlife street
• Barrio Alto nightlife- near pink street, lined with fun bars
• Try a pastel de nata, the famous pastry in Lisbon. You can find this at any bakery in the city!
• Time Out Market- a huge food hall with bars and restaurants of every food imaginable!
• Watch the sunset on the Tagus River
• Check out Livraria & Cafe- the oldest bookstore in Lisbon
• Try a sample of Ginjinha, the famous cherry liquor
• Port Tasting
• Flea market- on Saturdays and Tuesdays

WHERE TO EAT & DRINK

Here are some recommended spots we went to! Try to reserve in advance in you can.

• Rocco- the most beautiful restaurant/bar I’ve ever seen! Great Italian/Mediterranean style food. Make sure and check out the bathrooms too.
• Sr. Lisboa- gourmet Portugese food
• Mini Bar- our favorite meal of the trip! The restaurant has a speakeasy vibe and a Michelin starred chef
• Memmo Rooftop Alfama- beautiful rooftop views for sunset aperitif
• Dear Breakfast- brunch here is a must!
• Java Rooftop- views of the river, good nightlife
• Rooftop Bar at Hotel Mundial- best panoramic rooftop views
• Portas Do Sol- another beautiful rooftop with views of the river and city
• Seen Rooftop- good nightlife scene

DAY TRIPS

We only had time to do one day trip and wanted to relax at a beach, so we chose Cascais which was only 30 minutes away. If we had more time we would’ve also done Sintra and Costa de Caparica. Cascais was a very cute and quaint beach town! We got an umbrella and chairs at Raihna Beach Club for the day, then walked around town to explore and get gelato.