Top 13 Things To Do in Lisbon for First Timers

Whether you’re traveling during European summer or getting ready for fall travel, here are the top things to do in Lisbon for first timers! This Lisbon travel guide covers the things I learned from my first time in Lisbon, Portugal. And I’ll definitely tell you the honest truth about them. Then, you’ll be able to confidently create your own perfect Lisbon itinerary!

Portugal had been on my seemingly never-ending travel bucket list for a really long time. And, well, you know me — I want it, I got it. Delulu is the solulu. Money comes back around and aren’t life experiences priceless? That’s how we live life here. Luckily, Portugal’s still one of the more affordable countries in Western Europe. If you plan well (and that’s why I’m here!), your money will go a longer way with this fun, little Lisbon travel guide!

WHERE TO STAY IN LISBON

There are a few areas I recommend for where to stay in Lisbon depending on what you plan on doing. The Baixa-Chiado area is very centrally located with really good access to the public transportation, restaurants, shops, and the major tourist sites like Carmo Convent, Sé de Lisboa, Pink Street, etc. Another more chill and a little off-the-beaten-path option is a Lisbon hotel stay in Principe Real. This area is a little less touristy but is still well connected by public transportation. We stayed in Chiado right by the Santa Justa Lift, and there was high foot traffic all of the time. If this is your vibe, check out hotels in that area. Plus, the Rossio Metro Station is about a block away — easily connecting you to the rest of Lisbon. I wasn’t in love with the hotel we stayed at, so I won’t be sharing the name! (Teaaaa)

HOW TO GET AROUND LISBON

Getting around Lisboa is pretty easy! My recommendation is always to use public transportation in cities where it’s reliable. Luckily, public transportation in Lisbon is great and very easy to navigate. There are buses, trams and metro lines to get around to the different areas like Belém and Alfama. You can buy a Lisboa Card with either 24, 48 or 72 hours of unlimited access to public transportation in Lisbon. It includes the trams, metro and buses. Plus, the Lisboa Card also includes entry for 51 museums and attractions.

If you have cellphone service abroad, my top tip is using Google Maps because it tells you exactly what metro line or bus to take, which stop to use, how many stops to ride for, where to get off, etc. It really makes it so easy to get around and it never fails me! You’ll also be walking a lot — a lot of the main tourist spots in Lisbon are close together.

WHERE TO EAT IN LISBON

Experiencing the culinary scene in this city was one of my favorite things to do in Lisbon. I’m planning on making a more-detailed post about the best things I ate in Lisbon, but let me give you a little taste-test on the flavors of Lisbon! Pun absolutely intended. Three words: reservations, reservations, reservations. That seems to be the case everywhere I’ve traveled recently (from Mexico City to Edinburgh to Dublin), everywhere requires reservations. Luckily, most places let you make reservations online nowadays.

Now, here’s what you actually came here for. Where the hell do I go eat, Valeria? Shut up about reservations and give me the real foodie tea. My top Lisbon travel guide food recommendation is Taberna Sal Grosso. You HAVE to go here. Taberna Sal Grosso was my favorite meal out of the whole one-week trip to Portugal. This tiny, unassuming restaurant serves modern takes on traditional Portuguese dishes at veeeery reasonable prices. Their menu changes often but my recommendations are as follows: Try the octopus, the orange salad, fried baby squid and the mushroom rice (pictured above). I’ve never had a tastier, more delicious octopus in my life. It was cooked to perfection. And I beg of you, do not get me started on the glorious culinary experience the fried baby squid was. You will love it. I simply know it!

My other best restaurants in Lisbon recommendations are Rocco, By the Wine, Boa Bao, Ramiro and Combi Coffee Roasters.

WEAR APPROPRIATE FOOTWEAR

Trust me on this one. Wearing appropriate shoes in Portugal is imperative. Especially if it will be raining when you visit. The streets become very slippery when it rains in Lisbon. Plus, can we talk about the hills and stairs to get anywhere? And believe me, your Adidas Sambas don’t have enough traction to keep you on your two feet when the streets are slippery from the rain.

Do not wear your Sambas in Lisbon. I repeat, do NOT wear your Sambas in Lisbon. Besides the slippery cobblestone streets, you’re simply going to be walking A LOT. Up and down hills and stairs. Constantly. Do your feet a favor and wear something you can comfortably walk in all day. Did I mention I did this trip with a broken foot? Did I also mention I had to RUN at JFK airport with a broken foot, a backpack and rolling luggage to make our flight with a few minutes to spare? Oh, the things you do when you don’t know your foot is broken.

CHECK THE WEATHER

Check the weather before you leave and pack accordingly. Believe the weather forecast if it says it will rain. Bringing an umbrella or a rain jacket is a must if this is the case. Because are talking RAIN, y’all. You will be soaked, will slip, and will need an umbrella, rain jacket or rain poncho. And don’t step on the metal sewer covers, especially going down hill — they’re SUPER slippery. This is an essential recommendation of any Lisbon travel guide.

TAKE A DAY TRIP TO SINTRA FROM LISBON

A day trip from Lisbon to Sintra is a must in any Lisbon travel guide. A MUST. I’m so glad my friend Sandra recommended this because it turned out to be one of the best days of the whole trip (Sintra will eventually get its own blog post). I hired a private one-day Sintra tour with The Host Experiences, a small tour company based out of Lisbon, Portugal.

Our guide, Margarida, was incredible! She was so friendly, personable, knowledgeable and helpful. It felt like she was our life-long friend and the day truly flew by in her company. She picked us up near our hotel in Chiado, and drove us to Sintra (about 45 minutes away from Lisbon). In Sintra, we visited the gorgeous Quinta da Regaleira and the National Palace of Pena. After that, she drove us to these beaches in Cascais with huge waves and an incredible view of the Westernmost Point of Continental Europe. It was the perfect day!

If you’re interested in booking a private tour with the guide we used, feel free to DM me on Instagram. I’ll happily share the contact info.

PASTÉIS DE NATA

The question of the century — or rather of the whole time I spent researching for my Portugal trip and this Lisbon travel guide — was where can I find the best pastéis de nata in Lisbon? Pastéis de nata are Portuguese egg-custard tart pastries originally created by the monks at the Jerónimos Monastery back in the 18th century. The top two contenders all over the interwebz were Manteigaria and Pastéis de Belém. Luckily for you, I tried both. My very official vote for the best pastel de nata in Lisboa is Pastéis de Belém. Their custard was more velvety and creamier, but not heavy in the slightest. The crust was perfectly chewy, and it had the perfect degree of sweetness. Trying pastéia de nata is definitely a top thing to do in Lisbon.

TRAM 28

I have to confess I didn’t ride the infamous Tram 28 in Lisbon. Every time we tried, iba hasta la madre (no other way to describe it; it was packed like sardines). I was not about to jam myself into the most crowded tram I’ve ever seen. (And I went during the end of Portugal’s off season in March!) Just adjust that expectation if you have European summer plans to visit Portugal. Tram 28 is a public transport route that rides through Lisbon’s major neighborhoods, including Alfama, Baixa and Graça. This yellow tram still retains the features from the 1930s, and it’s a super popular Lisbon highlight for visitors. That’s why your best option to ride Tram 28 is getting on early in the day or late in the afternoon at its first and last stops, Martim Moniz or Campo Ourique. You’ll see this on many lists of things to do in Lisbon!

FREE ALFAMA WALKING TOUR

For me, this was one of the best things to do in Lisbon! Alfama is the oldest neighborhood in Lisbon. Its winding thin alleyways and countless steps are straight out of storybooks. Historically, its narrow cobbled streets and tight-packed houses were home to the poorer populations in Lisbon. Nowadays, it feels as if time has stopped in Alframa. It’s practically a labyrinth, so I most definitely recommend a guided tour! You need someone who knows the area and the locals as it can be super easy to get lost.

We booked this free walking tour with Cecilia and absolutely loved it. This one is in the list of totally thrilling things to do in Lisbon. Cecilia guided us through Alfama’s maze-like alleyways while she explained the history of the neighborhood, how its secluded nature and structure makes it hard for modern services to reach, where the best viewpoints are, and even graced us with her beautiful voice as she sang a traditional Fado song.

The free Alfama walking tour lasted about 3 hours, and it required us walking up very narrow alleys and a bunch of stairs. Yes, your girl was a little winded. Luckily, we were able to catch our breath as Cecilia gave us details about where we were. We also tried Ginjinha, a cherry liqueur made of Morello cherries soaked in aguardente that’s traditionally served in a tiny chocolate cup. The tour included stops at the Lisbon cathedral, Miradouro Portas do Sol and Miradouro Santa Luzia. Cecilia’s passion and love for the city was palpable and so inspiring. She truly made our afternoon so lovely!

MIRADOUROS — ALL THE VIEWPOINTS

If you read my post about my favorite things to do in Mexico City, you’ll know I’m obsessed with panoramic views of cities I don’t live in. And Lisbon is one of the best cities to catch panoramic views with all of its amazing miradouros, or viewpoints! You can find the best views in Lisbon at Miradouro de Santa Luzia, Miradouro das Portas do Sol, Castelo de São Jorge, Miradouro de São Pedro de Alcantâra and Miradouro da Graça. You could spend half a day just going from viewpoint to viewpoint. Google Maps is your best friend here! All of these viewpoints are up there on the list of the best things to do in Lisbon.

This brings me to an anti-recommendation. Everyone on the interwebz and many Lisbon travel guides are going to recommend you add Elevador da Santa Justa to you and say that it’s a must. And I’m here to tell you it’s absolutely not a must. It’s crowded, the lines are ALWAYS long, it gives overrated quite frankly, and you can get the same or better views of Lisbon for free elsewhere. Instead, head to any, or all, of the miradouros I listed above for the best FREE views in Lisbon! Check out my blog post about the best viewpoints in Lisbon!

MUSEU NAZIONALE DU AZULEJO

Imagine your Uber driver talks super negatively about all the art and museums that people like to frequent as you’re on your way to a museum to look at art? Well, that happened to us, and it was equal parts funny and awkward. Our second day in Lisbon started out with this man questioning why in the world we were going to look at tiles out of all things for the whole 15-minute Uber ride. We laughed it off and wondered if the museum would really be that bad.

The National Tile Museum was actually a pretty good start to our day! Is the museum a MUST? No, it’s not. But it is interesting to see such detailed, intricate tiles from the 15th century. The museum is in the former Madre de Deus Convent. Here, you’ll admire one of the largest collections of ceramics and tiles in the world. Tickets are about $9 USD (entry included with Lisboa Card).

PORTUGUESE TILES

Tiles, tiles, tiles. The colorful ceramic squares adorning entire façades of churches and buildings throughout some of Portugal’s cities are quintessential to the country’s history and culture, as we’ve learned. You can clearly admire the influence of Islamic and Moorish cultures in Portuguese tiles, or azulejos. They’ve formed part of Portuguese history since the 13th century and have evolved since then. Nowadays, you can still admire tiles on beautiful churches, doorways all over the city and even the Museu Nazionale du Azulejo. If you want to take some tiles or even ceramics home, you’ve got ample options for where to shop. Check out Cortiço & Netos, Loja Dos Descobrimentos or Cerâmicas na Linha to get the best ceramics in Lisbon.

BELÉM

Belém is a district in west Lisbon and is mainly known as a museum district. There is a lot to see and do here. I recommend spending about half a day (or the whole day) here! Start out with Mosteiro dos Jeronimos — get tickets for the first entrance and expect to wait in line for about 45 minutes (off season). Get your pictures for the ‘gram. And then, walk about 5 minutes up the street and hit Pastéis de Belem for the best pastéis de nata in Lisbon. After that, use the underground passageway to cross the street, and head over to the Padrão dos Descobrimentos monument dedicated to Portuguese exploration and the Age of Discoveries. Then, walk a little further to Belém Tower. These are two sites that you don’t HAVE to actually enter. Take the photos from outside, my dudes (gender-neutral). It saves money and time!

You’ll probably be starving at this point. But if you can hold it, check out the MAAT Museum right by the Tagus River and enjoy the views *chef’s kiss.* Lastly, finish off the day by taking an Uber to LX Factory, an old industrial complex where you’ll be able to find delicious eats, cute shops and cool art. Belém is one of the top places to see in Lisbon. I just had to include it in this Lisbon travel guide!

MOSTEIRO DOS JERÓNIMOS

The Jerónimos Monastery, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is a former monastery by the Tagus River in the Belém district of Lisbon. With construction on it starting in 1501, it’s a prime representation of Portuguese Gothic Manueline architecture with its ornate elements depicting maritime motifs, such as coral reefs, seaweed, algae, shields, crosses, etc. The monastery is one of the top things to do in Lisbon.

This one’s all for the IG aesthetics, I’m not gonna lie to you. It’s definitely gorgeous. The super detailed carvings and Manueline details are marvelous to look at. It’s one of the best places to see Manueline architecture in Lisbon, but don’t pretend we’re not all there to do it for the ‘gram. We tried getting tickets for Mosteiro Dos Jerónimos online, but the website wasn’t working. Don’t worry though, you can get tickets the day of for the second entry time, and we waited in line for about 30 minutes. We walked the inside of the monastery in about 30 minutes! NOTE: Remember, this was during the off-season in March. If you’re going to Lisbon during peak travel times, you’re likely better off buying tickets ahead of time.

THE MUSEUM OF ART, ARCHITECTURE & TECHNOLOGY (MAAT)

The Museum of Art, Architecture and Technology is built inside an old power plant built in 1908 right by the riverfront of the Tagus River in Belém’s museum district. They have different temporary exhibits and a permanent exhibit of The Electricity Factory. When I went in March 2024, they had a temporary exhibit by Joana Vasconcelos, a Portuguese visual artist with a 30-year career known for her sculptures and massive immersive installations. The “Plug In” exhibition used a variety of mixed media with the standout being the immersive installation in the main room at MAAT that represented the different areas of Lisbon. Tickets cost €11 (about $12 USD) online for all three areas, MAAT Central, Gallery and Garden. This is a good place to check out after starting out your morning at Mosteiro Dos Jerónimos and getting pastéis de nata at Pastéis de Belém.

LX FACTORY

I loved LX Factory because it has the three elements I need to survive: shopping, food and art. Because I’m just a girl! LX Factory is an old, industrial textiles complex in the Alcântara neighborhood in Lisbon. Nowadays, it’s a creative hub where you can shop in cute, trendy shops, eat and drink at any of the more than 20 restaurants. And you can even see different murals and art throughout. This should be a staple on every Lisbon travel guide for travelers as it’s one of the top things to do in Lisbon.

Ler Devagar was my favorite spot at LX Factory. It’s a really cool bookshop that is built inside an old printing space. It was named one of the top 10 most beautiful bookstores in the world. And it’s easy to see why! We tried a focaccia vendor set up right by the entrance, and it was the most delicious snack after a morning of checking out Belém. There are many gorgeous murals throughout the complex and you can even get tattoos at one of the multiple tattoo shops at LX Factory. LX Factory is definitely geared more toward tourists, not necessarily locals, but I really enjoyed it.

TIME OUT MARKET

OK, listeeeeen. I won’t lie — I did not love it here. BUT it was mostly because of how crowded it was, how hard it was to find a spot to sit, and then how long we had to wait in line to order food. Time Out Market is a food hall that “brings the best of the city together under one roof.” The food options are definitely great and really varied! You can find a lot of traditional Portuguese options, like super fresh seafood at Marisqueira Azul or the national steak sandwich known as prego at O Prego da Peixaria. You can also find sushi, pizza, burgers, croquetas and cheesecakes! I resorted to ordering sushi and a fancy hot dog from Tartine.

Try it just to say you did … because I can guarantee it’ll be on most people’s Lisbon travel guide and lists of must-sees. And then, go chill and have drinks at Java Rooftop nearby instead. Also, don’t even think about doing a Tuk-Tuk tour. They’re gonna try to charge you like €90 for a one-hour drive and that just seems a tad excessive?? … Just don’t do it.

FEIRA DA LADRA

Feira da Ladra is a popular flea market where you can get vintage clothes, CDs, trinkets, coins, jewelry, etc. The market is held every Tuesday and Saturday in Campo de Santa Clara in Alfama. It’s one of Lisbon’s oldest markets — having been around since about 1212! And it’s a perfect place to find an original souvenir to bring back home. I suggest you bring cash to Feira da Ladra. You should avoid buying vintage tiles here as they’ve most likely been ripped off buildings illegally. And after you’ve dropped from shopping, you can get a yummy matcha latte at Copenhagen Coffee Lab.

Even though Lisbon totally gives off capital city vibes, I found it really charming and warm regardless. I enjoyed my short time in Lisbon so much. I can’t wait to go back and explore more of Portugal. This trip was extra special for me because it reunited me with a friend that I hadn’t traveled with since 2015. And our travel styles merged so well together on our first time in Portugal that by the end of the trip, I was like, “Soooo, where to next? Cause you’re stuck with me now.”

I learned so many things from my wonderful first-time trip to Lisbon. I hope this list of the best things to do in Lisbon inspires you to visit the best spots in Lisbon!

-Valeria