Back in October of last year - seven months ago, bliiiimey - we visited Lisbon for a long weekend. We did what comes naturally to us; we ate and drank our way around the city, interspersing our epicurean adventure with spots of culture and history.
Check out the seven reasons why Lisbon should be on your radar in 2018, here.
Here's how we spent three perfect days in the Portuguese capital...
Day oneHaving arrived late on Wednesday night, we checked in to our Air BnB and got an early night, ready for a full day of exploring ahead of us. Our apartment was in a great location, and provided the perfect sanctuary away from the tourist hub of central Lisbon. When Thursday morning arrived, we started with a coffee and breakfast from Mercearia da Mila before a fairly aimless stroll, ending up in the main square; Praca do Comercio. We stopped for a glass of vinho verde - a local green wine - in the sunshine and watched the world go by for a little while. We made tracks towards our lunch spot, the Time Out Market where we shared local meats and cheese with a couple of beers... and some sushi for good measure! Later we hopped in an Uber to the Jeronimos Monastery for a dose of culture. It was such a beautiful, hugely impressive sight and definitely sated our need for incredible architecture and history. We walked a few hundred metres down the road to Pasteis de Belem and finally understood what the hype was all about. My advice to you would be - eat as many pasteis de nata as you possibly can. And then take a packet home with you. Dinner was at Pharmacia; an old pharmacy-meets-museum-meets restaurant. What a day!
Day twoWe started with breakfast at Heim Cafe (the french toast was amazing) before another morning of mooching and exploring. We had booked an afternoon Food Tour with WithLocals (the 10 tastings tour at around 34 euro each) and we met our guide Ana Paula for an afternoon of local cuisine and culture. She talked us through local history and took us to see the important sights, giving us that insider information that you'd expect with a WithLocals tour. It was just us - the four of us plus Ana Paula - on our tour, meaning that she was able to tailor the afternoon to exactly what we fancied. The boys went to see a Sporting Lisbon football match in the evening, whist Kat and I went for a few drinks before meeting them for dinner out in the sticks somewhere!
Day threeWe had planned on visiting the fairytale-esque Pena Palace, but we decided to take it easy and spend our final day mooching and soaking it all up. We were advised that there is a fairly straightforward train then bus journey to Pena, or if there were a few of you taking an Uber might be cheaper. Whilst it looks incredible we didn't want to spend much of our final day travelling, so stayed local. We headed to the LX Factory in the morning, where we had breakfast at Wish. The idea is a great one; an old fabric plant converted in to a series of restaurants, shops and bars - it has a real hipster vibe. We headed back to the center and to Carmo Convent - something I had been desperate to see! I am a real sucker for impressive architecture... the older the better. We then went to the bar directly behind the Convent for a glass of wine overlooking the Santa Justa Lift. Pro tip: you are able to get to the viewpoint here without queuing (and paying) for the lift! Lunch saw us stopping at Bairro do Avillez for some seriously tasty small plates in the most beautiful setting. We walked to Park Bar for rooftop drinks in the sunshine - it was scorchio - before Kat and I hunted down Lisbon's #1 gelato at Nannarella. We stayed local for dinner, and naturally had the best meal of the trip. How does that always happen?! You must find Santa Pausa (link) for some of the best food we found - the octopus was next level deliciousness.
And that, my friends, is a wrap! We flew back home early the next morning, with me suffering from the worst end of holiday blues - as ever.
When can I go back?
