Wow, guys, I’ve never been to a country where every single person was so kind, welcoming and friendly. Don’t even get me started on the abundance of delicious food! From Michellin star restaurants to pasteis de nata in every corner. Oh how I miss those pasteis de nata 🤤
Anyways, I’ll go ahead and reminisce as I share my itinerary with you all in case anyone decides to go visit this beautiful country for themselves.
Day 1: Lisbon
Upon landing in Lisbon, we needed real food and we needed it fast! So after checking into our Airbnb, we headed for the Time Out Market. I won’t even begin to describe what we ate there because, well, you really can’t go wrong. Everything there was delicious and highly rated.
We got an Airbnb in the Bairro Alto area, although I have to warn you, it’s a neighborhood that doesn’t sleep. It’s considered the party scene of Lisbon. Luckily, we’re not light sleepers.
If you’d rather stay in a more historic, charming and quiet area, then maybe look into the Alfama District.
We had dinner at this restaurant called Coimbra that was recommended to me by a friend. They play live Fado music (which I believe everyone who visits Portugal should hear live) on Fridays and Saturdays. Although, I couldn’t understand their lyrics, I could feel them pouring out their emotions in such beautiful melancholies. If you eat here, I recommend trying the traditional Portuguese sausages.
We ended the night by walking around, or should I say working out because oh my goodness, Lisbon has SO many hills and steps; which is nice because I got to eat all the food guilt free. We tried the famous cherry liquor, Ginginha, but I recommend trying it in a chocolate shot glass.
Day 2: Trains, Sintra, Castles oh my!
Sintra sight seeing day! We took the train from Rossio station all the way to Sintra to go see the castles and the Pena Palace. Most people took a bus from the train drop off up to the castles, but we opted for the more scenic route and walked about 40 minutes to get to the top. Did I mention the hills/steps, yet? Because there were plenty in Sintra too.
Our favorite Castle was the Castelo dos Mouros.
It was the least crowded and just looked cool overall. Almost felt like I was in an episode of Game of Thrones.
We had dinner at Cervejaria Ramiro, which is very well known, but not what I expected, to be honest. The wait can be over an hour, the service is very fast paced and the seafood was like any other seafood we had in Lisbon. The only cool thing is the beer dispensary they had in the waiting area.
We ended the night by trying a famous pasteis de nata from Manteigaria and let me tell you folks, I’ve never loved a pastry so much. Enough that I vowed to have one or two every day that I was in Portugal.
Day 3: More Lisbon
We decided to get to know this little charming city more by checking out the Elevador de Santa Justa and WOW were the views amazing! You could see the castle and pretty much all of Lisbon from up here.
From here we decided to check out Belem so we took the train about 6 miles to get there. We saw the Torre de Belem and Padrão dos Descobrimentos monuments, but the highlight of my trip to Belem was the food! We ate at the most delicious father & son restaurant called Mestrias, Nova Tasca. This meal alone made my entire trip to Belem. We ordered the Pica Pao, which is a traditional Portuguese diced beef dish in the most mouth watering sauce. (Excuse me while I wipe the drool from my mouth). Be sure to dip some fresh baked bread into that glorious sauce. The cod fish in hash brown is also a must! (Pictured below)
We also tried the competitors to Mantegeria, Pasteis de Belem, and couldn’t understand why there was such a long wait for this place. We got lucky and only waited 10 minutes at around 3pm. They were good, but Mantegeria still holds a special place in my heart.
Day 4: Shopping in Lisbon
Went shopping around Chiado district. Had my daily pasteis de nata. Then headed to Lisbon’s popular flea market (which is held every Tuesday and Saturday). From there we walked over to the Castello de Sao Jorge. We then worked up an appetite so we walked over to the Alfama district and had a drink and embraced some breathtaking views.
I made a reservation at this restaurant called BouBou’s later on that night, because many restaurants in Portugal are so small that they only seat you with reservations. BouBou’s was on the pricier side, but it was perfect for date night with the bf. After dinner we went to a speak easy called the Red Frog and had some yummy drinks while we listened to jazz music. If you guys know me, you know I like my hood music though, so then we left and went to a rooftop bar called Park.
It was hands down, one of the best rooftop bars I’ve ever been too. They played Ja Rule, served tequila and had such beautiful scenic views of the city. Also, Park was on top of a parking garage, so that itself was pretty neat.
Day 5: Lagos
Day trip (big mistake) to Lagos. I say big mistake, because we took a 3.5 hour bus ride each way in ONE day. If you guys decide to go to Lagos, I suggest spending the night out there too.
We ate at Goji Lounge Cafe. Cute, trendy cafe that looked like it would fit in perfectly in LA.
After lunch, we went to the famous beach, Praia Dona Ana, then took a boat ride around the Ponta Da Piedade, which are the famous, natural wonders of Lagos.
Later we had dinner at the, in my opinion, best restaurant in all of Lagos, possibly Portugal. It was called Casa do Prego and they had the most exquisite tuna steak and salads. I would go as far to say that this restaurant made my entire Lagos trip. If you’ve read this far, I guess now you know I’m a foodie too.
Day 6: More Lisbon
We had lunch at Tapisco, which features Michelin-starred chef Henrique Sa Pessoa’s exquisite cuisine. We had the Tartaro de Atum and La Bomba de Lisboa. These two dishes alone are enough to make me come back to Lisbon. We also had the paella negra, which had a squid ink base. I thought it was delicious, but my bf thought it was too rich.
If you’ve read this far, and haven’t figured by now, I travel for food. Also, if you guys would like to see pics/videos of my entire trip, check out my “Lisbon highlights” video on Instagram. @Traveljunky_
Hope you enjoyed my itinerary and happy travels! ✌🏼
Stew Travels 