After a whirlwind few days of traveling around Portugal, it was time to visit Lisbon, the country’s capital and largest city. Lisbon is located on Portugal’s western coast and is situated on the north bank of the Tagus River. While there’s plenty to see in the city, my visit was a perfect blend of sightseeing and relaxation.

Day 1 – Getting Our Bearings

My mom and I took a late morning flight from Porto and arrived in Lisbon around lunchtime. We stayed in an Airbnb located near the Avenida da Liberdade district. The area was safe and quiet and was a short metro ride away from the city center.

We found lunch at a nearby restaurant called Honest Greens which was surprisingly awesome! I would eat there two more times during my three-day visit if that tells you anything. Next, we made our way to the Lisbon Cathedral. A ticket includes a visit to the Museum of the Treasury and a walk along the cathedral’s naves. Afterwards, we stumbled upon a pretty floral wall nearby that makes for a great photo op.

Lisbon Cathedral

The perfect photo opportunity

We headed to the Rua Augusta Arch next, then walked along the nearby waterfront. It was a pretty warm day, so we stopped for drinks by the water to cool down. We watched several tourist cruises load passengers onto their ships, and we had a view of the Christ the King statue from across the river in Almada.

Rua Augusta Arch

Before long it was time for dinner, where we had reservations at Libertà, a nice Italian restaurant near our Airbnb. The dessert was a little strange, but the main courses were really good. We had to hike a big hill and three flights of stairs to make it back to the Airbnb afterwards, so we were thankful for our air-conditioned apartment!

One of Lisbon’s many big hills

Day 2 – Pastries & Picture-Perfect Views

Our first stop of the day was Pastelaria Santo António, a popular pastry spot. It was a hike to get to (a common theme in Lisbon), but thankfully the pastries made up for it! We tried their pastéis de nata, which are a famous Portuguese speciality. Next we headed to the nearby São Jorge Castle, which is a historic castle perched on Lisbon’s highest hill. The castle itself wasn’t that interesting in my opinion, but the views of the city from the top are beautiful. You can even spot Lisbon’s version of the Golden Gate Bridge in the distance. Afterwards, we went to the Santa Luzia viewpoint which was amazing (and free!).

São Jorge Castle

View from São Jorge Castle (with the Golden Gate replica in the distance)

Santa Luzia viewpoint

From there, we had a long walk (downhill, thankfully) to the metro, where we took two metro lines and a train to the popular Belém neighborhood. We stopped for lunch and more pastries at Pastéis de Belém. It’s a busy spot, but the pastries are really good; my favorite was the Bola de Berlim. We also tried the Duchesse pastry and of course more pastéis de nata.

Our pastries from Pastéis de Belém

Next, we walked to the nearby Jerónimos Monastery which was beautiful. Construction on the monastery began in 1501 but wasn’t finished until the 17th century. It was built to commemorate the return of Vasco da Gama from India, and it houses his tomb. After spending some time exploring the monastery, we headed to our final destination in Belém, the Monument of the Discoveries. We then slowly made our way back to our Airbnb and ate at our new favorite, Honest Greens. It was a busy yet rewarding day of exploring.

Jerónimos Monastery

Monument of the Discoveries

Day 3 – Leisurely Exploring (And More Pastries)

My mom left early in the morning to go back home to the U.S., while my friend joined me around 10 AM. We went to brunch at a nearby restaurant called Zenith, then visited Pastelaria Santo António again for more pastries. It was just as good as the day before! We then headed to a rooftop bar at Hotel Mundial which was recommended by our Airbnb host. The bar had lovely 360-degree views of Lisbon.

Pastries from Pastelaria Santo António

Views from Hotel Mundial’s rooftop bar

Before long it was time for dinner. Unfortunately it was a Sunday, which meant that almost everything was closed. Lots of restaurants and shops are closed on Sundays and Mondays in Portugal; therefore, I highly recommend visiting on other days of the week if possible. After what felt like hours of wandering, we finally found an Italian restaurant that was open. By that point we were so happy to be eating that the mediocre quality of the food didn’t faze us. All in all, it was a relaxing end to my time in Portugal!