The Complete Lisbon, Portugal Travel Guide

Overall vibe of Lisbon, Portugal:

Lisbon is such a magical, trendy, lively city!! It has everything you’d want in a big city - beautiful architecture, amazing food, cute cafes, incredible walkability and is super close to incredible beaches and nature spots!

Quick Guide to Lisbon, Portugal:

Overall vibe: magical, trendy, lively city. Beautiful architecture, amazing food, cute cafes, incredible walkability and is super close to incredible beaches and nature spots!

How long to stay: 4-7 nights

Where to stay: Santos or Bairro Alto

Getting around: walk and Uber is very easy/affordable

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view of colorful lisbon buildings — *View From Our Airbnb*

How long to stay in Lisbon:

We stayed for 4 nights and it was the perfect length but you could easily do at least a week to explore more of the day trips and cute towns on the coast.

Where to stay in Lisbon:

We stayed in an Airbnb in the Santos neighborhood and loved it. It was a little bit quiter than Bairro Alto and other areas but we could still walk everywhere and there were tons of cute cafes really close by (like our FAV, Mila) and one of our favorite lively streets, Rua de S. Paulo. Bairro Alto and Principe Real would also be great areas to stay!

juliet balcony overlooking lisbon portugal — *View From Our Airbnb*

Getting around:

You can walk pretty much everywhere and it’s easy/affordable to get Uber’s around the city. I would avoid driving as much as possible - it’s busy and a little chaotic. We rented a car so we could do day trips outside of the main part of the city but otherwise, we didn’t use the car at all.

Where to eat and drink:

Mila (Instagram: @brunchatmilas): super cute, healthy cafe with really good brunch/lunch and coffee. We got the grain bowl, pesto chicken roll and the salad and they were all amazing. Highly recommend this place!!

buddha bowl, chicken sandwich and salad — *Mila Brunch*

Fares (Instagram: @fares_lisboa): vibey middle eastern mezze & cocktail bar. We LOVED this place - the food, drinks and vibe are all 10/10.

Lupita Pizzaria (Instagram: @lupita.pizzaria): cute, casual pizza spot with really yummy pizza!!

Coppola (Instagram: @coppola_lisboa): another yummy pizza spot. I think I liked this one better than Lupita but it’s hard to say - both were amazing!!

Gelato Davvero (Instagram: @gelatodavvero): amazing gelato!! We got the pistachio, hazelnut and oreo and were obsessed with all 3!

Memo Alfama Hotel (Instagram: @memoalfama): beautiful hotel with amazing rooftop for drinks!!

rooftop view of lisbon portugal — *View From Rooftop Bar at Memo Alfama Hotel*

Java (Instagram: @java_lisboa): awesome rooftop bar with beautiful views of the city and water! The CBD basil drink was my fav!

Where to get coffee:

Copenhagen Coffee Lab (Instagram: @cphcoffeelab): great, high-quality coffee. We loved the V60 (it’s a single cup but is made fresh on the spot instead of brewed in the morning).

Fabrica Coffee Roasters (Instagram: @fabricacoffeeroasters): simple, but great coffee shop!

Mila (Instagram: @brunchatmilas): really good spot for coffee if you are also looking for a healthy brunch/lunch. We loved the food and the coffee is great (isn’t it the best when the food AND coffee is on point?).

What to do:

LX Factory (Instagram: @lxfactory): trendy, eclectic outdoor market with shops, drinks and restaurants. It’s definitely worth seeing and exploring if you have time!

girl walking in front of repurposed industrial building — *LX Factory*

Miradouro de Sap Pedro de Apcantara: pretty lookout spot/park with beautiful views of the city and water!

Rua Verde: cute, artsy street to walk down with lively cafes and patios lining the street!

Sabi (Instagram: @sabi.lisboa): if you love Tulum vibes and interior design, you will love the vibe in this store. The aesthetics are stunning and remind me of Tulum. I wouldn’t go out of your way to go here but if you’re in the Alfama area, it’s a cool store to stop in.

Do The “Lisbon Cute Tour”: one of my mentors lived in Lisbon for several years and has similar taste to me! She put together this guide of all of her favorite, cute spots in Lisbon. Some of the spots shared in this post were recommendations from her guide and there’s so many more to check out!

Best Neighborhoods to Explore in Lisbon:

Principe Real: upscale, beautiful, super walkable area with lots of cute/lux shops!

Praca das Flores: a little slice of peace and tranquility in the city!! It’s a small neighborhood centered around a plaza with a beautiful water fountain and is surrounded by trendy cafes. There’s a special energy here!

Bairro Alto: very central part of Lisbon full of trendy cafes and young people!

Santos: a quieter, but still trendy and lively, neighborhood closer to the water. There’s tons of amazing brunch spots (like Mila) and we LOVED Rua de S. Paulo - it’s a bustling, trendy street FILLED with cute restaurants (we loved Lupita & Fares), bars and happy, young people having a good time.

Chiado: basically an outdoor mall with all mainstream shopping you could ever want (Zara, Mango, etc).

Day trips from Lisbon, Portugal & Other Adventures Nearby:

Comporta:

Comporta was highly recommended by several people we met on our trip and we were SOOO glad we went. It’s a small, but magical, luxurious beach town about 90 minutes south of Lisbon. The beach is absolutely breathtaking with aquamarine water, miles and miles of sand and mountains off in the distance. The town is also super cute with lots of luxury shops and restaurants.

beach with aqua water and mountains in the distance — *Comporta Beach*

Comporta Cafe (Instagram: @comportacafe_beachclub): amazing seafood restaurant right on Comporta beach! The food was incredible and it was SO nice to sit right on the sand. We almost went to The Sublime Beach Club but heard it was a little overrated so we went here instead and were VERY happy with our decision.

plates of seafood and veggies on a table on the beach with ocean in background — *Comporta Cafe*

Almo (Instagram: @almocomporta): really cute, luxurious restaurant. We didn’t go but heard it was good and the patio was SO beautiful!

Iconica (Instagram: @iconica_comporta_concept_store): cute, vibey store in Comporta (candles, sprays, decor, etc).

Parque Natural da Arrábida:

If you LOVE a stunning vista landscape view, you will love Parque Arrabida. It’s a protected natural park about 40 minutes south of Lisbon (we went on our way to Comporta). We just drove up to the top to see the views but you can easily spend more time here hiking and exploring. The picture below does not do this place justice, FYI ;)

view of the coastline and ocean from mountains above — *Parque Arrabida*

Cabo da Roca:

Beautiful viewpoint about 45 minutes west of Lisbon. The view is VERY similar to the view at Praia da Ursa but it’s way more crowded so I would go to Praia Da Ursa over Cabo da Roca. Praia Da Ursa is only 4 minutes away so it’s also easy to see both if you want.

view of ocean and cliffs along coastline of portugal — *Cabo da Roca Lookout Point*

Praia da Ursa:

This was one of my favorite beaches I’ve ever been to. The view from the top before you hike down to the beach is INSANELY beautiful and the watching the big waves will put you in a mesmerizing trance of peace (the waves were fun to watch but it was a little too rough for swimming for me). It’s a great beach to hang out at for a few hours or even just stop by to see. It’s a short (like 10-20 min) hike down and back up but it’s pretty intense so make sure to wear sneakers or hiking boots.

view of cliffy ocean coastline with big rock formations — *Praia da Ursa*

Moinho Dom Quixote (Instagram: @moinhodomquixote): beautiful restaurant with ocean views 5 minutes from Praia Da Ursa. The food was really good too!

salmon salad at outdoor restaurant with view of ocean — *Moinho Dom Quixote*

Sintra:

I would skip Sintra. I was honestly shocked at how it was portrayed on the internet - as this magical, town full of castles that you HAVE TO see. The reality was more like the most crowded day of the year at Disney World. I would definitely recommend going to Comporta or Praia Da Ursa instead! The castles are cool but not worth spending hours and hours in line in my opinion :)

Google Map of All Lisbon, Portugal Recommendations

I saved all of my recommendations for you in the map below to make it super easy to get around! Here’s the full link so you can save it: https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/1/edit?mid=1vq8wz1yJmP5nSiCHEEsOMOF1eZbMPL0&usp=sharing.