24 hours in paris : itinerary
6 Days in LIsbon : itinerary
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" Any sizeable Portuguese town looks like a superstitious bride's finery : something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue"
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Lisbon has it all, a beautiful mix of preserved historic buildings with local restaurants and a new upgraded ex - factories buzzing with trend and hip cafes and places to hang out. The downtown is now polished and luxury hotels starts to settle in. With it’s hilly up and down streets, every turns reveal a colorful side of Lisbon.
When my husband asked to at least stay for a full week in Lisbon, i thought - we must be get bored at some point. I was wrong. 7 days in Lisbon turns out to be anything but boring. A bit of historical visit, lots of eat out, day trips, beach days...it was just amazing.
Here is what we do as soon as we land in Lisbon :
DAY 1 : Getting to know lisbon
We landed quite early that day and after busy weeks in Paris, we wanted something relax where we can forget about time and hours. We chose a very nice boutique hotel near Alcantara area, Garam Hotel. The hotel is even nicer than what expected : the decor is super nice, very cozy and bohemian yet modern and ost important thing : away from tourists buzz.
After check in, the main thing(s) i wanted to do was just an easy walk, enjoyed sunset with a glass of wine. Turns out, the sun was not ready to set. So i couldn't help myself but looking out for sardines. Check out my post here for several addresses i visited. Then we walked to the reputed Miradauro Santa Luzia that turns out magical. It was not just photogenic but the air breaths happiness. Sky was blue, people were happy and there were several groups of buskers chanting portuguese songs. Finally when the sun was about to set, we unwind the day at Alfama and had our dinner while listening to Fado (Portuguese folk song).
DAY 2 : Exploring baixa chiado - bairro alto - casa dos sodres
We always love walking without really having particular destinations. After all, it's the beauty of holiday, isn't it? you can just go out, walk around, not thinking about time. Moreover, we always find something that was not mentioned on the guide book : small unknown local shops, quaint little streets...I remember how beautiful the color pastels building while walking from our hotel to Chiado. And i mean, the unbeatable pasteis de Nata of Manteigaria ! the hip bars in Bairro Alto and the open market of Mercado Ribeira.
DAY 3 : travelled back in time in belem area
Belem was definitely one of the highlights of our trip. Of course i have heard about the monument and Pasteis de Belem but what i did not expect was the Jeronimos monastery. It was probably one of the loveliest preserved - historical monument in Europe. The architecture details is somewhat like a lace - not a doubt influenced by the oriental heritage. We easily spent most of our day here.
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DAY 4 : day trip to sintra
Easily accessed by public transport, Sintra was yet another wonder of Portugal that happens to be located just a few kilometers away from Lisbon. If you haven't heard of the Pena palace, it's time to discover it. The color combination was so bright - it almost looks like as if it pops up from one of diney books. What's more is the city center was as lovely as the palace.
DAY 5 : beach day to praia carcavelos
After spending sunny days touring Lisbon and eating our way at most recommended places, we decided to chill at the closest beach to Lisbon (again, easily accessed by train) and spent our night at LX FACTORY : some sort of ex-factories that are re-used and now house several hips cades, restaurants and concept stores.
DAY 6 : day trip to setubal
Finally, before packing our luggages to go south on day 7, we rented a car and crossed the Vasco de Gama bridge. Setubal holds a special place in our heart. Not only did we broke the car we rented six years ago (and managed to laugh about it) we found this heavenly beach - Praia Creiros. Although a lot has changed since, this beach is still special. With the steps going down and the smell of grilled fish by the only restaurant at the shore..Sebastien found our caves and small paths between the rocks.
You know that feeling after a good holiday? Lisbon did this to me everytime i look at the pictures. I still have the same feelings of happiness, still can feel the heat of the sun, still have vivid images of vintage colored buildings or the smell of pasteis de Nata. Six days turn out so short and althoug we were sad to leave Lisbon, we were excited to embrace the journey to Algarve. First town we visited was Lagos and we absolutely loved it ! check my post here for things you need to know before going.
