Dateline Discovery

A seductive city with a resplendent waterfront and all the scenic views one desires.

Enjoying a renaissance as one of western Europe’s most affordable cities, this capital has a little something for everyone, from seaside to sugar to sun.

FRIDAY

We landed in Lisbon in the early evening and arrived at our hotel, the Hotel Mundial (Praça Martim Moniz 2), in the shadow of the Castelo de São Jorge, by taking the Metro’s red line from the airport and switching to the green line at Alameda before exiting at Martim Moniz.

Vendors at an outdoor craft market in the square were just packing up as we arrived, but after dropping our bags at the hotel, we took a quick lap around the area, checking out two squares — the Praça da Figueira and the Praça Rossio — before opting for a cozy dinner at Figu’s (Praça da Figueira 17). Once finished, we went back to our hotel and retired to its rooftop bar, with the illuminated castle providing a gorgeous backdrop that made up for an unseasonably cool evening.

SATURDAY

A power failure on the tram network meant that rather than taking the scenic No. 28 up to Castelo de São Jorge [St. George’s Castle], we had to settle for the exertion of a 30-minute uphill walk — a nice little morning eye-opener. The Moorish castle, which offers stunning views of the city and the mouth of the Tagus river, eventually became a royal residence and now stands as a monument to the city’s history, as well as being home to a number of peafowl.

Unable to enjoy our tram ride on the way up the hill, we (mistakenly) caught it on the way down, jamming onto the No. 12 with everyone else who had the same idea. After 10 minutes and little progress, we ditched that plan, walking the remainder of the way to the Lisbon Cathedral, known locally and colloquially as the Sé, the oldest church in the city.

What To Know
Date of visit: March 17 to March 19, 2017.
Airport location: Five miles north of the city. A Metro station opened in the airport in 2012.
Walkability: 2/10. It is one of the hilliest capital cities in Europe.
English: Not widely spoken, but people know enough and most place names are cognates.
Must-See Attraction: Spend at least part of a day exploring the historic town of Sintra, home to some of Europe’s most unique palaces and castles.
Traveler’s tip: Bring comfortable shoes as the trams are always packed and walking may be more expedient.

From there, it was only a 10-minute walk to the bottom of the hill and the Praça do Comércio [Commerce Square], Lisbon’s most famous public plaza. Surrounded by the vibrant yellow of the supreme court and justice buildings to the north and the waterfront to the south, a statute of King José I marks the center of the square, which was the site of the assassination of King Carlos I in 1908 that marked the beginning of the end of the Portuguese monarchy.

After a quick break to consider the rest of the day and take in a little people-watching, we walked to the nearby Cais do Sodré train station and zipped 10 minutes down the waterside to Belém, four miles from the city center. Two of Lisbon’s most distinct sights are in the region — the Torre de Belém and the Mosteiro dos Jerónimos, a pair of UNESCO World Heritage Sites — and they’re fortunately available together on a combination ticket.

First, though, was lunch at Pao Pao Quiejo Quiejo (Rua de Belém 126), which offers an incredible number of sandwiches and wraps for cheap. Then, of the two sights, we chose to stop first at the tower, a limestone fortification built on a rocky outcrop in the 1500s to protect the city. Reached by a bridge over the tidal estuary, the 100-foot construct includes an observation deck with waterfront views that can be accessed by just a handful of visitors every half hour.

Then, crossing the Jardim Vasco da Gama, we entered the monastery, which took 100 years to complete and housed Hieronymite monks from 1601 until it was closed and abandoned in 1833. One of the finest examples of the Manueline style of architecture, it now doubles as a performance space, with a string quartet from Iran performing in a small concert at the time we visited.

Upon leaving, and at risk of spoiling our dinner, we had to stop at the pastry shop Pastéis de Belém (Rua de Belém 84-92). The monks at the monastery made egg tarts known as pastéis de nata, and when it closed, a nearby sugar refinery purchased their recipe — and the descendants of the original owners still make them today.

We had considered a trek across the Ponte 25 de April [April 25 Bridge] to see the Santuário de Cristo Rei [Sanctuary of Christ the King] statue, inspired by the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro, before finding out that it was closed for renovations.

Thus, a 20-minute bus ride led us back to the Praça do Comércio, and we slowly ambled back to the hotel for a break before a late dinner at Café Lisboa (Largo de São Carlos 23), owned by famous Portuguese chef José Avillez. An ornately decorated fine dining room inside the São Carlos National Theatre, it offers a variety of meat and seafood dishes cooked in a distinctly local style.

SUNDAY

Our hotel was fortunately located close to the Rossio train station, allowing us to take an early morning train to the historic town of Sintra, classified in its entirety as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, 40 minutes away. Upon arrival, we stopped first at the National Palace of Sintra, a former royal residence recognized for its iconic conical chimneys that was vacated upon the establishment of the Republic.

From there, we could have taken the bus, but instead decided to walk to the nearby Quinta da Regaleira, an estate full of lush gardens, grottoes, lakes and wells that had been under private ownership for more than a century before the local government acquired it in 1998. It is here where one can find the Initiation Well, a 90-foot hole in the ground ringed by a spiral stone staircase that is said to have been built for mystic purposes.

After grabbing lunch near the National Palace — there are a number of small cafes and sandwich shops along the roads outside — we needed to catch the bus this time, hopping on the 434 for the hike up the mountains to the Castelo dos Mouros [Moorish Castle], a well-preserved fort built by the Moors during their occupation of the region in the eighth century. Reminiscent of the Great Wall of China, the walls of the castle run a cragged route over a cliff and can be climbed for panoramic views of the town below.

The flood of tourists made the infrequent bus impossible to rejoin, so we trudged a quarter of a mile, slightly uphill, to our final stop — the Palácio da Pena, a castle splashed in vibrant hues that, on the clearest of days, can be seen all the way from Lisbon. Originally a sanctuary for the Hieronymites, it was reclaimed by the monarchy in the mid-1800s as a summer palace and was where Amélia, the last queen of Portugal, spent her last night before leaving in exile.

Returning from the mountains, we made a brief stop at the NewsMuseum in the town center before catching our mid-afternoon train back to Lisbon and then making our way back to the airport to head home.

Verdict: Between a variety of unique attractions and its coastal location, Lisbon is a great city for a weekend escape — especially in the spring and fall, when it offers a bit of warmth and relaxation.

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Disclaimers: All products, services and experiences were paid for and arranged by the author and the vendors named herein had no editorial oversight of this piece. All photographs were taken by and remain the property of the author; contact for republication rights.