A Weekend in Lisbon, Portugal
A Weekend in Lisbon, Portugal
We saved the best for last. Out of all of my travels this semester, Lisbon and its surrounding areas tops the list. The city is vibrant and beautiful, and the nice weather made for a great escape from a cold and rainy Madrid.
We flew out Friday morning and arrived early in the day, ready to explore. We set out to the Alfama district, on of Lisbon’s most famous areas, directly from the airport. The three of us walked through a dazzling square right on the water, grabbed some pizza, and shopped for sardines.
The Alfama District
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- Canned seafood samples in Lisbon.
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- Canned seafood for sale in Lisbon.
After Portia picked up some canned fish Christmas gifts, we wandered around the steep hills of the Alfama district, admiring the Sé Cathedral, the National Pantheon, the intricate tile work, and the stunning views from the city’s many miradouros, or lookouts.
The Sé Cathedral of Lisbon.
The Panteão Nacional, or National Pantheon of Lisbon.
A view of Lisbon’s iconic Tram 28.
A view of the city from one of the miradouros.
A view of the city from one of the miradouros.
We all also tried Portugal’s traditional alcohol, ginjinha. It’s a cherry liquor that can often be found served in a chocolate cup. We tried ours from a nice woman on the street for 1.50 euros apiece.
A shot of ginjinha in a chocolate cup.
After exploring the Alfama district, we made our way to one of my favorite hostels I have ever stayed in, Hub New Lisbon. Why did I love this hostel so much? Two words.
Ball pit.
Yep, the Hub New Lisbon hostel has a ball pit filled with 70,000 plastic balls and some hidden ducks – if you find one, you get a free drink. I did not find a drink but I did enjoy playing in the ball pit like a little kid. Besides the ball pit, the hostel had super friendly staff, a charming old building, comfy beds, and free breakfast. You can’t beat all of that for 13.50 euros a night.
Castelo de São Jorge
After playing in the ball pit, we caught an Uber (Ubers are super cheap in Lisbon!) to the Castelo de São Jorge, or the Castle of Saint George. There, we watched the sunset while sipping rosé and witnessing a proposal (it was so cute!).
My glass of rosé at the Castle of Saint George.
Enjoying a glass of rosé at sunset.
Kendall and Portia with their drinks at sunset.
The sunset view of Lisbon from the Saint George Castle.
After finishing our drinks, we ate some really good Mexican food and tracked down gelato after dinner. I had delicious port wine flavored gelato.
Port wine and vanilla flavored gelato in Lisbon.
The next day, we took an incredible day trip with Portugal 2 You to Sintra, Cabo la Roca, and Cascais. We paid a measly 20 euros for what ended up being a 7 hour tour, and I have never been so blown away by the beauty of the places we saw.
Sintra and Quinta la Regaleira
Sintra is a picturesque city filled with castles upon castles about a 30 minute drive outside of Lisbon. Upon arriving, we were given time to wander around the main square. There, we tried Portugal’s traditional pastry, Patéis de Nata, and Sintra’s traditional pastry, travesseiros. Pastéis de Nata are custard filled pastries, and travesseiros are long, sugar coated pillows with almonds. Both were to die for.
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- Sintra’s traditional pastry, travesseiros.
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- Portugal’s traditional pastry, Pastéis de Nata.
We also ran across a shop selling Pastéis de Nata alcohol, served in chocolate cups like the ginjinha, so we each paid a euro to try it. Pretty good, but also pretty darn strong.
A chocolate cup shot of Pastéis de Nata alcohol.
Then, we got back in our tour van with our guide and headed to Quinta de Regaleira. This stunning historical site is home to a massive mansion and expansive gardens famous for the Well of Initiation.
The iconic well winds down into the earth and leads to a network of caves that lead you back out into the gardens.
The Well of Initiation.
Looking down the spiral of the Well of Initiation.
The view of the Well of Initiation from the bottom of the rabbit hole.
Throughout the garden there are many castle-like structures that we climbed, along with another well and several fountains.
Then, for the mansion itself…
The mansion of Quinta la Regaleira, built in 1906.
The chapel of Quinta la Regaleira.
After two hours roaming the fairy-tale like grounds of Quinta la Regaleira, we piled back in the van and headed out to Cabo la Roca.
Cabo la Roca
Cabo la Roca is the Westernmost point of Europe, and the closest point to the United States. We marveled at the beauty of the cliffs and stretched our hands out towards home.
Standing on the cliffs of the Westernmost point of Europe.
Cabo la Roca, the Westernmost point of Europe.
The lighthouse of Cabo la Roca.
The cliffs of Cabo la Roca.
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- Kendall standing out on the cliffs of Cabo la Roca.
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- Portia standing out on the cliffs of Cabo la Roca.
Reaching out towards the United States.
Standing at the marker for the Westernmost point of Europe.
After Cabo la Roca, we thought we were headed back to Lisbon, but our driver took us up into the greenery of the mountains to see an abandoned convent and a view of the foggy beach below.
Peninha Convent
When the van pulled into the forest, I was a bit skeptical. I was even more skeptical when our male guide told our group of 6 women that we were going on a short hike in the woods. But all was well, and the view, albeit incredibly foggy, was beautifully haunting.
The Peninha Convent, abandoned since the 1950s.
After emerging from the fog up at the Peninha viewpoint, we drove back to Lisbon through Cascais.
Cascais
Cascais is a beach village that is also one of the most expensive areas of all of Portugal. It is filled with massive homes and 5-star resorts. We merely drove through this area on our way back to the hostel, but on the way we marveled at the lavish homes and stunning beach views.
A view of the beach in Cascais, Portugal.
A view of the beach and a lighthouse in Cascais.
A view of the beach in Cascais.
We returned to our hostel around 5 that night, amazed that we paid so little for such an amazing and lengthy tour. We then wrapped up our weekend with seafood risotto for dinner and more pastéis de nata for dessert (at least on my part).
After just two days in Portugal, I’m ready to learn Portugese and move there. The people were nice, the weather is beautiful year-round, the food is delicious, and the culture is vibrant. I am so glad that we saved the best trip for last, and I’m super thankful to have had my friends Portia and Kendall along to explore a new country and celebrate the end of a great semester!