When travelling alone, book a hostel! People are ready to connect for joint adventures, book tours and eat together.
First Things First – Food
- Breakfast at Tartine, a French bakery/restaurant with the most buttery of croissants and rich tasting tartines.
- For lunch, we found this beautiful little vegan buckwheat crêpe place called Sama Sama. I’d book flights for these crêpes. And I hate flying, so that says a lot. On top of that, they give you a 10% discount on your beverage order if you bring your own cup. #mykindofplace
- Mad Pizza. Cute, wholewheat, good size, crunchy crust and fresh toppings. Uhhhh so good!
Explore
- Start with the museum up on Castelo de São Jorge for some cultural education and a nice view of the city. The walk up is stunning, surrounded by artisan shops and ice-cream places and the view is beautiful.
- Walk up, aimlessly. Lisbon is the perfect city to explore without a plan. Small enough to not get lost and unique enough to see something new around every corner.
- LX Factory is a market and factory compound, filled with artisan shops, bookstores, food stands and cafes and bars. I tried my first “Pastel de nata” and understood the hype. I went there for the bookstore and a drink with Alden at the rooftop bar in the middle of the compound. 2 whisky sours, a dreamy bartender and a sunset later, I was sold.
Evening Shenanigans
- Listen to Fado. Tasca Do Chico serve one of the most popular dinners accompanied by Fado, a Portuguese music genre that can be traced back to the 1820s. The food there is aaaight at the most, so I recommend to opt for a glass of Tasca Do Chico’s house red after dinner at Mad Pizza and join the experience that way. Definitely one of my favourite memories from the trip.
- Pick the right time for local celebrations. Lucky me arrived in Lisbon mid-June, the Saint Antonio Festival was about to start, which meant open-air grills, cheap beer, Portuguese music and dancing wherever you could look after the sun set.
I loved everything about my 2 days in Lisbon, the weather was perfect and I had so much energy, just wanting to see more and learn more about this warm and welcoming city.
