Lisbon 2 day itinerary
When to visit
Lisbon is a great destination to visit almost all year-round. Just like the rest of Portugal, the best months to visit are from late May to late September. Lisbon is quite East and therefore has some more sun than other big cities such as Coimbra and Porto. Maarten and I visited Lisbon in mid-November and had some sunny days but also rain on the rest of our trip. We spent two full days exploring Lisbon. While planning our trip I’ve created a list of top things to do, so here’s my Lisbon 2 day itinerary! A guide for first-timers!
DAY 0
How to get there?
We started our journey on thursday evening with a flight from Amsterdam to Lisbon. After a short 3 hour flight we picked up the car from the rental place and drove to the hotel. We didn’t use the car much in Lisbon but we needed it for the rest of our roadtrip through Portugal.
Where to stay?
Located in the São Bento Creative District, Gallery House – Dear Lisbon was the perfect hotel during our stay. Dear Lisbon is a co-work and creative hub where locals meet travelers, digital nomads meet artists and all together meet Lisbon. The hotel has 26 rooms all curated like an art gallery. We stayed in the Suite with Private Terrace. Other nice areas to stay in are Baixa and Chiado.
Dinner at Santelmo. Santelmo is a tipical small Portugese restaurant and just a 2 minute walk from the hotel. It’s super cute with great service and authentic Portugeuse dishes. What to order: If you like seafood order the gambas. Trust me, this was amazing!
DAY 1
Breakfast is included in our stay at Gallery House – Dear Lisbon, so we started the day with some cornflakes for Maarten, toast for me and one failed Latte Macchiato. One thing I learned during our stay is that in most places don’t serve Latte Macchiaotos as I know them; a lot of milk and a bit of coffee. Portugese lattes are more cofee than milk, you are beter off by asking for a cappuccino.
Visit Pink Street or also Rua Cor de Rosa. This street became famous because of its pink colour. The street has bars and restaurants on both sides so in the morning the street doesn’t hold as much flair as later on the day when everything is cleaned.
Walk along Rua do Arsena to Arco da Rua Augusta. Arco da Rua Augusta is a reminder of the reconstruction after the 1755 earthquake. You can visit the top of the Arco da Rua Augusta. Tickets can be bought in a small office at the left side of the arc.
Continue walking to Lisbon Cathedral or Sé de Lisboa. This is the oldest church in the city. Built in 1147, the cathedral has survived many earthquakes and has been modified, renovated and restored several times. It is nowadays a mix of different architectural styles. It has been classified as a National Monument since 1910.
Around the cathedral we drank some coffee at Santa Restaurant and Bar. They serve good coffee and if you can sit outside you have a side view of the cathedral.
Walking uphill from Lisbon Cathedral we contiunued to Miradouro de Santa Luzia. This popular observation deck offers dramatic views of Lisbon & the Tagus River. On the way we stopped to eat some pastel de nata and a wine croissant at Santo António.
Amorino is the place to stop for an ice cream at the end of the afternoon. These flower ice creams are pretty and delicious! You can choose as many flavours as you want.
Dinner at A Obra in the Green Street. A Obra is a little restaurant that serves tapas style food. The menu changes frequently and is only written on the board outside of the restaurant. Tip: take a photo from the dishes on the bord and take cash with you. There is no option to pay with card.
DAY 2
Bird, Lime, TIER; there are many brand of e-steps available in Lissabon. This day we used an e-step for most of the day to go a bit further than the city center. We started the morning around Torre de Belém and drove (on the e-step) and walked back along the riverfront of the historic district of Belém.
On the way we stopped at the Museum of Art, Architecture and Technology The Museum of Art, Architecture and Technology is the new cultural centre for Lisbon. It’s a museum where these three areas intertwine within a space of debate, discovery, critical thinking and international dialogue.
Dinner at the LX Factory. Once an old indistrial complex for textiles, the LX Factory is now a creative and industrial environment that hosts various events. There are more than 50 shops, restaurants, cafes & bars to explore.
Anyone who visits the LX Factory should wander into the inspiring Livraria Ler Devagar. Inside will you find the original printing machine of the once abandoned warehouse. Ler Devagar is not only a bookstore it is also a space for events such as exhibitions.
Follow us along on the rest of our trip through Portugal by reading the other blogs on the Portugal page. Thanks for reading the Lisbon 2 day itinerary and I hope you have a fabulous trip!
