Lisbon travel guide – top sights and things to do

Planning a weekend in Lisbon? It’s a beautiful city with loads of fun things to do. Check out my Lisbon travel guide for the top sights and things to do in this colourful, sunny city.

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Lisbon in late March/early April isn’t super hot, but after a long UK winter the chance to have even a day of sunny t-shirt weather was wonderful. I’d recommend 3-4 nights as just about enough to see the main sights in this Lisbon travel guide with the top sights and things to do. I’m sure I could have filled another day or two but with limited annual leave, 3-4 nights was doable.

When you’re planning a trip to Lisbon, I’d recommend getting this great travel guide with a really useful map as well (affiliate).

Where to stay in Lisbon?

I stayed in an apartment in the Alfama region of Lisbon. This was my favourite part of Lisbon. The character of the area was beautiful; coloured houses, lemon trees, washing hanging over balconies, birds kept in cages on the balconies, and never knowing if a small turning up a set of steps was going to lead you to the street you wanted or just to someone’s front door. Just stepping out the front door was an adventure. And having an apartment tucked around a corner up a narrow flight of stairs felt like I was really living there.

However, despite the undeniable charm of the area, if I went back I’m not sure I’d necessarily choose to stay in this region. There were downsides. The hills…and the steps…and more hills…and getting lost at every turn despite the help of Google Maps…every time I tried to go anywhere I had to add an extra 30 mins just to find my way out the maze to get somewhere. And it was a long way from the nearerst Tram or Metro station, which again made exploring a bit difficult. At the beginning of the day, it was fun. At the end of a long day of sightseeing, the hills became less fun. I still loved the area, but next time I’d probably try to stay somewhere a bit closer to tram/metro links.

Top sights and things to do

Alfama region

Definitely a must-visit area even if you don’t stay here. I’ve talked a lot about the charms – it was my favourite area of Lisbon.

Praca do Comercio

I just loved the bright yellow colours around this square, and its really vibrant and buzzing atmosphere made it a great place to hang around.

Sao Jorge Castle

Sao Jorge Castle is at the top of (another) steep hill in the Alfama region. Dating back to the 7^th century, the history of the castle is fascinating. There’s a small but interesting museum, but for me the real highlights of this castle were outside.

From the moment you entered the castle, the views from the castle over the red roofs of the city were captivating, with peacocks wandering around freely. You could climb up to the crenelations and walk along the castle walls, and the sun just made all the colours more vibrant.

Trams of Lisbon

Trams are a big part of Lisbon life. The trams that go up the Alfama streets are old and characterful (although unfortunately they didn’t go close to my apartment so weren’t much use, apart from to nearly run me over as I walked up the hills.).

The Cathedral – The Sé

Built in the 12th Century, Lisbon’s cathedral is an impressive structure, with an impressive interior to match.

Mosteiro dos Jeronimos (monastery) and Torre de Belem (tower)  

These two sites are conveniently close to each other, although they’re a bit further out of the centre so you’ll need to get a tram over. We got a tram over to the monastery, which was easy to find, and walking along the waterfront meant a break from hills. There was even a mini Golden Gate Bridge.

The monastery was a really impressive building on the outside with nice gardens.

There’s also a smaller tower near Mosteiro dos Jeronimos if you don’t want to walk all the way to Torre de Belem (or just want to visit both). The smaller tower, Padrao dos Descobrimentos, had a lift to go up to the top, with more lovely sunny views over the water and over the monastery.

And this tower also had one of the weirdest art museums I’ve been in, and I never did understand why it was on the ground floor of this tower…what do a load of pictures of naked people with an extra animal head have to do with this tower? And other pictures that I don’t even know how to explain…

Views of Belem Tower in the late afternoon sun were lovely.

Lisbon Aquarium

The Lisbon aquarium is conveniently on the metro line that leads back to the airport, so as we had a late flight on our final day it was a great chance to stop off at the aquarium. Lisbon aquarium is meant to be one of the best in the world – I’m not sure who decides these things, but I’d definitely agree it was a good one. A particular highlight were the huge tanks with sharks and rays.

Day trip to Sintra

There’s more than enough in Lisbon to keep you busy for a long weekend, but if you fancy exploring a bit further afield, Sintra is an easy, cheap option for a day trip. Only 40 minutes away by train is the most colourful palace I’ve ever been to. Check out my blog for tips on going to Sintra as a day trip from Lisbon!

So that’s my Lisbon travel guide with the top sights and things to do! It’s a really lovely city, and perfect for a spring break. Remember to get this guide and map to help you plan your trip (affiliate). And if you’d like to visit some more of Europe’s sunny cities, why not head over to Seville, Cordoba or Granada.