Lisbon (Lisboa)

Lisbon (or, locally, “Lisboa”) is the capital city of Portugal. It lies on the Atlantic about mid-way down the west coast of the country. The city is located on the mouth of the Tagus river where it meets the Atlantic with a large harbour.

Things to See and Do

It is easy enough to walk around the city with many sites easily accessed from the centre. There are a good number of hills so those not keen on climbing can take the fun option of catching a tram…

Eating Out

Time Out Market Lisboa

We were only in the city one day but we managed to visit Timeout Market Lisboa, located on the waterfront just a few streets over from Praça do Comércio in the heart of the old city, aptly situated in the same building as the city market.

There are a good number of stalls here but there is not a huge amount of variety (for example, at least 4 stalls serve octopus) but it is definitely worth a visit. There is a stall selling, of course, “Pasta da Nata” and there is the ubiquitous gelato stand as well. Mostly the stalls at the far side are for mains while the stalls at the front have desserts. As with most such markets after ordering your food you are given a pager that will buzz you when your food is ready to pick up.

There are (free) toilets here as well as a small shop selling food-related ephemera that is worth a visit. English is spoken throughout.

Praça da Figueira Market (Baixa)

Another market we visited during the day was set up in “Praça da Figueira”, about a 10 minute walk north of Praça do Comércio (along “Rua da Prata”, or walk along the road through the arch then turn right when you get to “Praca dom Pedro”, it is only the next street over). This is not a permanent market so check to see it is operating before attempting a visit (check https://www.adbaixapombalina.pt/mercado-da-baixa.html for details).

Getting Around

It is easy enough to get around the centre of the city on foot but if you need public transport, getting around the city is made quite simple by the extensive network of modern trams (particularly in the city centre) and metro trains which operate quite frequently and, of course, city buses. A stored value card can be purchased from any metro station to provide simple-to-use access to all public transport in the city.

In the central old town you have to take a trip on the rickety old wooden trams that operate here (operated by Carris). There are official city trams that you can take but particularly interesting is route 28 run by “Yellow Bus” (https://yellowbustours.com/en/lisbon/hills-tram-28-hop-on-hop-off-tour) which operates between Martim Moniz and Campo de Ourique/Prazeres, taking in some very steep roads and breath-taking views. Tours depart from the northwest corner of “Praça do Comércio” (where you can also purchase tickets from the booth or on-board).

Though this tourist tram does not stop to hop on/hop off, a ticket gives you 24 hour access to the city trams operating in the area as well as access to the Carris Tram Museum. It should be noted that trams can get VERY busy despite frequent service as they are not very large and they are very popular.

There are boat trips operating the harbour and are highly recommended as they give you quite a different perspective on the city away from the narrow alleys and steep roads. Tours generally operate from the “Estação Fluvial Sul e Sueste” yellow building across the road from “Praça do Comércio” (where there is also pay toilets and a tourism office).