Tips for a trip to Lisbon
Lisbon is a city that fascinated me. A city with a slow pace that I visited during the Christmas period. The lights made it even more beautiful.
Like all trips, even a trip to Lisbon presents some pitfalls to avoid and needs advice.
Buy the Lisboa card
I'll never stop telling you: buy the Lisboa Card and all you will do is continue to thank me. Modesty aside, the Lisbon card is essential to enjoy the city to the fullest and take advantage of the numerous discounts in the various establishments and / or attractions. It is incredibly comfortable. Almost all museums are included, but especially transport, including tram 28 and even the trip from Lisbon to Sintra. This is the first of the tips for visiting Lisbon.
The card can have a duration of 24-48-72 hours. CLICK HERE to access and purchase it in advance.
I recommend that you do it directly online, so that you can pick it up already at the airport and also use it for the metro journey to the center of Lisbon.
I would say that it is almost "mandatory". It saves a lot of time because you don't have to buy a metro / tram / bus ticket every time. In addition, you can also access some of Lisbon's attractions skipping the line.
Here's what it includes (click to expand image):
I bought the 72 hour card because I stopped in Lisbon for 4 days. In reality the actual days were 3, because the fourth I made the excursion to Sintra. Consider that they are "actual hours”Calculated from the moment you stamp it for the first time.
Lisbon transport tickets
If you need to make additional transport tickets because the card is no longer valid, just ask for the green card at any counter in the metro.
What's this? It is about a magnetic card thicker than a common ticket, which can be recharged simply by placing it on the self-service machines after selecting the recharge option.
Get on tram 28 and be able to sit without a queue
It is not exactly true that there is no queue. You might queue, but you will surely find the empty tram at the stop.
How to do? Going up to one of the terminus.
From Rossio in a few minutes walk you can reach Martim Muniz. (HERE find the coordinates of Google Maps). With due patience, you will wait your turn to go up, but beware ... there are only 25 seats.
If you want to learn more, there is this interesting article by a fellow blogger which, living in Lisbon, gives you some more insider tips.
Here is the route of tram 28. I remind you that it is included in the Lisboa Card, alternatively the ticket costs 3 €.
Avoid the queue at the Elevator de Santa Justa
Tail, tail and tail again… this is the situation you might find at the foot of the Elevafor de Santa Justa. And here comes the advice suitable for this occasion as well.
Instead of using the lift, go up to the Convento do Carmo and, keeping the convent on the left, go to the panoramic restaurant “Bellalisa Elevador”. You can access the terrace (which could be reached by elevator) by paying € 1,5 (if you don't have the Lisboa Card) and without queuing.
Advice on experiences to do in Lisbon
We now come to the culinary aspects. So far I have barely talked to you about museums and various attractions, but I know that gastronomic advice is always very popular.
Eat the Pastéis de Nata
The pastéis de Nata are those puff pastry tartlets with filled with cream it's a sprinkled with cinnamon (optional) that you would eat indefinitely. A few days after your return to Italy after your trip to Lisbon, you will still want to have a breakfast of pastéis. There Confeitaria Nacional in Praça da Figueira, 50 meters from Rossio Square it was my fixed stop to start the day in the best way.
Eat slightly warm they are something exceptional.
Eat the Pastéis de Belem
I have already recommended the pastéis de Nata, what difference do they have with pastéis de Belem. Eh, good question, yet tasting them I must tell you that they are different, slightly but they are different. Only in Belem do they make the homonymous pastéis, the others are all pastéis de Nata.
La first recipe for pastéis de Belem dates back to 1837 and it was the work of the monks of the Jerónimos Monastery. Since then the recipe, as it should be, has been secret.
In Belem you can eat them at the Pastry Pastry de Belem, not far from the monastery. You may have to queue up before you can taste them, but I guarantee you it's absolutely worth it.
The question that arises is: are those from Nata better or those from Belem?
Personally I preferred the ones from Belem, they seemed less sweet with a more intense flavor. De gustobus. Return to comment on this article by letting me know which ones you preferred.
Belem is one of the neighborhoods of Lisbon most known (click to read the article) and I absolutely recommend you to dedicate a nice half day.
Taste the Ginjinha
At 30 meters from the Igreja de São Domingos, in the extreme north of Praça do Rossio, in a very small room of 4 square meters (exaggeration), according to what the guide claims you can taste one of the best ginjinhas in Lisbon.
It is a liqueur obtained from the infusion of black cherries in alcohol. It is served in "to drink by the drop" mode, but you can also taste it calmly. What you need to watch out for is the skill with which they will pour it. Try to request it with the sour cherry, they will pour it directly from the bottle into the tiny glass without wasting even a drop ...
Listen to a Fado show
I told you about fado on the occasion of the my visit to Oporto; a popular song / music composed of guitar and voice. A tradition of Lisbon, but also of all of Portugal. If you have never attended a Fado show, you really need to plan to see one in Lisbon. CLICK HERE to buy one in the Chiado district.
For more information on Fado, I invite you to read more on Wikipedia.
