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Lisbon
- Country: Portugal
- Airport: Lisbon Airport
- Where from: Manchester Airport
- Flight cost: £15 return
- Airline: Ryanair
- Length of trip: 4 nights
- Date of trip: 3rd - 7th February 2022
- Trip Type: Solo trip
Itinerary
Day 1
- Flew from Manchester 5.20pm and land at to Lisbon Airport at 8:05pm
- At this point when I landed I suddenly remembered I had not booked a hotel, I usually do this at the airport when landing late but I was binge watching Emily in Paris and completely forgot, so it's 9pm in Lisbon and I have no idea where I am going...
- I find a hotel called Hotel Ikonik which is a brand new hotel and only €48 per night so I book it and head over, at this stage I only book for one night to see what it is like first.
- I arrive at the hotel, check-in, drop my bag and head straight out to get some food.
- First night in Portugal and the first place I eat is Taco Bell.....
- After filling myself full of Taco's I headed back to the hotel for an early night ready for a full day of adventures.
Day 2 (Friday)
- The weather was little overcast today so decided to just have a wander round Lisbon.
- Went on the Santa Justa Lift a 19th century industrial marvel costs around £5 but if you have a metro day pass you can get on for free for some nice sights from the top. Its a nice little adventure but don't be expecting anything amazing.
- Went into the Money Museum which was truly fascinating and was free!
- Saw a massive boat which I presumed was a tourist attraction, tried to get on but it turned out to be an actual german navy battle ship.
- Got my photo taken with some pigeons (see Instagram highlights)
- I did thousands of steps just wandering around Lisbon, no plans, just wandering.
- Took the Historic Lisbon Tram 28 and rode it all over the city
Day 3 (Saturday)
- First stop was the Lisbon Telecabine which costs €9 and takes you all the way to the Torre Vasco Da Gama Tower
- The tower is not open to tourists unless you have a reservation for lunch, I did however try and get up there but failed.
- I went for a walk at the othe side along the boardwalk and bumped into a lady taking her parrot for a walk, she let me hold him and have some pictures which obviously made by day.
- I then got the tram and went down to the Belem district which I loved and 100% recommend
Day 3 cont:
- I got on the tram and headed down to the Mosteiro Jerónimos tram stop, I headed into the monastry for a look around, it really is worth a visit as it's just spectacular.
- I then headed down to the Torre De Belem and just enjoyed walking along the front, I got a Pina Colada which cost nearly as much as my flight but...YOLO
- The walk took me along to padrão dos descobrimentos.
- Belem is just a hive of activity with a really laid back feel, I would definately recommend spending an afternoon here.
Day 4 (Sunday)
- Firstly..... this was probably one of my favourite days that I had in the whole of 2022
- I got up and headed to the Estação do Oriente (the main train station near my hotel) if you're staying more central in Lisbon you can use the Rossio station.
- I got a single ticket to Sintra costs around €2 and set off fairly early around 8am, it was a Sunday so the train was really quiet.
- Arrived in Sintra and went to a little cafe for a pain au choolat and a cup of tea.
- Walked up to Morrish Castle, most people rave about Pena Palace but personally I preferred Moorish as the views were stunning, it was so quiet and I practically had the entire castle to myself.
- I walked from the train station up to moorish castle, if you are able to, I would recommend the walk as it is like something out of a fairytale
Day 4 Cont..
- I spent ages at Moorish as there was so much to walk around and look at
- Once at the top of Moorish you can then walk along the top to Pena Palace, again, the walk itself is magical.
- Pena Palace is stunning but by the time I arrived it had got a bit busier, I didn't pay to go inside but I did pay to go in the gardens.
- Ticket costs for the castle and the palace grounds was around €14 I purchased a combined ticket at the ticket machine at Moorish Castle.
Day 4 Cont..
- It took about 40 minutes to walk from Moorish Castle to Pena Palace
- Pena Palace is like something out of a disney film but it can get really really busy.
- Once I had walked around the palace I decided to jump on a shuttle bus back down, it is the 434 bus and is every 15 minutes I jumped on but not really sure what happened as I didn't get asked to pay...
- Once at the bottom I grabbed some lunch as I was starving andhad a walk around the actual town of Sintra which again is bloody magical.
- I walked on loads of cobbled streets in the historic area and went in a few shops and also saw some traditional custard tarts (pastel de nata) being made
Day 4 Cont..
- The night before when I had been googling I found that the westernmost point of mainland Europe was close to Sintra and offered some amazing sunsets so I decided to find out how to get there and it was surprisingly easy.
- You can take the 403 bus from Sintra's train station to Cabo da Roca. The journey takes around 40 minutes, and the tickets cost €3.35 each way. You can buy the tickets directly from the driver.
- I jumped on the bus and headed west, when I arrived it was quite busy but I walked along the front, the sunset was unbelievable!
- Top Tip - as soon as the sun has set get yourself to the bus stop, as soon as that bus is full there isn't another one for half an hour and everyone wants to leave at the same time!
- The day after I got up early to catch my flight home
Lisbon Tips and Info
Solo travelling?
I would 100% recommend visiting Lisbon if you're a 1st time solo traveller, it is super easy to navigate, the airport is close to the city and easy to get to and the transport links are fantastic.
Cabo Da Roca
The Cabo da Roca is the wild and rugged headland that marks the most westerly point of mainland Europe. These windswept cliffs and barren lands were believed to be the edge of the world up until the 14th century, and even today the region possesses a remote and untamed atmosphere.
Viva Viagem
Can be purchased from the metro stations, incredible value for money as you can use on all the trams, metro, trains, funiculars and also gives you access to some attractions such as the Santa Justa Lift.