Read part one-Itinerary for Spain, Portugal, and Morocco HERE.
Read part two- Barcelona HERE.
Read part three-Madrid and Toledo HERE.
On to week TWO of our three week journey through Europe and Africa!
To start, we did purchase Rick Steves Portugal travel book on Amazon. We found our B&B through him!
We flew from Madrid, Spain to Lisbon, Portugal on an early early morning flight! We decided to fly to have extra time in the places we wanted to see the most. As soon as we arrived, we took a bus to our hotel. The bus dropped us off at the bottom of the hill. That was quite the experience hiking the hills of Lisbon with our luggage. Alan is the best of sports taking my bag instead of his which weighed 50 lbs. Love you sweetie. We stayed at a bed and breakfast called Zuza House. We got our own small bedroom and shared a bathroom with our floor. I worried about this but it was AMAZING. Where we stayed was a MUST STAY! They made you feel at home! We had a full, delicious breakfast every morning and made friends with all the staff. It was right in the center of town close to everything. The building had so much character too which just made the experience that much more magical. When we arrived, they offered us something to eat and drink then sat down with us and showed us their touring app. They have an entire app for their guests that shares all the things you can do in Lisbon and the surrounding areas. They answered any questions we had and were so kind and helpful. We spent a couple days exploring Lisbon and one day took a train to Sintra. Again, so happy with our time in these locations.
While in Sintra, we found a handmade tile shop where I got to take a photo with the artist! The lady on the left. They're mother and daughter and run the shop.
Just as in Spain, we didn't go to any museums, so if that is your thing, make sure you research those sort of activities. We enjoyed mostly finding good restaurants, exploring the city, and seeing some historic sights.
Our recommendations in Lisbon:
*Walk around the Bairro Alto. It was lots of little shops and street vendors. A gorgeous, historic area too! Make sure you walk down to the river as well...
*Visit Bairro Belem. Here, go to Mosteiro Dos Jeronimos, (This is an old old Monastery. Beware, very crowded!), Padrao dos Descrobrimentos, and go to the Pasteis de Belem which is the ORIGINAL bakery that started the traditional portuguese pastry Pastel de Nata.
*Feira da Ladra. This was one of my favorite things! I giant flea market!! So many antiques, vintage item, used clothing, new clothing, Portuguese art, and Moroccan items too! We found an old mint condition Creedence Clearwater Revivals top hits record we brought home with us. Most people are flexible on prices too! This is only on Wednesdays! So plan accordingly.
*We didn't actually do this but I will add it to our recommendation list if you have time.... Ride Tram 28 which is a historic rail car. The lines were just always way too long and we got around just fine on our own two feet. If you do go on this, we heard beware of pick pockets.
Food in Lisbon:
*Rainha D. Amelia for Presunto Tosta and Pastel de Nata. (cheap and delicious snacks)
*Artis. This is a very small, hole in the wall restaurant where we very much enjoyed the food and the atmosphere. Some of the things we ordered and LOVED were: Cesta de Pao, Tabua Mista de Quijos e Enchidos Portugues, and Bracalhau a Bras....Which were all great Portuguese type foods to experience.
*Sublime for Sorbet. We went there twice. They use fresh fruits! Highly recommend Mango or Maracuja!
*Pasteis de Belem. Order several of the Pasteis because they're amazing and melt in your mouth.
Recommendations in Sintra:
We only spent one day in Sintra. We walked everywhere too which did take more time but allowed us to see so much beauty. We visited Quinta da Regaleria which is pretty much a giant 200 year old playground. We spent most of our time there then got some lunch just at a small cafe along the busy, narrow, main road. I would recommend spending some time exploring the shops there. There is a handmade tile shop, which is a souvenir I really wanted, called Dupi's. You climb some stairs to get in the main shop. I picked out the prettiest little tile then got a photo with the artist which made it that much more special (I shared above in my photo section.)
/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
Let me know if you have any questions! We loved Lisbon and there was plenty more things for us to do but we enjoyed ourselves so much!
Next stop stays in Portugal. I'll be sharing our spontaneous day trip to Salema down in the Algarve!
To be continued.....
xoxo
Comments
Post a Comment
You just made my day! Let me know if you're a new visitor or a new follower...I'd love to check out your blog! Hey, and I also speak Portuguese and a little Spanish! Beijos!!