Food and Drinks

See Catering.

Sightseeing

• Miradouro das Portas do Sol (map) Scenic viewpoint with panoramic city views of traditional Alfama houses with red roofs & churches. Free.

• Castelo de Sao Jorge (St. George's Castle) (website, map) - 11th-century, hilltop Moorish castle & royal residence with palace ruins & archaeological museum. 15 euro per person.

• Mosteiro dos Jeronimos (Jeronimos Monastery) (map) - Late Gothic Manueline-style monastery housing archaeology & maritime museums in its wings. The interior is quite impressive, but beware it has a huge waiting line.

• Torre de Belem (Belem Tower) (website, map) Landmark medieval fortified tower on a tiny river island, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of Lisbon's most striking monuments. You can visit the exterior for free but you need to pay to get inside (the rooftop terrace offers a nice estuary view but that's about it).

• Jardins da Gulbenkian - Garden of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation (map) Tranquil urban gardens with walking paths, lakes, diverse birds & a cafe in a picturesque setting. You can visit the garden for free, and the Foundation also has a nice Museum there (paid, but free on sundays after 2pm).

• Panoramico de Monsanto map - graffitied, abandoned high-end restaurant that offers the best view of the city.

• The entire Baixa (Low) Neighborhood (map) includes beautiful places to visit for free. If you enjoy walking about and have an afternoon to spare, it's highly recommended. Interesting spots include:
  • Terreiro do Paco
  • Cais das colunas
  • Rua Augusta (which starts at a ginormous ornate 18th-century triumphal arch with sculpted figures & views over the city center. The street also has 2 amazing ice cream places)
  • Elevador de Santa Justa - a cast-iron elevator with filigree details, built in 1902 to connect lower streets with Carmo Square.
  • Elevador da Gloria
  • Miradouro de Sao Pedro de Alcantara (panoramic views of the city)
  • Miradouro do Adamastor (panoramic views of the city)

warning: Rua Augusta is a great place to visit and browse, but if you decide to eat there (especially near the arch), try to avoid sketchy restaurants and ALWAYS check prices on the menu before ordering anything - there is a scam going on where they'll charge you very little for food but then you ask for a coke or something it's like a gazillion euro.

Art and Culture

• Museu Nacional do Azulejo (National House Tile Museum) (map) - Museum of decorative azulejo tiles housed in a 16th-century monastery with a spectacular chapel. 8 euro per person.

• MAAT - Museu de Arte, Arquitetura e Tecnologia (Museum of Art, Architecture and Technology) (map) (website) - Museum in an old riverside power stations. Usually with interesting exhibits, and a nice view. 11 euro per person.

• Oceanario de Lisboa (Lisbon Oceanary) (website, map) - Modern, waterside aquarium with ocean habitats for sharks, rays, penguins & tropical fish. Around 25 euro per person but has group and family discounts. Very close to the PTS venue.

• Pavilhao do Conhecimento - Ciencia Viva (Knowledge Pavillion - Living Science) (website, map) Contemporary science museum with interactive exhibits, experiments, workshops & kids' play areas (it is, indeed, quite focused on bringing science to children, and was voted the Best Museum for Families). (14 euro per person but will be 50% off on the holiday of April 25 (see holiday section below) and include a workshop to create an electronic carnation flower). Very close to the PTS venue

• 8marvila (website, map) an old, decommissioned 22.000 m2 wine warehouse completely refurbished and transformed into an emerging experience of culture, independent commerce and art.

• LX Factory (website, map) historical industrial complex houses turned into an array of arty retailers & unique restaurants a creative hub filled to the brim with art, music, fashion, multimedia, and other forms of expression highlighted via unique events. It is also the home of independent art retailers, restaurants, and the "Ler Devagar" bookstore (see below)

• Ler Devagar Bookshop, one of Portugal's most widely recognized locations for culture enthusiasts, with roughly 600 m2 of space, a 14-meter high ceiling, over 40,000 new books,10,000 used ones and even a music shop. The bookstore also showcases a permanent exhibition gallery for Objectos Cinematicos. If you get a little hungry during your visit, try the cake at "O Bolo da Marta" inside. This iconic bookstore is located in the LX Factory (see above)

• Casa Fernando Pessoa (website, map) The house where the famous Portuguese poet and writer inhabited during the last 15 years of his life. It has an exhibition on three floors about his life and work and a library specialized in world poetry.

• Here is nice, weekly updated guide of things to do for free is Lisbon this week. Worth a look!

Shopping

• Feira da Ladra (website, map) (tuesdays and saturdays only, from 9am to 6pm) - the most traditional and well-known flea market in Lisbon, dating back to the 13th century.

Nightlife

• Rua Cor de Rosa (Pink Street) (map) - the Party Street in Lisbon, with a huge selection of bars and restaurants with outdoor seating. Most active on thursdays, fridays and saturdays.

April 25th - National Holiday

April 25th marks the 50th anniversary of the Revolucao dos Cravos (Carnation Revolution), also known as "Dia da Liberdade" (Freedom Day) or simply "25 de Abril" (April 25), so a lot of partying is to be expected throughout the city, from the night of the 24th to the entire day of the 25th and beyond.

Among the many, many cultural events like art exhibits, concerts, movie screening and plays, there is a huge parade at Avenida da Liberdade ("Liberty Avenue") starting at around 15:00 (3pm).

On the night of the 24th, a little further south in Praca da Liberdade ("Liberty Square") in Almeda (~1h train ride or 25 minutes by car), celebrations will include a public concert with artists Dino d'Santiago, Batukeiras & Madame X (you may know them from a Madonna song), Tristany, Orquestra Geracao and Virgul, starting at 22.00 (10pm). At midnight, there will be fireworks.

On the 25th, streets will be filled with carnation flowers, and many people will wear them on their chests. Please be aware that several streets, restaurants, stores and venues may not open on the 25th due to the national holiday celebrations.

Outside Lisbon

• Sintra has the incredible Quinta da Regaleira park. Definitely worth it! It also has a Moorish Castle Ruins, the Pena Palace, the Cabo da Roca (the most westerly point of mainland Europe), and check out Praia da Ursa one of the coolest beaches in Europe just a few kilometers away with a great view and a beautiful sunset - though please be careful if you want to actually reach the beach, it's a 20 minute steep walk. Also really close to Sintra is Azenhas do Mar, a cozy and beautiful village tumbling down to the Atlantic (with many nice beaches nearby).

While in Sintra, make sure you eat some "travesseiros" at Casa Periquita (they recently also opened one in Lisbon too) and drink a ginjinha on a chocolate cup.

• Cascais is another nice Portuguese city close to Lisbon and on the beach-side. You can eat and shop at Casa de Guia, do some sightseeing at Boca do Inferno (Hell's Mouth) rocky formation, or relax at Praia do Guincho (Guincho Beach) where the opening sequence for the 1969 James Bond movie "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" was recorded.