Day 2 ·
Arriving in Lisbon, from Chiado to Alfama
Lisbon · Portugal · 4 min read
We landed at 8:20 and walked Lisbon from top to bottom: a nata in Chiado, São Roque, the roofless Carmo, the Baixa, the Sé, Alfama and dinner at sunset at the Santa Luzia viewpoint.
- 1
Lisbon Airport
Non-Schengen passport control, bags and the Lisboa Card at the Ask Me Lisboa desk in arrivals. Allow 40 to 70 minutes to get out.
- 2
Manteigaria
After dropping our bags at the hotel, a minute from here. A pastel de nata fresh from the oven and a galão, standing at the counter, watching the oven through the window.
Our guide Yes, it's worth it, especially as your first breakfast in Lisbon: a warm nata for €1.50, standing at the counter, in under five minutes. Don't expect a café where you sit down. Read the full guide - 3
Church of São Roque
We only saw it from outside: on Mondays from April to September it does not open until 13:00. Inside is the Chapel of St. John the Baptist, the third on the left, built in Rome in 1742 with lapis lazuli, amethyst and Carrara marble. If you pass on another day, go in: it is free.
- 4
Miradouro de São Pedro de Alcântara
A Bairro Alto viewpoint with a tile map that names every building in the panorama, from the castle to the Sé. Free, with a coffee kiosk.
Our guide Yes, it's worth it, and best as the first viewpoint of your trip: the tile map teaches you to read the city in five minutes. Come in the morning; for watching the sun go down, this isn't the place. Read the full guide - 5
A Ginjinha and the Rossio
A shot of ginjinha "com elas" (with the cherries) at the 1840 counter on Largo de São Domingos, and then Rossio square with its wave-patterned paving.
Our guide Yes, it's worth it as a five-minute ritual: a drink from 1840 for about €1.50. Don't oversell it to yourself; it's sweet, quick and almost everyone around you is a tourist. Read the full guide - 6
Carmo Convent
The Gothic church the 1755 earthquake left without a roof. On the way out, the Carmo terrace takes you for free to the Santa Justa viewpoint, because the elevator is closed.
Our guide Worth it, especially with the Lisboa Card discount. It's a short visit: come for the nave open to the sky, not for a big museum. Read the full guide - 7
Rua Augusta Arch and Praça do Comércio
We went up to the top of the arch, free with the Lisboa Card, and crossed the square to the steps of the Cais das Colunas, facing the Tagus.
Our guide Yes, it's worth it, especially with the Lisboa Card: twenty minutes and one of the best views in the center, standing among the statues. Mind the spiral staircase if tight spaces bother you. Read the full guide - 8
Lisbon Cathedral (Sé)
The oldest church in the city, from 1147, with fortress towers. The church is free; the cloister, with Roman and Moorish excavations, costs about €4 (20% less with the Lisboa Card).
- 9
Miradouro de Santo Estêvão and Alfama
A small viewpoint off the tour-group route and then 105 unhurried minutes: the Escadinhas de São Miguel, Rua de São Miguel and the remains of the Moorish wall at Largo de São Rafael.
- 10
Miradouro de Santa Luzia
Dinner on the terrace at Farol de Santa Luzia until sunset, at 8:30 PM. Don't miss the two tile panels on the church: Praça do Comércio before the earthquake and the siege of the castle in 1147.
We landed in Lisbon at 8:20 on a Monday, dropped our bags at the hotel and went out walking. We designed the first day to beat jet lag: an easy pace, lots to see and no timed entry until dinner. In total, about 8 kilometers from Chiado to Alfama.
Why we planned it this way
The order follows the shape of the city. We started up top, in Chiado and the Bairro Alto, and worked our way down: São Roque, the São Pedro de Alcântara viewpoint, the Rossio and then back up to the Carmo Convent at midday, when the light comes through the arches. From there, the terrace to the Santa Justa viewpoint, Rua Augusta, the arch and Praça do Comércio, right on the river.
After a standing lunch at Nova Pombalina we climbed to the Sé and went into Alfama, the neighborhood that survived the 1755 earthquake. We gave Alfama 105 minutes on purpose: if the airport held us up, the time would come out of there without touching anything else.
Dinner was the only thing we booked. Farol de Santa Luzia opens at 6:00 PM and we asked for a terrace table at exactly that time, to get two and a half hours of light over the rooftops of Alfama before sunset.
What to know before you go
Lisbon is a city of hills and cobblestones. Distances on the map are short, but every climb counts, and that’s why we went back to the hotel by Uber. You pick up the Lisboa Card at the airport itself, and it’s worth activating it there: that same day it already covers the Carmo discount, the top of the arch and the Sé cloister.
In the Baixa and the Rossio, watch your bag and your phone. And if someone offers you something odd in the Rossio, keep walking.
What we booked and tasted
Lisboa Card, 48 hours
- Metro, tram, bus, funiculars and the train to Belém and Cascais
- Free entry to the Jerónimos Monastery cloisters, São Jorge Castle, the Padrão dos Descobrimentos and the Rua Augusta Arch
- Discounts at the Carmo Convent and the Sé cloister
We bought it online for €48.45 per person (at the desk it costs €51). Activated on the first day, it covered Lisbon and the morning of the Sintra tour; on day 3 alone we saved about €43 per person.
See the Lisboa CardWeb oficialSolar dos Poetas
Chiado sits in the middle of everything: Bairro Alto above, the Baixa below, Alfama 15 minutes on foot and Cais do Sodré station, with the train to Belém, 10 minutes away.
Manteigaria
Order Pastel de nata and galão
The natas come out of the oven right in front of you, and it's a minute from the hotel. About €2–3 per person.
A Ginjinha
Order Ginjinha "com elas"
One product since 1840, served in 30 seconds. About €1.50 a shot; across the way is its rival, Ginjinha Sem Rival.
Casa Portuguesa do Pastel de Bacalhau
Order Pastel de bacalhau with Serra da Estrela cheese
It's on Rua Augusta, right on the way from the Carmo to the arch. About €4–5 each.
Nova Pombalina
Order Bifana, sandes de leitão and fresh orange juice
What people who work in the Baixa eat for lunch, standing at the counter. Cash only and closed on Sundays.
Farol de Santa Luzia
Order Grilled fish of the day, octopus salad or cataplana for two, with vinho verde
We booked a terrace table through TheFork at 6:00 PM, when it opens. The terrace is the reason to go.
Lisbon Airport Chiado
A taxi for about €15–20 or an Uber for €10–15. The hotel offers a transfer, but it costs extra. If you leave arrivals at 9:30 instead of 9:00, the walk through Alfama absorbs the delay.
Alfama Chiado
Uber back for about €5. The hills of Alfama at night, after walking 8 km, aren't worth it.
What we learned
Tips
- Activate the Lisboa Card on first use and make sure the 48 hours last until the morning of day 4 if you're taking the metro to the Sintra tour.
- The Santa Justa elevator is closed. You can reach its viewpoint for free through the terrace of the Carmo Convent: leave the convent and turn left.
- Bring small bills: Nova Pombalina only takes cash.
- The only fixed time of the day is the 6:00 PM dinner. If you're running late from the airport, cut from the end of the day.
Do
- Wear shoes with soles that grip: the Portuguese calçada is slippery, especially on the way down through Alfama.
- Walk instead of taking tram 28: it covers the same neighborhoods and is pickpocket zone number one.
- Stay awake until 9 at night even if your body is begging for bed. It's the best way to beat jet lag.
Don’t
- Don't line up at the base of the Santa Justa elevator: it's closed.
- Don't go to the Time Out Market for lunch. It's an expensive food court; a bifana in the Baixa costs a fraction.
- Don't waste time at the Lisbon Story Centre on Praça do Comércio.