In a nutshell
- 3 or 4 days are perfect for your first city trip to Lisbon. In this time you can see the most beautiful places in Lisbon and fall in love with the flair of the city.
- In this article, we give you our suggested itinerary for 3 days in Lisbon and tell you how to extend it to 4 days.
- We also have numerous cool tips for restaurants and hotels and explain how to get around in Lisbon.
Where to stay for 3 days in Lisbon
If you are in Lisbon for three or four days, you should definitely stay in the city center. This will save you the time you would otherwise need to travel to the city center.
These are our top 3 hotel recommendations, all of which have a super central location in Lisbon.
Tempo FLH Hotel: top location on Rossio Square and a perfect starting point for a long weekend in Lisbon.
Hotel Convento do Salvador: the price-performance ratio is great and so is the location in the old town of Alfama.
Urbano FLH Hotels: superbly located between Alfama and Praça do Comércio.
Day 1: Arrival in Lisbon
What to do in Lisbon on day 1
- Drive from the airport to the city center
- Stroll through Alfama
- Eat pastéis de nata
- Walk to the Castelo de São Jorge
- Sunset at the Miradouro de Santa Luzia
- Travel from the airport to the city center
Travel from the airport to the city center
Lisbon airport is well connected to the city center by metro. The metro station is signposted everywhere in the airport building.
To access the metro network, you can simply hold your credit card up to the counter at the turnstile. You then pay 1.80 euros for a one-way ticket.
If that doesn’t work, you can buy the Navegante Card for 50 cents at the ticket counter and top it up with 1.80 euros. Hold the Navegante Card at the counter in the same way as your credit card.
At the airport, take the red metro line towards São Sebastião. To get to your accommodation in the city center, you will probably have to change trains again. The connections are all shown on Google Maps.
Stroll through Alfama
Once you have checked into your hotel, head for Lisbon’s old town, Alfama. A good starting point is the Sé de Lisboa Cathedral. From there, simply drift through the narrow streets of Alfama.
Our recommendation: make a stop at the Pastelaria Alfama Doce and try your first pastel de nata – addiction guaranteed!
Castelo de São Jorge and Miradouro de Santa Luzia
From Alfama Doce, it’s about a 10-minute walk to the Castelo de São Jorge. Be careful, you will be walking uphill the whole time! On the way, you will pass the Portas do Sol viewpoint. You can take a short breather there.
Once at the top, you can enter the castle. The ticket costs €15 for adults. To avoid having to queue, it is best to buy it online in advance.
Skip the line ticket to the Castelo de São Jorge
From the castle, you have great views over the whole of Lisbon.
Before the sun goes down, walk halfway down the hill to the Santa Luzia viewpoint. The atmosphere there is great at sunset, as there are often street musicians on the street.
For dinner, we recommend finding a restaurant near your accommodation, as you’re bound to be exhausted after a long day.
Or you could eat near the Miradouro de Santa Luzia. A good option is the Taberna Do Castelo. However, it’s best to reserve your table online in advance.
Day 2: Top attractions in Lisbon
What to do in Lisbon on day 2
- Take streetcar 28E
- Rua Augusta and Praça do Comércio
- Lunch at Time Out Market
- Bica and Bairro Alto
- Eat pastel de nata
- Miradouro de São Pedro de Alcântara
- Elevador de Santa Justa
- Dinner at Casa da India
Tram 28E
On your second day in Lisbon, you’ll take the famous 28E streetcar through the city in the morning – one of the most popular activities in Lisbon.
You start the ride at Martim Moniz Square and take the streetcar back there.
Rua Augusta and Praça do Comércio
After the ride, you walk from Martim Moniz to the large Rossio square and from there once through the shopping street Rua Augusta.
The street takes you to the main square, Praça do Comércio, where Lisbon’s triumphal arch stands. You walk through it once when you come from Rua Augusta.
From the square, take a leisurely stroll along the Tagus River to Cais do Sodré. The riverside promenade is great for a stroll.
Time Out Market and Elevador da Bica
The Time Out Market is located at Cais do Sodré. There are lots of delicious restaurants where you can order something for lunch and then sit down at a table in the middle of the hall to eat. We love the concept!
After lunch, walk about three minutes from Time Out Market to the Bica funicular stop. The famous funicular runs up a pretty alleyway to the top of a hill and makes a great photo opportunity.
It’s best to walk up the street because it’s really beautiful. If that’s too strenuous, take the train.
Once you’ve reached the top of the hill, you’ve earned another pastel de nata. To do this, walk to Praça Luís de Camões to the Manteigaria – they serve delicious pastéis.
Our recommendation: The Manteigaria has extra take-away packaging for pastéis de nata. Ideal if you want to take a few pastéis back home.
Bairro Alto and Miradouro São Pedro de Alcântara
At Praça Luís de Camões, you are already in the Bairro Alto district – Lisbon’s nightlife area. In the afternoon, there is not so much going on here and you can take a leisurely stroll through the narrow streets.
If you keep walking uphill through Bairro Alto, after about 10 minutes you will come out at the Miradouro São Pedro de Alcântara – one of our best recommendations for viewpoints in Lisbon.
Elevador de Santa Justa and Casa da Índia
From the viewpoint, walk back through Bairro Alto to the Elevador de Santa Justa. This is a cool elevator that is actually part of Lisbon’s public transport system, but is now a real tourist attraction.
As the Elevador is always quite busy, we recommend that you only enjoy the view from the top and not take the elevator.
From the Elevador, walk back past Praça Luís de Camões to Casa da Índia. This is a very typical Portuguese restaurant where you can have a great dinner.
Day 3: Trip to Belém and the Cristo Rei
What to do in Lisbon on day 3
- Torre de Belém
- Mosteiro dos Jerónimos
- Padrão dos Descobrimentos
- Pastéis de Belém
- LX Factory
- Ponte 25 de Abril
- Cristo Rei of Lisbon
On day 3, you will travel to the Belém district in the morning. To do this, take streetcar line 15E from Cais Sodré or the train from Cais do Sodré to Cascais.
Top Attractions in Belém
Get off in Belém and walk along the river to the Padrão dos Descobrimentos monument. Apart from taking a few photos, there’s not much you can do here. Instead, walk on to the Torre de Belém.
The watchtower also stands directly on the river and there is a viewing platform at the top. The large meadow directly behind the Torre de Belém is also really beautiful.
From there, walk on to the Mosteiro dos Jerónimos monastery. This is a mega impressive building, both inside and out.
Our recommendation: buy your ticket for the monastery online in advance. This will save you the queue. You can buy the ticket on the Mosteiro dos Jerónimos website.
After visiting the monastery, take a short lunch break nearby and then head straight to the Pastéis de Belém pastry shop. There you can get THE original pastéis de nata – a recipe that only this pastry shop knows.
The café is huge, so despite the crowds you can often find a seat quite quickly.
LX Factory and Cristo Rei
After your daily pastel de nata break, take a bus (connections are shown on Google Maps) to the LX Factory.
This is an old factory site that has been converted into a hipster stronghold. There are countless cool stores, hip bars and some of the best photo spots in Lisbon.
If you are still spending the evening in Lisbon on day 3, take a bus from the LX Factory to the Cristo Rei statue on the other side of the river in the late afternoon.
This will take you across the famous Ponte 25 de Abril.
Once you arrive at the statue, take the elevator to the viewing platform of the Christ and enjoy the view of Lisbon from the other side.
Afterwards, you can stroll along the river for a while and then take the 3001 bus to Cacilhas. From there, take the ferry back to Cais do Sodré.
From Cais do Sodré, you can walk straight back to the Time Out Market and have dinner there. Alternatively, we also have personal recommendation for a restaurant: the Portuguese restaurant Cova Funda in Intendente.
You can get to Intendente super quickly from Cais do Sodré by metro. You can often get a seat spontaneously at Cova Funda.
Extra day 4: Trip to Sintra and Cascais
What to do in Lisbon on day 2
- Sintra
- Palacio Nacional da Pena
- Quinta da Regaleira
- Cabo da Roca
- Cascais
If you have 4 days instead of 3, all the better. Then you can go on a trip to Sintra and Cascais – two beautiful destinations near Lisbon.
If you want to see as many highlights as possible, it’s best to book a guided tour.
Guided tour to Sintra, Cabo da Roca and Cascais
Castles of Sintra
If you are traveling on your own, take the train from Rossio to Sintra early in the morning – around 8 am. At the station, change to the 434 tourist bus, which will take you to the Palacio Nacional da Pena.
For the palace, you can either buy a ticket for the park and palace or just one for the park – depending on how interested you are. It is better to buy tickets online in advance.
To the ticket for the Palacio Nacional da Pena
After visiting the fairytale castle, you can walk two kilometers to the Quinta da Regaleira – another castle in Sintra.
To the ticket for the Quinta da Regaleira
You can also take a short lunch break here. We recommend packing sandwiches and snacks.
From the Quinta da Regaleira, take bus 1253 to Cabo da Roca. This is the westernmost point of mainland Europe and here you have a great view of the rocky coastline by the sea.
Cabo da Roca and Cascais
At Cabo da Roca you only make a short photo stop and from there take bus 1624 to Cascais. The journey takes about an hour and you get off in the center.
In Cascais, take a stroll through the city center and to the beach – by the way, you will find some of the most beautiful beaches in Lisbon near Cascais.
Otherwise, just have dinner in the center of Cascais – it’s probably already late anyway. There are many delicious restaurants. We recommend the House of Wonders.
FAQ about a weekend in Lisbon
Is the Lisboa Card worth it?
Not for our 3-day program. If you want to see more museums etc. in Lisbon, take a look at the Lisboa Card.
You can buy the Lisboa Card here
Read more about the Lisboa Card
Are 3 days enough time for Lisbon?
For the first visit, yes. If you really want to get to know Lisbon, you should stay longer.
These were our recommendations for 3 days in Lisbon
How did you like our itinerary for a long weekend in Lisbon? Do you have any questions? Feel free to write to us in the comments. We look forward to hearing from you.