My awesome family, the immediate four of us, traveled recently to Lisbon, Portugal. It contained many firsts: Lanier’s first trip to Europe, our first international trip together (I do not count Cancun, sorry), and our first time in Portugal. Hannah and I have been traveling together since she was born, so we are super tight on how to flow. But we’d never brought the boys along. It was a treat! We stayed in the Bairro Alto area so we had plenty of sights to see within walking distance. Pro Tips: streets are paved in slick cobblestones so wear grippy, comfortable walking shoes. Lisbon is also extremely hilly. Be prepared for walking up and down hills and stairs a LOT. Download the Bolt app for rideshare; it’s cheaper than Uber but we did have an uncomfortable amount of waiting time for a driver at 6AM to go to the airport (we used Uber since Bolt drivers wouldn’t come). Trains and metro are very easy to navigate and we loved using them. Buy tickets in advance so there’s no waiting in line on the day you actually need them. The food is amazing!! Lisbon is known for seafood, so enjoy!
We spent a relaxing week there with one day trip by train to Sintra. I wish we had had a full day in Sintra; we arrived at about noon and were back on the train for home by 6:30 (it’s a 45-minute ride and there are no bathrooms on the train, FYI). We’d planned to see Pena Palace, the Castle of the Moors and Monserrate Palace. However, I got a little mixed up when we arrived and took our group to Quinta de Regaleira, which was very beautiful and fascinating to see, only we didn’t have tickets. No problem! We bought tickets onsite and enjoyed visiting the lush estate and fascinating architecture. What it meant was one of the previous sites I’d bought tickets to would end up getting skipped for time’s sake. We missed seeing the Castle of the Moors, which was fine. Monserrate and Pena Palace/Castle of the Moors are on opposite mountains and about a 45-minute car ride apart, going up switchbacks on narrow, winding roads. I suggest taking the public buses (404 and 405) which are super cheap and you can use a credit card to pay for your ticket. The buses move slower and it’s not as nauseating, negotiating the turns. I bought our tickets in advance on Get Your Guide.
In Lisbon, we really enjoyed the Jeronimos Monastery and next door’s Church of St Mary of Bethlehem, the resting place of Vasco de Gama’s body. A short walking distance from their you can see the amazing Monument of the Discoveries, a giant sculpture similar to the sail of a ship, facing the water. We did not buy tickets to go to the top; we were happy just seeing it from the ground. We also walked around Rossio Square and the Rua Augusta Arch….the gardens and parks around Lisbon are terrific, too! Two other famous sites we visited were the Lisbon Cathedral and the National Pantheon, which offers a cool view of the city.
I hope you enjoy these photos! It is so fun visiting other cultures and seeing the beautiful architecture and learning history. Ciao!
