Lisbon

By the sea, close to Cais do Sodré Train station

By the sea, close to Cais do Sodré Train station

Rossio Square, Central Lisbon

Rossio Square, Central Lisbon

Band Practice along the side streets

Band Practice along the side streets

Portugal has so much to offer from the beautiful beaches to the gorgeous architecture which is why I chose to travel to Lisbon, which has both. After a few days in Porto I took the train to Lisbon to continue the adventure. It’s incredibly easy to travel in Portugal and the journey from Porto to Lisbon is straight forward and reasonably priced too (around 30/45 Euros). The journey can be booked at the train station or online here. Upon arrival in Lisbon a friend and I, accidentally got off at the wrong stop, too busy chatting so we had to buy a ticket and navigate the metro - where we entered some sort of weird time loop which involved a guy carrying a very small dog. I feel this may be a story for another post but it was very funny looking back but you probably had to be there!

Eventually, finding our way out of the underground to the bright blue skies and beautiful buildings onwards to our accommodation, where the theme of staying at hostels located in train stations continued, this one was called The Destination. There is something so great about staying near a train station which makes things a whole lot easier when moving around a City, always being near an excellent meeting place and of course, not having to run for the train, as its approximately 5 minutes away, if that.

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It’s very quickly clear Lisbon is a great mix of modern and traditional, peaceful and authentic depending on the area of the city you’re in and there are several areas to choose from including the vibrant streets of Bairro Alto, the quiet and cobbled streets of Alfama and the bustling centre, Rossio to name a few. No matter what area, there are many hidden gems to be found whether it’s a great restaurant, gorgeous building with epic views or places to relax, there is something for everyone.

A few of my favourite hidden gems were Lost In a brilliant restaurant with even better views of the City, Tantura in Barrio Alto which serves spectacular Middle Eastern Food, Jazz Bar Tantas , Cozinha da Estação for its beautiful outdoor terrace and LX Factory for its selection of streetart, shops and eateries, amongst so many more.

On this trip I’d already pre booked an Airbnb experience (yoga and sunset) which I’d never tried before and figured it would be a good way to meet new people whilst stretching my body after the train journey, which it was. This was very simple to book and easy to arrange a meeting place with the host, which happened to take me to Cais do Sodré Cacilhas, a quick ferry journey away and a part of town ordinarily may not have visited. This is a place I would definitely recommend to visit as its a 10 minute journey from Cais do Sodré Ferry Port and has the best views of the beautiful Pont 25 de Abril bridge.

For me, this airbnb experience was a brilliant way to explore Lisbon with someone who had insider knowledge and recommendations - some which were small markets, places to enjoy traditional Fado music, cool hostels to check out for next time such as Selina and places to eat too.

As this was a particularly short trip there were a few things I really wanted to do, one being to go surfing, when in Portugal and all that jazz. This was easy to arrange through the hostel with a company called Wanted Surf School and can definitely recommend. For anyone who wants to sample a splash of sporty with a City break this is a great option and was as easy as taking the train to Carcavelos then being picked up by the surf school to drive to the beach. The only downside of this experience was it was over too quickly, so if time permits, book a block of lessons - I’m definitely planning my next trip to improve my technique.

If you want to explore Lisbon a bit more, there are options such as taking a trip to Sintra, a short train journey (approx. 45minutes) where you’ll find the most westerly point of Europe, Cabo da Roca, castles and gorgeous small artisan shops. There is Belem, famous for its Pastéis de Belém (pastel de Nata) and beautiful sculptures which is a short train ride from the centre too. If you feel like you want to hit the beach afterwards as there is a train stop close by which will take you along to Carcavelous, Cascais and other relaxing spots coastal spots.

Whatever you’re looking for in a trip, Lisbon offers something for everyone, I know I could have definitely spent much longer there and can’t wait to head back and take in more sights, sounds and surf, anyone else going to Portugal soon?

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