While I am having this Lisbon’s crush, here are some of my favorite images of the city that express the Lisbonnaire Flair as I call it and some essential information:
No matter how long you have spent or visited in Lisbon, there is always something new to discover and fall in love with. One rule of thumb when you visit the city- Don’t miss out an overview of Lisbon from one of the hills. Maybe you heard it before, but Lisbon is also called ‘The City of Seven Hills’ (even though there are more than seven). It is easy to navigate and locate yourself if you know on which hill you are standing;
São Jorge : Where the castle with the same name is still standing.
São Vicente : Where the São Vincente de Fora Monastery and the Alfama area stands.
Sant’Ana : Between Martim Moniz square and Rua Portas de Santo Antão (São José Hospital)
Santo André : Largo / Miradouro da Graça is the top of this hill.
Chagas : At Largo do Carmo
Santa Catarina : Around Largo Camões, Bairro Alto
São Roque : Around Miradouro de São Pedro de Alcantara, Bairro Alto.
While the legendary Tram no.28 will take you up the hills of the city, I highly recommend to get off when you reach a hill peak and walk around the area. There is nothing like discovering the city by foot and interact with the locals.
Don’t skip on snacking on sardines. This is what makes Lisbon so special and known for. I ate some grilled sardines with mayonnaise on top (even though a local friend told me she never heard of such a combination) and it was delicious. I hardly eat sardines, but those I ate in Lisbon are completely different from the canned ones I know from home.
My two favorite districts in the city are Alfama; a maze of cobbled stones streets with old houses and old churches stretched down the hills of this historic quarter and Bairro Alto – Chiado which is mostly known as Lisbon’s night life quarter, and one of the up and coming popular neighborhood, with new hip boutiques, trendy restaurants alongside old fashioned ones.
Oh, and one more thing not to miss; Have a Ginjinha! It’s a cherry-berry liqueur the locals drink in small plastic cups. Better hang out at Cafe ‘A Ginjinha’ in Largo de São Domingos 8 which became a tourist attraction.
There is no better way to end a busy day by having this Portuguese drink and feel like a real local.
