THAT TRAVEL GUIDE: Lisbon, Portugal
CHEESE, PRAY, LOVE
Lisbon, Portugal
Firstly, my apologies for how long this took me to post. It’s been a month and a half since I came home from Europe and I still miss it dearly! Lisbon was one of my favorite cities to visit. The climate was perfect, 75-80F and sunny most days (besides a random heatwave we had) and the architecture is stunning. The buildings are covered in beautiful hand-painted tiles, the beach is just nearby and the food is delicious!
THE CHEESE
The cheese scene in Portugal is interesting, it’s nowhere near the selection like France, but there are some awesome local cheeses to try! Here are some to look for:
Queijo de Azeitao - a funky, soft sheep’s milk cheese
Queijo São Jorge - nutty and slightly sharp aged cow’s milk cheese
Palhais de Portugal - a fresh goat cheese with a little bit of brine
Rabaçal DOP - sheep and goat milk cheese, super creamy and slightly sweet
Serra de Estrela - soft sheep’s milk cheese, made in the mountains
D. Pedro - semi skimmed cow’s milk cheese, a bit like havarti in taste
A popular pairing is pumpkin jam, which was a delicious new addition for me! They also have a ton of different cured hams to serve alongside the cheese.
EAT / DRINK / EXPLORE
We stayed in this airbnb and I loved the location, but be prepared to climb a lot of hills and stairs. It’s a great city to get a workout. We explored the three main areas of downtown. Barrio Alto is where all the bars / clubs are. It’s a bit of a wild party scene but you can find some cocktail bars hidden in there. Alfama is a super cute neighborhood where you’ll find a lot of the buildings with beautiful tile exterior and amazing views. You can just get lost walking around the winding streets. There’s also many hills around here so I suggest taking the trolley for about $3, make sure you have cash! In between Barrio Alto and Alfama is the area we stayed at but I’m not sure the name. It’s right by the water near Arco da Rua Agusta (a beautiful big building and square) - Walking along the water in the morning was nice, Lisbon actually reminds me a lot of San Francisco. Once you walk inland over the hill you get to the fancy shopping area called Ave da. Liberdade. Lisbon also has an amazing coffee and brunch scene, which is a rare thing for Europe. I spent 2 weeks in Italy unable to find any iced coffee until we got to Portugal. You also don’t usually spent more than $40 on a nice meal too. We had a full massive brunch and iced lattes for $11 each. So cheap!
Breakfast and Coffee:
Lunch:
Ponto Final - Across the river / uber ride but good seafood and vibe
Dinner:
Prado - The food was super unique but we felt like it was a bit overpriced for Lisbon.
Drinks:
The Old Pharmacy - Wine bar in an old pharmacy
Shopping:
Ceramics na Linha - Amazing pottery store and SO cheap
Conserveria de Lisboa - Tinned fish paradise
LX Factory - Recommended by legit everyone I talked to but we didn’t make it! Super cool Arts Center with shops and restaurants. Next time!
I also highly recommend doing a day trip to Azenhas do Mar. We took an uber there for about $45. It’s a beautiful little town set on a hillside with a beach. There’s a fun beach bar down by the water and a fancy seafood restaurant called Restaurante Azenhas do Mar. On the way here you’ll pass a town called Sintra. This is highly recommended by many people but we didn’t make it there. Super cool artsy castles / buildings and I think it’s easy to walk around. It’s about a 35 min cab from Lisbon.
I’m dying to go back, there’s still so much to explore!