Combine your holiday in the Algarve with a visit to the metropolis of Lisbon. A beautiful and colorful city with plenty to do! Great to experience the atmosphere of Lisboa during your holiday. Need inspiration for a day trip to Lisbon? Here we share some nice tips with you for one day.
TRANSPORT
Lisbon can be reached from the Algarve in just 2.5 hours, largely via the A2 highway. Along the way you drive through beautiful landscapes and plenty of beautiful stops. In this way time flies!
Not in for a drive? Then take the train to Lisbon. We did this from Albufeira. The train station of Albufeira is called Albufeira Ferreiras and is about 7 kilometers from the center. So you really have to go here by taxi or your own rental car. Parking is free here next to the station.
The station where you have to be in Lisbon is called Lisbon Oriente. A return ticket Albufeira-Lisbon costs € 38,- p.p.
Tip: Book a return ticket from Albufeira right away. This way you are assured of guaranteed seats on the way back. Otherwise it may happen that the train is full and you can no longer come along.
Then, upon arrival at the station in Lissbon, buy a day ticket for € 6.80 p.p. This gives you unlimited travel on the metro and bus for 1 day. Super handy!
To get to the center of the city, continue from Oriente station by metro. To do this, take the red line and change at Alameda station. Here you take the green line and get off at the Rossio stop. Then you have arrived in the heart of Lisbon!
WHAT TO DO IN LISBON?
TRAM 28
Google Lisbon and you will see a yellow tram. Tram 28 is world famous and looks cool and vintage. This line allows you to see the historic center of Lisbon in about 50 minutes. A single ticket costs about € 3 per person and can be bought from the conductor. Of course you can also use your day ticket for this!
However, it is always very busy with both tourists and locals. So go very early or at the end of the afternoon if you want to be sure of a spot on the tram.
PASTÉIS DE BELEM
Portugal is known for the Pastéis de Belem, also known as Pastéis de Nata. A delicious round custard cake with the top slightly blanched. We always take a few home from Portugal!
We as real enthusiasts had to visit the origin of this delicacy. Let this just be in Lisbon!
The shop where these sweets come from still exists and is located in the Belem district. To visit this, take bus 15E. From there you can walk. You will not miss the shop easily as there is always a line here. In the unlikely event that there is no queue? You can recognize the shop by the blue awnings with white letters and the blue tiles.
You can pick up some pastéis de natas here. There is a separate take away row for this. You can also enjoy one (or two or three..) on the spot while enjoying a cup of coffee or tea. There are 400 places available, but they fill up quickly.
Did you manage to get a spot? Then they come to the table to take your order and the delicacies and drinks are brought. One pastéis is only €1.10. Cheap and well worth your money!
TORRE DE BELEM
Eaten enough? Then walk to the other side. In the water lies the cool Torre de Belem. An old defense tower and gateway located on the Tagus from the year 1500, declared a national monument and a place on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Go up the narrow stairs and enjoy the beautiful view over the Tagus and Lisbon from the third floor. You can also see the Ponte 25 de Abril bridge, which looks suspiciously like the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. Could be right because this bridge was designed by the same architect.
MERCADO DA RIBEIRA LISBON
Fan of local products and do you have a kitchen in your apartment? Then pay a visit to Mercado da Ribeira Lisbon. But even if you don’t want to buy fresh products to cook with but want to score something on the spot, you’re also in the right place. Mercado da Ribeira Lisbon can be compared with our market hall in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. Here and there some food trucks and catering tents. Nice, cozy and all under one roof!
SHOPPING
Shopping in Lisbon is very good! The nicest shopping street in the city center is Rua Augusta. There are also many side streets with nice shops around this.
In the Baixa district you will find the tourist shops so if you need to score souvenirs, do it here!
Rainy day? Then go for the large shopping center Centro Comercial Colombo. Here you will find hundreds of shops and restaurants.
In the lower town of Baixa, the shops in the shopping streets are mainly aimed at tourists. The Rua Augusta in the downtown area is the main shopping street. There are also many good shops in the streets parallel to Rua Augustra.
SPOTTING TILES
What we love about Portugal are the cheerful colored tiles on the houses and buildings. If you look closely you can see them almost everywhere in all kinds of patterns. This gives such a nice atmosphere to the city.