We suggest a four day Lisbon city break in Portugal should be spent taking in all the sights and sounds, that the city has to offer.
Youtube link to the JustRetired50Plus recommended Lisbon, Portugal tour Video:-
To view the video select:- https://youtu.be/hb7NTRkyAXA
Lisbon, Portugal’s capital city a vibrant city, with an historic maritime backbone
For a four day city break, Portugal cannot be recommended enough. It is the most westerly capital city in mainland Europe. The city is one of the least expensive European capitals, draped over a series of hills facing the Tejo estuary. Its west coast position facing the Atlantic Ocean, gave it the opportunity to become the centre of a historic maritime empire, stretching from Brazil to Indonesia. Lisbon oozes history and tradition on foot of this maritime dominance. Its city streets are both memorable and vibrant, lined with ample cafes and restaurants. Along with its quaint old trams and cobbled streets, it sports eye-catching modern architecture, giving the visitor a unique destination to visit.
A sense of Lisbon, Portugal
Portuguese is the language of Lisbon, however, the vast majority of the cities population speak very good English.
During our visit to Lisbon we choose to spend four days staying in an AirB&B letting, on Rua Garcia de Orta. It was a very large letting covering the complete top of a house, in one of the stately old four storey properties, on the old tram line near to the Basilica de Estrela. It was a short tram ride from our accommodation to the old town and the main pedestrianised shopping area, including Rua Augusta, and within easy walking distance of the cobbled alleyways of the Baixa shopping and cultural quarter, which is a nice place to wander around during the day and “do lunch” in one of its many lovely traditional and quirky restaurants. There are a multiplicity of coffee shops and bars, in which to relax, when retail therapy gets too much.
Lisbon remains a safe city relative to other European cities, provided of course that you take common sense precautions.
Following our four day day in the city we moved out to the western coastal town of Cascais for another three nights stay.
Recommendations for Lisbon, Portugal
A great way to spend four days in Lisbon, in our opinion, would be something along the following:
Day 1: Explore the City of Lisbon - get a ticket online and do the hop-on hop-off double-decker yellow bus tour of Lisbon, taking in all the sights, be sure to get off the bus for a bit of history at Torre de Belem, with its decorative embattlements, now stands on the waters edge. The land has been reclaimed. Torre de Belem originally stood on an island as a protective tower for shipping. Take in the position of the near-by Waterside nightclub area - for those interested in returning there for after dark nightclubs.
Day 2: Do the Christ the King statue tour and take in the multiplicity of shops in the downtown shopping district on your return to the cities old town.
Day 3: Take the trip around the Moorish era of “Castelo de Sao Jorge” overlooking Alfama, this is a great place to wander around. Like most labyrinthine medieval quarters it is quite small.
Day 4: If you are interested in cultural attractions, take in the Museums, particularly “Museum Nacional do Azulejo”, “Palacio Nacional de Queluz” and the “Calouste Gulbenkian” museums.
As the city rests on a series of hills, be sure to take the public lifts, where available, between the different elevations. It will save your feet as there is quite a bit of walking to be done during your visit to Lisbon.
I suppose all good things come to an end. So its time to pack up. If your flight is in the evening, it should be possible to leave your luggage in your AirB&B letting or your hotel’s designated luggage room and perhaps hit the shops for the last minute gifts, or you can always linger on a bar stool with your glass of preferred wine or beer……………..”What’s not to like about that !”
Our must see recommendation for a trip to Lisbon, Portugal:-
(1) Take a one day city guided food tour, around the heart of the city with a knowledgeable native guide, dropping off in different eateries to savour the local culinary delights.
(2) Do the Torre de Belem tour and take in the Christ the King statue tour.
(3) Strolling around the Alfama medieval quarter.
The average cost per person / per week is €500 (depending on type of hotel/ accommodation selected).
All of the tour tickets are available over the web where some savings can be made.
“You should travel away from home, to really appreciate the value of what you have at home, on your return.”
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