This was a sightseeing trip to Lisbon and Porto taken at the end of May. The following is our itinerary.
Day 1
We flew into Lisbon Airport shortly after midday. The metro in Lisbon is good and efficient but in order to maximise sightseeing time we took a taxi to our hotel, which was situated centrally in Baixa (pronounced B/eye/sha).Our first activity was a trip to the National Tile Museum (Museum Nacional do Azulejo). This proved to be an excellent introduction to the trip – there are tiles,tiles and more tiles everywhere in both cities. There is a lavish, high baroque church within the museum at which we duly marvelled. The evening was spent walking around Baixa, enjoying tiled facades (all very photogenic) and riding the Elevador de Santa Justa, which was built in 1902 by Gustave Eiffel’s apprentice Raul Mesuier. There are excellent views from the top.
Day 2
We travelled to Belem (locally pronounced ‘Billungh’). Tram 15 goes from the Praca do Comercio but this gets very crowded indeed! It is better to walk a little further and catch a train. Our first stop in Belem was the 16th century Mosterios dos Jeronimos with its elaborate Manueline architecture, which more than justified the wait in the queue- we were so glad we didn’t give up!
Everyone says you have to eat and love pasteris de nata (custard tarts). The best are to be found in Belem at Antiga Confeitana a Belem, where you can take a table or buy them to take away. My daughter bought a pack of six, ate them all and said they’d exceeded her wildest expectations. I thought they were disgusting.
An unexpected delight was the Jardin Botanico Tropical. Some reviews describe this garden as being run down or neglected in parts. However we found this charming in the way that architectural ruins can be charming. Dilapidated old greenhouses have giant cacti escaping from them, growing up trees to a great height and becoming trees in their own right. There are also fountains, ponds a great array of tropical planting and peacocks everywhere- even roosting in the trees.
After this we headed to the Torre de belem, which unfortunately, was closed for repair and refurbishment, so we settled for a lemon ice cream served in a hollowed out lemon.
In the evening, we took a ride on Tram 28. This ancient tram ride through historic Lisbon is charming but in retrospect it wasn’t necessary to ride the whole route. it runs from Baixa, through Alfama and then back through Baixa at a different point – this would have been a good point to get off and spend longer over dinner.
Day 3
We spent this day in the Alfama area. Starting at the top of the hill, we visited the Castelo de Sao Jorge. The views from the picturesque ruins are stunning as are the ruins themselves. It is also packed with peacocks. It is very worthwhile to explore the narrow streets around the castle before heading off to the next thing.
There are churches and museums scattered throughout Alfama. We visited the Se de Lisboa, which, in a city dripping with tiles, frescoes, gold and ornamentation was something of a palate cleanser. We also visitied the Mosteiro de Sao Vinciente de Fora for a rich diet of tiles and fancy ceilings.
Day 4
We travelled to Porto by train from Lisbon Oriente Station, easily accessible by metro. This is a very efficient service and got us there by lunchtime.
Porto is dazzlingly beautiful. Tiles are everywhere (especially the blue and white variety), with the exteriors of some churches entirely covered in them.
Our first thing was Livraria Lello, ‘the most beautiful bookshop in the world’. You have to book online but were able to do this while in the queue. Employees in ‘Ask me’ tee shirts walk about explaining the system and helping. You pay 10 Euros to get in but get this back against the cost of anything you buy- and you do want to buy! It’s a very good system to deal with the huge numbers of people who want to cram into the place to get selfies.
We then spent the evening exploring the historic streets on foot.
Day 5
Time for Ribeira, the UNESCO world heritage area that is the heart and soul of Porto. We visited the Se, dripping with golden ornamentation. Then we took a tour of the Palacio da Bolsa ( neo classical stock exchange, originally intended as a palace). This provided a very entertaining history lesson and a sight of the jaw-dropping, must-see Arabian Hall. From there we went on to the Igreja de Sao Francisco. If you only see one thing in Porto, see this. Gothic on the outside, the baroque interior drew gasps from us even after four days of amazing sights. This was THE THING of the whole trip.
In the afternoon, we headed across the Dom Luis 1st Bridge, built by another student of Eiffel, to Gaia. Top tip; walk across the lower level of the bridge then get the cable car to the higher level to get back. This is the port wine area and it is de rigeur to take a tour of a port wine lodge, including tasting. Happy Days!
Day 6
The last day! We took Tram 1, which leaves from the front of the Igreja de Sao Francisco and takes you down to Foz do Douro. As with all trams in Lisbon and Porto, you pay on the tram. Foz is a perfectly serviceable bit of seaside. Not a must-do or a must-see but you can walk along the very front by the sea and find some nicish cafes and a Sea Life Centre if you want to get out of the heat for a bit.
On returning to Ribeira, following a very picturesque last supper by the river, we took the funicular situated just beyond the bridge on the Ribeira side, which went all the way up almost back to our hotel.
General Comments
English is widely spoken in both cities and nobody expects you to use more than a shameful little bit of courtesy Portuguese. It is generally not expensive. There are lovely cafes, bars and restaurants everywhere and it is easy to stay refreshed. Porto has a gentler vibe then Lisbon, but there is more to do in Lisbon. We could easily have spent another day or two there.
We didn’t book anything in advance and there didn’t seem to be any particular advantage (eg shorter queues) to doing so. It was very, very bright and very, very hot when we went which was exhausting but meant everything was shown off to its brilliant best. I wouldn’t want to go in high summer!
