Best Things to Do in Lisbon: 12 Experiences Worth Your Time (+What to Skip)
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Lisbon reminds us a lot of San Francisco. Both cities share the same steep hills, the same iconic red suspension bridge, and the same historic streetcars rattling through colourful neighbourhoods.
We've spent time in both, and we actually prefer the Portuguese capital. Lisbon feels older, more affordable, more walkable, and packed with the kind of history and character we keep coming back for.
We've visited Lisbon twice and spent a total of two weeks exploring the city. The experiences we still think about include the panoramic views from São Jorge Castle, wandering through the cloisters of Jerónimos Monastery (one of the most beautiful buildings we've ever stepped inside), and soaking up the creative energy at LX Factory.
If you're planning your first trip to Lisbon, this guide will help you focus on the experiences that are genuinely worth your time. It's not a list of everything you could do. It's the places we’d tell our friends to prioritise if they were planning their first Lisbon trip.
We'll also tell you which famous attractions we'd skip if we only had a few days in the city, like visiting the Pilar 7 Bridge Experience and riding the famous Tram 28.
Don't miss these!
Our Top Picks for Your Lisbon Trip
Lisbon is an incredibly popular and trendy destination, and the best tours and hotels book out fast. Here are the ones we did ourselves and would book again.
Top Lisbon experiences
- Sunset boat cruise (the ONE experience we'd never skip in Lisbon, we had an unforgettable evening on the water)
- Lisbon essential walking tour (the best way to understand the city before exploring on your own)
- Fado show in Alfama (a must if you've never heard fado live before, completely unique to Lisbon)
Where to stay in Lisbon
- Lisboa Carmo Hotel – Our #1 hotel pick, we loved the castle and river views from our upper floor room
- Room Select Liberdade – One of the highest-rated budget options in central Lisbon
Save money on sights and transport: The Lisboa Card covers entry to 50+ attractions and unlimited public transport, and it was one of the best investments of our trip. We got the 72-hour card and saved more than 50% compared to paying for everything separately.
Top things to do in Lisbon: 12 experiences we'd always prioritise
Lisbon has no shortage of things to do, and most lists will happily give you fifty of them. We've cut it down to twelve. These are the ones we'd book, walk to, or drag a friend to without needing to think twice.
1. Walk the ancient walls of Castelo de São Jorge
Castelo de São Jorge is a hilltop castle on Lisbon's highest historic hill. Don't expect a lavish palace with furnished rooms though.
What you actually get is huge fortress walls, beautiful gardens, and peacocks (more than 40!). We even spotted several baby peacocks on our visit.
But the view from the top is the highlight. In fact, it's the best panoramic viewpoint we found in Lisbon.
You can see the orange rooftops in every direction, the Tagus River, and the iconic Ponte 25 de Abril bridge (the Golden Gate-lookalike) in the distance. From up here you can see why Lisbon gets compared to San Francisco so often.
We had the Lisboa Card, which got us in free. But even more important, it let us skip the looong ticket queue when we arrived.
2. Get lost in Alfama, Lisbon's oldest district
Alfama is Lisbon's oldest neighbourhood, and it's our favourite part of the city. You've got narrow cobblestone streets, pastel-coloured buildings covered in hand-painted tiles, and laundry hanging above your head between the houses.
It survived the 1755 earthquake almost intact, so it still feels like old Lisbon in a way the rest of the city just doesn't.
There's no real checklist here, you just wander.
We heard a guitar playing somewhere in the distance, stumbled into a gorgeous small square, and got kind of obsessed with the tiles (our 200+ photos of them probably speak for themselves).
Almost every building is covered in them, and we just loved the huge variety of geometric patterns on the tiles.
Our top tip: If you want to understand Lisbon beyond the tiles and the viewpoints, a live Fado show is probably the closest you'll get. Fado is Portugal's deeply emotional traditional music, and it was born right here in Alfama. This Fado show is performed in a small historic venue, with the musicians explaining the meaning behind each song as they go, so it's accessible even if you don't speak Portuguese.
3. Eat your way through Lisbon
Lisbon's food scene is really, really good. The seafood is as fresh as it gets (like the bacalhau, a salted cod), and you'll also want to try Ginjinha (or simply ginja), which is a sweet cherry liqueur that's dangerously easy to drink.
Our top tip: If you want to try as many Portuguese dishes as possible in one go, this food and wine walking tour is a brilliant way to do it. You'll get 15 tastings across six stops with a local guide. And if you want to be able to make Lisbon's most iconic pastry yourself, this pastel de nata baking class walks you through the recipe from scratch.
But the thing you absolutely must eat is a pastel de nata. It's a small custard tart with a flaky, crispy shell and warm, creamy filling. There are strong opinions about who makes the best one in Lisbon.
We tried quite a few pastéis de nata during our trips, from regular cafés to pastelarias (pastry shops), and Manteigaria was the clear winner for us.
Pastéis de Belém (home of the original, secret recipe since 1837) gets all the fame, but Manteigaria's buttery, flaky crust is unbeatable, and because they're baked continuously in small batches, the custard is still molten when you eat them.
At their original location in Chiado, you can even watch the pastry chefs in the open kitchen while you wait for your tart. We actually couldn't get enough of them, and if you're anything like us, you'll be eating at least one a day.
🧑🍳 Make your own pastéis de nata and keep baking them long after you leave Lisbon
4. Visit the stunning Jerónimos Monastery in Belém
Jerónimos Monastery is a 16th-century monastery in the Belém district, and one of the most unexpectedly beautiful buildings we've ever walked into.
We saw this UNESCO World Heritage site from the outside on our first visit to Lisbon, so we made sure to go back on our second trip.
The exterior is gorgeous, but it doesn't compare to what's inside. Literally every surface is carved… not just a few feature pieces but the ENTIRE cloister.
The stonework is so delicate it almost looks like lace rather than solid stone, and the columns twist like ropes.
What stood out most though was the light. Most Gothic buildings we've visited are a bit dark and gloomy inside (Westminster in London is a good example), but Jerónimos is the opposite.
The pale limestone of the monastery combined with all that Lisbon sunshine makes the whole place glow.
The church that’s part of the monastery complex is free to enter, but you need a ticket for the cloister.
When we visited, it was already sold out for the day, but our Lisboa Card luckily got us in anyway. Without the card, we'd strongly suggest booking your monastery tickets in advance.
While you're in Belém, walk five minutes down to the riverfront to see Belém Tower. The 16th-century fortress sits right at the water's edge and is one of Lisbon's most iconic monuments.
It reopened in May 2026 after a year-long restoration project, and it looks super clean now.
5. Explore the city on a guided walking tour
We almost always start our trips with a walking tour… and Lisbon is a city where that really pays off!
You get a crash course in Lisbon’s rich history and culture right at the beginning, which makes everything you see on the rest of your trip make SO much more sense.
We've actually done three walking tours in Lisbon at this point, and this highly-rated walking tour is the one we enjoyed the most.
It covered the areas Bairro Alto, Alfama, and Chiado in three hours, and even included a tram ride and a pastel de nata with coffee along the way.
But the best part was the large mix of topics the tour covered, from street art and Moorish history to the 1755 earthquake and local legends.
We left with an understanding about the city that we could have never matched by just walking around on our own.
If you're visiting Lisbon for the first time and want to understand the city rather than just see it, this is probably the smartest way to spend your first morning.
6. Head to LX Factory, Lisbon’s coolest creative hub
LX Factory is a former industrial complex from 1846 that's been turned into this brilliant mix of independent shops, restaurants, bars, and street art.
If you know the Distillery District in Toronto, it has a similar energy, but with more colour and a lot more edge.
We stopped here on the way back from Belém to the city centre, which worked perfectly since it’s right along the same tram route.
Our favourite discovery was Livraria Ler Devagar, an independent bookshop inside an old printing press. The original industrial machinery is still standing in the middle of the room while books climb every wall around it.
We always love it when a building's history becomes part of the experience rather than something that gets painted over, and this is one of the best examples of that we've come across.
Btw, if you're here on a Sunday, there's also a flea market worth browsing.
7. Get out on the water with a Tagus River cruise
One of the most fun things to do in Lisbon is getting out on the water on a Tagus River cruise. It’ll give you a completely different perspective of the city.
There are loads of river cruise options out there. We went with this sunset catamaran cruise and we're SO glad we did.
It loops out along the Tagus past the Ponte 25 de Abril bridge and the Belém monuments while the sun goes down, with a welcome drink included per person.
Head straight to the nets at the front of the boat when you board… it's the best spot by far.
If wildlife is more your thing, there's also a very popular dolphin watching tour with a marine biologist that goes further out towards the Atlantic. We haven't done that one yet, but it's already on our Lisbon list for next time.
🚢 Sail past Lisbon's iconic Golden Gate lookalike as the sun goes down
8. Make a detour to Olaias Metro Station
A metro station on a to-do list? Yes, and Olaias is the first one we've ever included in one of our posts.
It was built for the 1998 World Expo, a massive global exhibition hosted by a different city every five years (we love them, we've been to the 2025 one in Osaka and the one before that in Dubai).
Admittedly, when you step off the train, the platform looks a bit old-fashioned. But once you walk into the main hall, you’ll see massive stained-glass panels, kaleidoscopic ceilings, and vibrant colours absolutely EVERYWHERE.
It looks like Picasso scrambled a Rubik's cube, and it's easily one of the most unique stations we've ever seen. The Guardian even named it one of the most beautiful metro stations in the world.
9. Take in the rooftop views from a miradouro
Lisbon is built on seven hills, which means there are amazing viewpoints everywhere.
They're called miradouros, totally free to visit, and one of the must-dos in Lisbon. We went to eight different ones, and some stood out to us more than others.
Our favourite free view was from Miradouro de São Pedro de Alcântara. The panorama is gorgeous, but what makes it special is that there's also a little park with benches, shade, and street musicians (jazz when we were there).
We sat there, watched the sundown, and munched away a box of fresh pastéis de nata.
Miradouro de Santa Luzia itself was the prettiest viewpoint, because of the beautiful pergola covered with flowers and painted tiles. But it’s a lot smaller and gets really crowded.
The one we'd skip is Miradouro das Portas do Sol. The views are fine, but it was full of aggressive sellers and not very well maintained.
10. Discover the cultural heart of Chiado
Chiado is Lisbon's historic literary and arts quarter, and the neighbourhood reminded us a lot of the Gothic Quarter in Barcelona.
It's moderately hilly by Lisbon standards, but easy to walk around, and full of beautiful streets worth exploring without a plan.
That said, if you want a few highlights to aim for:
We spent a full afternoon here just wandering between coffee stops, and honestly, we could have done it twice.
11. Visit the fairytale city of Sintra
Sintra is a 40-minute train ride from Lisbon and it feels like a completely different world.
The whole town is surrounded by green hills dotted with fairytale palaces and castles, which used to be the summer retreat for Portuguese royalty.
We've explored Sintra for three full days in total now. If you only have time for a day trip, pick one or two from this shortlist:
Our top tip: We completely underestimated how spread out Sintra's palaces are. You can't walk between them, and waiting for an Uber or a shuttle bus eats into your day. If you want to fit in more places, this guided day trip from Lisbon covers Pena Palace, Quinta da Regaleira, and the Cabo da Roca coastline in one go, and takes all the logistics off your plate.
12. Head to Cascais for a chic seaside getaway
Most people day-trip to Sintra and skip Cascais, but we'd say do both if you can. They show very different sides of the Lisbon region.
Cascais is a chic little seaside town about 40 minutes from Lisbon by train. The vibe is relaxed but upscale, with a beautiful old town, great restaurants, and a harbour that looks straight out onto the Atlantic.
We walked the coastal promenade from Estoril into Cascais, stopped at Boca do Inferno (dramatic rock formation carved by the sea), and explored the gorgeous Museu Condes de Castro Guimarães (a small palace right on the waterfront).
And whatever you do, don't skip Santini for ice cream. The queue was long, and we didn't care. It was THAT good!
The 5 experiences we’d skip
Lisbon has a few attractions that show up on most Lisbon bucket lists, and we get why… they look great on Instagram and are easy to recommend.
But after two weeks in the city, there are five things we'd comfortably skip without the FOMO. Not because they're bad, but because your precious time in Lisbon is better spent elsewhere.
Tuk-tuk tour
We did one, and while our driver was super friendly, it's not something we'd recommend to a first-time visitor.
The tuk-tuks crawl through narrow streets packed with pedestrians, and for a large chunk of our tour, people on foot were keeping up with us.
Beyond our own experience, the warnings we've heard from others put us off further.
A couple we met in Lisbon told us their driver made detours to commission-based shops. One of our readers complained that they paid inflated prices after not negotiating upfront.
And we overheard tourists complaining that their driver knew almost nothing about the city.
If you're really set on doing one, make sure you pre-book a highly-rated private tuk-tuk tour like this one. That way, you know the price, the route, and the quality before you get in.
But honestly, a walking tour will give you more for less.
Quake Experience
We love, love, love a good immersive museum, so after a great time at the Historium in Bruges, we were excited when we read about the Quake Experience.
The concept is interesting: they use interactive displays and simulations to walk you through the story of the 1755 earthquake that destroyed most of Lisbon.
The reality felt more like something designed for kids than adults. Each room is strictly time-limited, and with more visitors than audio devices, someone was always just waiting around.
The frustrating part was having no control over your own pace. Some rooms were interesting enough to linger in. Others we wanted to move through quickly. You can't do either.
At €29.50 (about US$32 or £25) per person, it's the most expensive museum we've ever been to, and we left feeling like we'd barely scratched the surface of the actual history.
Tram 28
The idea of riding Lisbon’s tram 28 is better than the reality. The historic yellow tram that rattles through some of the city’s most famous neighbourhoods looks amazing in photos. The problem is that everyone else thinks so too.
We spent longer queuing than riding, and once we got on, it was packed. We're talking London Central line at rush hour packed (if you know you know).
No room to breathe, let alone enjoy the scenery or take a photo. And standing in a huge tourist queue to experience authentic Lisbon is about as contradictory as it gets.
The best parts of the route are places you should be exploring on foot anyway. If you've never been on a tram before and just want the novelty, board at Martim Moniz or Campo de Ourique early in the morning. Otherwise, skip it.
Pilar 7 Bridge Experience
The Pilar 7 Bridge Experience is a viewing platform built into one of the pillars of the 25 de Abril Bridge (you know, the Golden Gate-lookalike). It sounds cool, and since our Lisboa Card included it, we figured why not.
The elevator was broken when we arrived. Based on reviews going back two years, that appears to be a recurring theme. So we climbed 30 storeys of stairs instead.
The platform was run-down and SOO loud from the traffic crossing next to us.
And the view? You look in one direction across six lanes of traffic, a railway line, and the paved waterfront. In a city full of free hilltop panoramas, this didn’t come close.
If you're into engineering, the bridge structure itself is impressive. But we'd give this a 2 out of 5 stars and suggest spending your time at any of the miradouros instead.
Time Out Market Lisboa
If you've done any research on Lisbon, you've probably come across Time Out Market. It's a huge food hall with dozens of restaurants under one roof, and it had a place on our list too.
The meal we had was good, but the experience could have happened in any major city. It was loud, crowded, and overpriced compared to the restaurants right outside the door.
If you only have a few meals in Lisbon, we wouldn't spend one eating next to hundreds of tourists doing exactly the same thing.
Practical tips for visiting Lisbon
Here are a few practical things that will make your first trip to Lisbon significantly smoother:
When is the best time to visit Lisbon?
Spring (March to May) and early autumn (September to October) are the sweet spots. The weather is warm enough for long days outside, prices are lower than in peak season, and the queues at major attractions are much more manageable.
Summer (June to August) is the busiest and most expensive time to visit. Temperatures frequently exceed 35°C (95°F), and many locals actually flee the city for the coast during these months.
We've been in both spring and autumn, and the city felt quite relaxed during both times.
How many days do you need in Lisbon?
For a well-rounded first trip, four days is the sweet spot. Two days give you enough time for the city's main highlights, and one day each for Sintra and Cascais makes for a near-perfect itinerary.
We've spent two weeks in Lisbon across our visits and never ran out of things to do. But for a first trip, four days cover all the Lisbon activities on this list without feeling rushed.
Where to go after Lisbon
We went to Lisbon expecting a beautiful city and came back with one of our favourite European destinations. The combination of history, food, viewpoints, and easy day trips to Sintra and Cascais is hard to beat.
If you're still building your Europe itinerary, Porto is an easy add-on from Lisbon (three hours by train and a completely different city), and we'd put both in our list of the European cities worth prioritising.
If you're thinking about combining Lisbon with more of southern Europe, the best things to do in Barcelona and the cities we'd pick in Southern Spain are both worth a read.
We hope this helps you plan your trip. Lisbon is a city we'd go back to without hesitation, and we think you'll feel the same way.
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