I flew to Lisbon alone during the COVID-19 period and the experience had advantages as well as disadvantages. On the one hand, there were no queues anywhere that is usually very touristy. On the other hand, the city felt very “asleep” without many people on the streets, so I didn’t get to experience Lisbon properly but I still had an amazing trip.
Tips before travelling to Lisbon
SIM card
I personally recommend using an ESIM, which is an electronic SIM, and recommend Airalo. I was very satisfied with their user experience (simple tutorial videos for operating the SIM card) and everything worked without any special problems. I wrote more about them in an extended post on the subject of taking a SIM card abroad and also about other options such as buying a local SIM card.
Blog followers have a 15% discount code for the Airalo company to purchase an ESIM – to redeem the discount, click on this link. The discount code is already included in the link. See it at checkout.
The biggest drawback at the moment is that some devices do not support an electronic SIM. How can you know if your device supports the electronic card? Very simple: go to this link and you can see. Link to which devices support ESIM.
Attractions in Lisbon
You can get ideas for other cool things you can do on the various attraction sites and even order through them (sometimes at a discounted price). The first attraction tiqets the second is Viator and the third is Get your guide.
How do you get from the airport to the hotel?
I arranged with a driver named Paolo (+702 427 966 351) – the most charming driver I have ever met!! -, who later drove me both to the Ministry of the Interior and for a COVID-19 test. He is super nice and super professional and I highly recommend him. He charges very fair prices and the cost of traveling from the airport to the hotel was 15 euros.
A recommended hotel in Lisbon
I booked the Alegria Boutique Hotel – a centrally-located place in the old part of Lisbon. The hotel is colorful, with an excellent a la carte breakfast (from the menu) and insanely luxurious and spacious rooms, with an extremely courteous service. The cost of the hotel was very cheap, about 350 euro for 5 nights. But from what I understood, these were very cheap prices because of the coronavirus, and in a normal situation the cost should be more expensive. Search for more hotels in Lisbon.
How do you get around in Lisbon?
Getting around in Lisbon is very convenient. There is a variety of public transportation – metro, buses and trams (Lisbon’s iconic train), train and taxis. I received the Lisboa card from the Ministry of Tourism, which allows free travel on public transport (including a train to Sintra), free entry to some sites, and a discount on some sites. This is a great option for those who come for a few days and want to explore Lisbon. There is a ticket for 24 hours or 48 or 72.
A food tour
I really like to do food tours in new destinations and the truth is that this was the only thing I had already decided on from Israel. I did the tour with Felipa from Taste of Lisboa. I met her with Roman at a tourism conference in Israel and she invited us to join her on a food tour when we arrive in Lisbon. So although I didn’t arrive with something new, I wanted to take advantage of Felipe’s invitation and go on a tour with her. Again, because of the situation, I was the only one there, but it didn’t detract from the fun of the tour.
Felipa is really cute and explains everything in a very clear and simple way. She told me a lot of stories about Lisbon and took me to the most local and familiar places available. We tasted a lot of delicious things during the tour (I don’t want to tell you what exactly so that you will have a surprise if you go with her). The tour I did is called Lisbon Routes and it is in the lower part of the city. Of course the whole excursion was also accompanied by alcohol and I really enjoyed it. The time of the tour is approximately 3 and a half – 4 hours and it is recommended to go with comfortable shoes.
Felipa’s phone number +908 601 915 351
Amazing viewpoints
One thing that is both an advantage and disadvantage in Lisbon is that there are many hills and valleys – so you have to be in shape and walk around with comfortable shoes. But the good thing about these elevations is that there are amazing vantage points in the city. I had the chance to visit several viewpoints and really liked Portas do sol (directions) and the highest viewpoint in the city Miradouro da Senhora do Monte (directions).
The ancient Roman Theater
It is an ancient theater from the Roman period that could hold up to 4000 people. Today there is a small part of it left but it has an impressive museum. One thing I really liked is that if you go straight down the path and turn left to the door, you’ll see there is a special observation point that looks very picturesque (directions).
The ancient cathedral of Lisbon Sé de Lisboa
A cathedral that has both a museum and small balconies with a view of the river and Lisbon. Entrance there costs 3 euros. It is forbidden to take pictures inside the museum, but you can take pictures of the cathedral and the view as well 😊 (directions).
A tuktuk tour
I discovered the places I mentioned above with a tuktuk driver (or rather an open car). I found him by chance because I only asked him to drive me to the castle and he then told me he could give me a tour of some historical sites and lookouts, as well. He ended up providing a one-hour tour. The vehicle has room for 6 people and usually he does the tour for groups at a cost of 70 euros. But because of the coronavirus, there were almost no tourists in general, and I was the only one on his tour, so he offered to do it for 30 euros and of course I agreed.
The driver’s name is Vinicius and he is from the company Your Face Tour. He was really nice and took pictures of me and told me about the historical background of a place we visited. Warmly recommended.
Belem area
The day before my flight back home, I considered resting in a hotel because I felt exhausted from all the rounds in the city but then when I was in a cafe I asked the waitress for tips and she said I had to visit the Belem area. She showed me where I should go and of course instead of a day of rest I ended up having a day full of activities.
The Belem area is an excellent zone for families because there is a stunning promenade, a bike path and a large park. In addition, there are many restaurants and food and drink stalls.
Places you must visit in Belem
The promenade itself is magical, with many food and drink stalls along it and restaurants. What’s nice about the stalls is that they also put tables and chairs so you can sit there and watch the river and the fishermen and enjoy food and drinks while doing so.
The Belem Tower is a stunning tower – it looks like a castle and you can climb it to the top for an observation point, but because of the coronavirus, the entrance was closed, so I didn’t have the chance to check it out.
Buy tickets online to Belem tower
memorial statue Padrão dos Descobrimentos
At a 10-minute walk from the tower, however, there is the memorial statue Padrão dos Descobrimentos, where there is also an observation point that was open. Normally there is a long line, but luckily when I arrived, there was no one else. The entrance costs 6 euros for an adult and it is definitely worth going up because the view from there is amazing.
In front of the statue there is a stunning Jerónimos Monastery with beautiful gardens.
Buy tickets online to Jerónimos Monastery
Close to the monastery there is a CCB museum that the waitress recommended but I didn’t have time to see it.
And, in addition, there is a large park with many restaurants next to it and a bakery known for the national pastry Pastéis de Belém. Usually there is a queue of hours there but luckily there was only a really short one when I arrived.
A Thai massage
The journey to Lisbon was long because there were no direct flights so I had to go through France. The good thing was that Air France has Wi-Fi on the plane.
Because my whole body ached from the 15-hour journey, the first thing I did on the plane was to send an email to a Thai massage place to book an appointment for a massage for the same day. I ordered a traditional one at Siam Thai massage and was blown away!!! It was among the best Thai massages I’ve had (and I was in Thailand for three months). If you are into Thai massages, this is the place to go. Clean, quiet and with a massage of the highest quality.
An ancient elevator to an observation point
Unfortunately, I couldn’t take the elevator because it was closed (due to the coronavirus, as mentioned), but it looked really cool to me and I saw a recommendation for it in several places. The lift is called Santa Justa lift (directions).
Tram ride
I’m sure you’ve seen pictures of the tram in Lisbon, it’s considered an icon in the city that’s been operating for 150 years so of course you can’t go there without riding it. Although the ride itself is no different from any other electric train, it is so beautiful and special, you must experience it.
Shopping
I usually don’t go shopping abroad because since I started the blog I got used to flying a lot and usually with a small trolley, so I’ve found less time and space for shopping. However, this time I only travelled with a trolley but since I hadn’t flown for a year-and-a-half, I felt like buying clothes, especially when I saw that there are lots of shops there that I like. My best surprise was the Springfield store in the Amoreiras Mall (a luxury mall that reminds of the TLV Mall for those who like the concept) but the Springfield store has great prices with a lot of deals and I really liked their style.
In addition, there is a whole boulevard of brand stores such as Mango and Zara Rua da Prata and in general there are many areas of clothing stores in Lisbon.
Botanical gardens
I have been to many botanical gardens in the world. It always feels like an escape from the big city to me. The ones in Lisbon were not among the most impressive I’ve been to, but they are beautiful and reminded me of a relaxed walking trail in nature. If you are in the area, I think it can definitely be a great place to visit, especially if you come with children because there is a large space where they can run. Entrance costs 3 euros per adult and the gardens are open from 10 am (directions).
A small food market and a cute garden
I came to this place by chance while walking to the botanical gardens. It is a three-minute walk from the gardens and on Thursdays and Fridays there are several food and souvenir stalls as well as a really beautiful garden with a coffee stand. It is definitely worth combining the gardens with this area on Thursdays or Fridays. Jardim Franca Borges (directions).
A town from the legends – Sintra
Fourty minutes from Lisbon by train there is a town that should not be missed – Sintra. It is a very famous town because of its crazy castles. Unfortunately, though at the same time happily, due to the coronavirus there were almost no people there, therefore there were no queues for the castles, so I was able to take a picture without people in the background. Normally there are supposed to be thousands of people per day, so I recommend getting there early. The truth is that I think it’s worth going there for two or three days because you can’t do everything in a single day. I managed to go to two castles, Catsel o dos Mourus, an amazing castle with a crazy view, the entrance there costs 8 euros per person, and the second place was a palace from the legends – Pena Pena Palace; words cannot describe its beauty, so look at some pictures, and the cost to get there is 14 euros.
I got around there on the hop and off bus that runs every half hour and costs 7 euros for the whole day to these two castles and the historic area of the town. After the two castles I continued with the bus to the historical area for lunch and sangria in a restaurant and then returned by train to Lisbon.
Link to a detailed post about Sintra
Eat pastel de nata
I’m not a big fan of pastries but by chance when I went on my first night in Lisbon I decided to try a small pastry that I thought would be nice. I didn’t expect it to be the flagship bakery of Lisbon and that it would be so delicious!!! It’s crispy on the outside and creamy on the inside and it’s not too sweet. From that moment I was addicted to it and found three great places to buy it.
The first is the famous bakery in Belem that I wrote about in the previous section and the other two places are Nataria Nacional (directions) and the second is Manteigaria (directions). Both are great bakeries to buy Pastel de Nata.
Recommended cafes
I love cafes and every time I’m abroad, I look for good cafes. This time I found three great places that you shouldn’t miss. All three are modern, with good food and good coffee.
Zenith Cafe
A chic and modern cafe with lots of seating inside and a varied menu of healthy, light and decadent foods.
I went there for a light lunch because that day I also had a food tour and I didn’t want to get too full.I chose a berry yogurt bowl with fresh fruit and granola and a cappuccino to finish.
Nicolau café
On the second day in Lisbon I wanted to go to a cafe and was debating where, then, out of nowhere, one of my followers on Instagram sent me a message with a recommendation for a cafe that she really liked. So of course I immediately went there and was enthusiastic about the recommendation. It’s a cafe with an excellent atmosphere and outdoor and indoor seating. I ordered a carrot cake with cream and strawberries and cappuccino, and I really liked both the cake and the place.
Frutaria café
A cafe I came to when nearly closing after my day trip in Sintra. I really wanted coffee and something tasty with it so I chose an iced coffee and caramelized banana cake. The cafe is designed in a really cool way and the waiters there are super nice. The waitress was the one that recommended me the Belem area and even though they were about to close, she was extremely patient and gave me lots of recommendations for about fifteen minutes. 😊 In short, both great service and great food and drinks.
Recommended restaurants
When I travel with Roman, the restaurant side of our trips is very strong because we really like to share food and try many dishes in different restaurants. This time, because I was traveling alone, I felt less like sitting in restaurants, but I got to do so in two restaurants that are highly recommended.
One is a local Portuguese restaurant with seafood and meats that was recommended to me by the tuktuk driver I was traveling with. The restaurant is called Maria Catita and I had an excellent octopus dish and had a refreshing drink called Porto Tonic (I recommend you try it, you won’t regret it).
The other place I tried is an excellent Asian restaurant!! I was really upset that Roman was not with me so we could share many dishes. I decided to only order a Pad Thai dish, which was amazing. The restaurant is called Boa Bao. Its dishes are not cheap but at reasonable prices and the level there is very high.
Another place I really liked that I didn’t sit in, but did order a dish from as a takeaway is Hawaii Poke-In. If you’re looking for a light, tasty, satisfying meal at a great price (about 8 euros) then you really should come to this place. It was close to my hotel and I really enjoyed the salmon dish (mixed with mango) and you can choose any toppings you want.
In conclusion, Lisbon is an amazing and fun city. It has everything from everything. Super nice people and delicious food and fine wine. I’m already waiting for the next time I travel there.
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