Lisbon guide
We hope this guide helps you to enjoy this incredible city . I imagine you can read the typical things to do in Lisbon in your pocket guides. Here I'll try to show you a different way to enjoy Lisbon, near the apartment area.
Fun things to do:
Most of the monuments and interesting places to visit (like Miradouro São Pedro de Alcântara, Castelo de São Jorge, Baixa, Brasileira café, Rossio, Praça do Comércio, Alfama) are in walking distance from the apartment.
Belém is quite far away. You can take the public transport at Cais do Sodré, but a fun way to visit Belém and its monuments is by bike. You can rent one in Bikeiberia (Largo do Corpo Santo n. 5), just 5 minutes walking from the apartment, and I'm sure you'll enjoy Belem in a different way. Bikeiberia staff will informe you of other things to do , like visiting Caparica beaches, or going to Sintra or Cascais by bike. Take one of the fliers in the drawer of the white furniture near the door, and you will get a discount of 15% in a bike guided tour.
The best places to enjoy the views, rest, and have a drink;
Lisbon has plenty of "miradouros" (belvedere points). In most of them, you can enjoy the incredible views, have a beer, eat a light meal or enjoy the sunset. I can recommend you some, near the apartment.
By the wine : In Rua das Flores 41-43, in the pararell street behind. It's a new place, very nice decorated, and good to go in winter. You can drink a cup of a lot of differents portuguese wines, with oysters, or very good spanish ham and fresh bread. Noobai (largo de Sta. Catarina).
All of these following places are beautiful spots where you can enjoy a light meal or a drink with incredible views over Lisbon.
Noobai Café (Largo de Santa Catarina), Lost in (Príncipe Real) Kiosk in Miradouro São Pedro de Alcântara Park, Parking in rooftop Calçada do Combro , Rooftop of Hotel Mundial , Zambeze Restaurant (after the second lift to go to the Castle you are going to see this beautiful place, of one of the most beautiful views of Lisbon).
Near from here you have the incredible Palacio Verride with its very nice and good restaurant Suba. Here you can have a lunch in the weekdays for 25 Euro, than it's worth a lot. Quality food, incredible views and service.
Bonita Mercearia very near of the picturesque Bica Elevator, is a very new nice place. You can have a wine and try specialities from Portugal and Galiza .
Summer concerts in July weekends
If you like opera and classic music, you have an opportunity to enjoy it for free. Every weekend in July, there are concerts in lyric theater square (Largo do São Carlos). You can have a look . It's worth it! https://www.festivalaolargo.com/
Where to have a brunch:
Sama sama : crepes and juices. Just 3 minutes down the street from the apartment.
Restaurante Sumaya (Libanes brunch in Príncipe Real)
Kaffehaus , this austrian coffe, justa 5 minutes walking from the apartment, in the heart of Chiado, offers you a good brunch. In summer, you can enjoy the meals in the pleasant terrace.
Paõ de Canela , in the romantic Praça das Flores, has one of the most famous brunch in Lisbon.
Where to eat:
You have a lot of restaurants near the apartment.
Cais do Sodré area
Just going down the stairs, the first door to the left, there's a very good fish restaurant called
Peixola. Delicous food.
In the stairs you have the great restaurant "Mesón Andaluz". Nice terrace and better food.
If you going down the stairs just to the right of the apartment street door, and go left, the first door is a very good restaurant called Vicente carnalentejana. Tasty meet and really nice decoration!.
Going down the street, you can see to the right a pedestrian street (The Pink Street Rua Nova do Carvalho) with plenty of restaurants. You can go there, just for a drink, or have dinner with multiple options. There is a wide variety of typical Portuguese restaurants with very good Portuguese food (and quite cheap!) Rosinha de São Paulo , Restaurante Rio Grande .
Here is a site with some restaurants in the area https://www.portugalrestaurants.com/regioes/cais-sodre.html
In the famous Rua da Bica, opened this restaurant with a very pleasant terrace for warm summer nights "Santa Bica".
If you want to eat fabulous sea food with incredible views over Lisbon, and enjoy a boat trip, you can take a ferry to Cacilhas in Cais do Sodré station (every 10 minutes on weekdays) , and you will find several restaurants with very good sea food and reasonable price. Restaurant "O Farol", is just 1 minute walking after leaving the ferry. If you walk towards the 25 April Bridge, you'll find another beautiful restaurants. In the Summer you can eat outside in an "earth arm" in the middle of the river. Views to Lisbon are incredible!. One restaurant is Brazilian "Atira-te ao Rio" and the last one is Portuguese "Ponto Final"
Here you have a reference of all of them https://www.thelisbonconnection.com/from-restaurantfarol-in-cacilhas-to-cristo-rei-statue/
Príncipe Real area.
If you are a group, I recommend you to go to this private house in Principe Real. Casa de Manuel Pessoa . This place is not in any guide!. Manel Pessoa cooks delicious food for you for 20 euros per person. You can taste several starters, a fish and a meat dishes, a delicious dessert, and more less, a bottle of wine for every two people. It's really worth. Tell Manuel than Didier and Esther recommend you the place.
Atalho Real. It's just for meat. You can enjoy in the recovered palace and in the great garden. Good to go with children to the garden.
Bairro Alto area:
Bairro Alto has lots of restaurants and trendy shops open at night. There you can find restaurants for every taste: from very typical and cheap places (tascas) to very sophisticated and international food ones. The difficult thing is to choose! Some suggestions:
Typical food: Adega das Mercês Baralto
Internation cuisine : Thai cuisine, Italian food, International food Peixaria moderna This is a fish restaurant, but here I can recommend you the fusion with japonese food (to eat fish, is cheaper to go a "tasca" with typical portuguese food. The sushi is delicious , Libanes food Tantura
Chiado area:
In Chiado you have some of the best and most sophisticated restaurants in the city. If you can afford it, you can try, these two restaurants:
Belcanto awarded a "Michelin Star" The Chef Avillez has 4 restaurants more in Chiado. I recommend you MiniBar in São Luis Theater. The food is amazing and the price-quality is very good. You eat food at the same quality of restaurants with a michelin star. Largo restaurant. Palacio do Chiado is an incredible 1700 palace in Rua do Alecrim 70 , when you can find inside a lot of differents restaurants. Sushi, burgers, meat and fish restaurats in an incredible place. You have a lot of options, these restaurants are just an idea for you.
Where to go out at night.
Here you have a lot of options too. The trendiest places at this moment are just 30 meters to the apartment.
Pensão do Amor is the trendiest place at the moment. Go there at least once during your stay to have a drink. Bairro Alto is plenty of nice places to go out at night in a cosmopolitan atmosphere.
You can have a look at these links. https://www.lonelyplanet.com/portugal/lisbon/travel-tips-and-articles/77072
Things to do with kids:
If you are travelling with children, you have these places to eat, than probably they will love. Honorato Chiado,Largo Rafael Bordallo Pinheiro 12. Very good made-home hamburguers with "real chips" and good gins too.
Pizzas:
Mezzogiorno in Rua Garret 19
Zero Zero in Principe Real area is a good quality pizzas with an incredible garden.
Atalho Real. It's just for meat. You can enjoy in the recovered palace and in the great garden. Good to go with children to the garden.
I recommend too, to go to the Oceanario, in Expo Area. Specially when it's raining. If you don't know want to do, this is a very good plan with children. You can always go to "Pabilhão do Conhecimento" in Expo Area too.
Out of Lisbon, Quinta da Regaleira in Sintra is a very good option too.
Where to buy fresh vegetables and food:
Near the flat , in Cais do Sodré, you have the "Ribeira Market". You can see the copola from the terrace. If you want to buy fresh vegetables, flowers, good fish, go there. It's worth seeing the atmosphere. To buy food you have some options near the apartment. Going down the stairs to your right and then turn right again you have the supermarket Minipreço . You can buy food, vegetables, and things you need on your day. Also, in Cais do Sodré train station you have the supermarket "Pingo Doce". In Rua do Alecrim there's a supermarket called "Meu Super". https://marketeer.pt/2017/08/22/meu-super-abre-na-rua-do-alecrim-em-lisboa/
In most of the streets you can find a lot of little shops that sell fruit and vegetables.
I hope you enjoy Lisbon! Esther