LISBON

 

 Notes: Lisbon can be done well in a day and a half

Bars:

  • Pensão Amor
  • PARK: a hidden bar in a parking garage , take graffiti stained elevator to top floor
  • Lisbonita
  • Sky bar..great view of lisbon at Tivoli Lisboa hotel
  • Baria Alta

 

Restaurants:

- Ramiros (not to be missed, fantastic seafood and fun experience)
- Leopold

- Belcanto

-O Arrastão - award winning fish stew

-Taberna Portuguesa

-Taberna Tosca for authentic pataniscas (codfish fritters) and superb cheese, ham and sausage

-Taberna Moderna (no website) serves traditional plates with a twist, and is renowned for its excellent in-house gin bar

Lisbonita (no website) – the capital’s first, offering up over 70 gins distilled with ingredients like cucumber, cardamom and citrus fruit.

-The Independente Hostel & Suites is one of the city's impressive crop of stylish hostels and the Decadente is its in-house restaurant

-Cantinho do Avillez

-Belcanto (Michelin)

- Tágide Wine and Tapas Bar, Chiado

-Seame : a modern take on seafood

- The nuns canteen: a hidden gem

-À Margem

- Try the vinho verde when you're out. Portugal is known for this.

 

How to get there:

  • We flew into the main airport in Lisbon. TAKE CABS EVERYWHERE HERE – they are incredibly cheap

 

Sights:

  • Lisbon Oceanarium: A little expensive but we loved it!! The area just outside of it is really pretty to walk around when it’s nice out.
  • Castle of Sao Jorge: Beautiful castle with amazing views of the city; really fun to walk around and explore
  • Praca do Comercio: A big square right on the water with gorgeous architecture and a big statue
  • Monument to the Discoveries: One of the coolest monuments I’ve ever seen, right on the water in Belem
  • Belem –
    • Jeronimos Monastery and Belem Tower

    • The actual neighborhood of Belem has amazing food and is nice to walk around

    • Pasteis de Belem and order the special pastry that they are famous for.

Day Trip:

  • Sintra - totally worth the day trip, 40 minutes from Lisbon's main station (Rossio)
  • Gorgeous castle and sweet little town to walk through.  You only need a couple of hours in the actual city of Sintra.
  • It's kind of this time-warp town, located in lush, wooded hills peppered with whimsical palaces and mansions that epitomize centuries of aristocratic opulent

 

Nightlife:

  • We went out in Bairro Alto, which is a really cool neighborhood with a ton of bars and people wandering around drinking in the streets.

 

Andrew Zimmern’s + Anthony Bourdain's Favorite things to do

  • Eat black ham

  • Sardines (anything seafood)

  • Ramiro: great seafood, shelfish, blue lobsters, spider crabs, “worth every penny” (bourdain too)

    • Wait on the line, it’s filled with lots of locals and worth it

    • Don’t need a reservation

  • Mena Almeida’s Restaurant

  • Eat plums

  • 100 Maneiras - make reservation and do tasting menu 55,00)

  • Sol e Pesca: old tackle shop turned to bar; canned fish and cheap wine (lunch?)

 

NYT 36 Hours in Lisbon

  • Eat:

    • Pastais de Belem: one of the oldest bakeries in Portugal, order beshtes

    • Piteu de Graca

    • Leopold - gastronomy

  • See:

    • Palacio Nacional de Pena

    • Bar Entretanto (amazing rooftop view of the city) at Hotel do Chiado

  • Go Out:

    • Park Bar, rooftop parking lot converted into bar, incredible views “mandatory stop in Lisbon”

      • It's located on the top floor of a parking lot in Bairro Alto, take the elevator or the stairs to reach the top. Once you arrive there, it's magical

      • Calçada do Combro, 58 Bairro Alto

      • Tuesday to Saturday – 12:30 to 02:00

    • Pensao Amor, bohemian spirit, old brothel, now they have burlesque shows and french bands

    • A Tasco do Chico, live Fado music

 

Half an hour away by train are the beaches and ornate casino of Estoril.

A bit further, Cascais is for eaters -- lots of grilled fish and seafood stews served in domed cataplana dishes.

The other big day trip is to Sintra. Forty minutes from Lisbon's main station (Rossio), it's a time-warp town, located in lush, wooded hills peppered with whimsical palaces and mansions that epitomize centuries of aristocratic opulence. Traci said do Sintra over Cascais.


 

PORTO

 

Restaurants:

  • Mercado da Ribiera (must go)

    • Food court

    • Home to 35 permanent stalls from some of Lisbon’s most celebrated foodie shops and restaurants.

    • Try Portuguese wines from Garrafeira Nacional, ice-creams from Santini, and pastries from Aloma – or get a flavour of one of the country’s culinary heroes, Henrique Sá Pessoa, at his on-site eatery.  Mantiegra de silva, vitar claro
      Wine Quay Bar (great view, right on the river)

    • One of my favorite meals was sitting in one of the restaurant markets eating grilled sardines.

  • O Paparico (must go)

    • Michelin starred restaurant, fantastic meal and overall experience

  • 100 Maneiros (must go)

    • Another Michelin starred restaurant

    • We did the tasting menu and really enjoyed it

  • cafe majestic

  • restuarante a regaleira

  • chez lapin

  • abadia

  • aquario marisqeiro

  • garrafao

  • Shis - stylish beach-front restaurant/bar. good to watch sunset

  • Bugo art burgers for lunch

  • Book

  • Restaurante Cafeina

  • Camafeu

  • Pedro Lemos

  • Bacalhau - this specialty is a must-try for anyone visiting Porto and wanting to get a taste of authentic local cuisine.

  • O Comercial

  • Bufete Fase’s is, according to locals and visitors alike, one of the best places to try this specialty in the whole city. Its humble exterior and basic décor might not catch your eye, but the francesinha is incredible

  • Grelhador da Boavista - good for lunch

 

Nightlife:

  • river cafe

  • malconzinhado - live music gets poppin after 9:30pm

  • Ribiera distrist : Meia-Cava, dicoteque aniki-bobo : good cocktail bar

  • rocks bar

  • majestic cafe/bar - local hot spot

  • galeria de paris

  • Baixa bar

  • industria - club visited by wealthy people of cophenhagen

  • swing- good place to mingle

 

Top attractions:

  • CAIS DE GAIA: the city's postcard skyline and the birthplace of one of the world's most famous wines.

  • SÃO FRANCISCO CHURCH: One of Europe's most extraordinarily lavish church interiors, completely covered in gold.

  • CAIS DA RIBEIRA: Atmospheric, colorful, World Heritage riverfront medieval district.

  • CLERIGOS TOWER: Iconic landmark overlooking the city

  • SOARES DOS REIS MUSEUM: A notable national art museum named after one of the country's top artists.

  • DOM LUIS BRIDGE: Before the Eiffel Tower, there was this ironwork showpiece.

© Alexa Drew Photography
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