Things to see and do in Lisbon

possibly trending due to massive recession

i suppose that's when places trend

oh yeah this is cool too if the phrase "chapel made of human bones" is something that piques your interest:

http://www.atlasobscura.com/places/portugals-chapel-bones

xp sadly

I dunno, was just agreeing with a friend that if we could get a week off we'd go south - when picking a destination we thought of Lisbon without thinking twice, I guess it's maybe some kind of collective unconscious that sometimes surfaces in the consumer choices you make. Or coincidence/misinterpretation.

that is a SPOOKY looking chapel!

if you have a week i would probably give porto a go as well. it's a short and pleasant train ride. there's a really good wine tour of the douro valley, from porto, that is quite affordable and idyllic.

hostels really are a major deal in portugal, like if you google best hostels in the world most of the top 10 are lisbon or porto. and not like in a grim way either, these are genuinely really nice. i guess apartments are cheap too tho.

alternatively the very southern tip is interesting in a weird kind of way, there are some strange little islands in the ria formosa near faro - i stayed in a town called olhao about a half hour outside faro. down that way it's very hot and a bit shabby but quite enjoyable nonetheless imo.

maybe avoid faro itself i guess, it seems like sun-seeker destination 101.

another option if you wanted three destinations in a week would be lisbon for a few days, then head to south of portugal - then go from faro to seville.

i forget exactly how long the bus from faro to seville is but i don't remember it being a major trip - maybe 4 or 5 hours. and seville is really great - amazing weather and a brilliant atmosphere.

lots of great advice, much appreciated

i got a very nice & hostel-priced airbnb in Bica - not far from bairro alto , but more quiet- all of the "streets" were footpaths/stairs for several blocks in each direction, it was awesome

co-sign on Porto-- it is crumbling magical beauty

it's been said upthread but if you eat meat and/or drink alcohol, i strongly suggest getting wasted and getting one of these the next morning:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francesinha

filth of the highest order.

think you can prob get them in lisbon, to varying degrees, but porto is the original home.

another thing you could do, thinking about it, is lisbon to porto and then somewhere like vigo, would be really easy, no journey there more than two hours. vigo is p cool too, spanish seaside town, very faintly trendy. it has a japanese themed spa hotel which had really cheap offers when i was there, tho it might have just been a lucky deal as it was majorly posh.

aaaaaahhh that sandwich looks insane. i really want to go to portugal.

it is totally crazy. i travelled there for a few weeks hence my contributions here - i arrived in porto really hungover, had a nap in my hostel, then found out what a francesinha was and was eating one like five minutes later. as matt says upthread it's not something you'd want every day, but it actually does taste good.

at the time.

rent scooters and ride them to Cascais, it's the perfect day trip

also i never thanked sic for his Berardo museum recommendation- it is so great & is free

I'll see if we can fit in Porto, sounds pretty good. Scooter ride too. I'm veg but we are certainly getting wasted a day or two and I'll recommend the francesinhas to my friend, hehe.

I didn't realise that beer was an ingredient of a frascesinha. That somehow makes it even more incredible/disgusting.

yeah it's a beer gravy! i think sometimes you get port in the gravy too. why not?

when I was in Lisbon, I went to the Tile Museum which was almost transcendentally boring.

probably an acquired taste

yes, it certainly depends on how you feel about tiles.

👊 grady

the best meal i had the whole week i was in portugal was here:

http://www.yelp.com/biz/la-finestra-lisboa

its not very ~portugese~ and is a pretty boring neighborhood a good 10-20min walk from the ~lisbony~ parts of lisbon, but it was a few blocks from the hotel we stayed in our first night and we just stumbled upon it and had a lovely dinner out on the sidewalk

also when i landed on google street view just now and spotted the woman leaning out a 2nd floor window, i felt the urge to go back something fierce

http://i.imgur.com/s22oJYX.jpg

portugal is a nation of people aimlessly hanging out of windows

when in rome porto:

http://i.imgur.com/3FdIXQw.jpg

anyone recommend some good music venues? cinemas?

p great photo btw

well THAT was a spectacular city, makes you wanna figure out how to make a living there...

will add to general helpful suggestions that:

1) Mezcal (Bairro Alto) is perhaps the best bar in the world
2) Fado was great! (went to Café Luso on impulse)
3) Those pastries are indeed fantastic, and the confectionery in Belém was a great place to get them
4) There seems to be a lot of semi-secret/very discreet nightclubs where you just knock on the right door and there's a cool party behind it?
5) The Hot Club Portugal is a cool jazz club

I've going to Lisbon next month with a friend; she's never visited it, I've been there once 5 years ago, so it'd be nice to hear some more recent tips from people. Based on the earlier visit, I think we should at least check out these:

* The Oceanario
* The old monastery in Belem + the pastry bakery (I didn't find the pastries that exquisite, but I guess you have to check them out at least once)
* Sintra (we didn't go there when we were in Lisbon with my gf, and I afterwards I regretted skipping it, so this time I definitely want to take the trip there)
* The Gulbenkian museum
* The fortress on top of the biggest hill (I didn't find it super exciting last time, but our apartment is right next to it, so I think she'll want to at least check it out)

So yeah, what else do you think would be the essential places to go to? I'm particularly interested in classical music venus, places where they have fado gigs, and art or cultural history museums. And if you have any tips on vegetarian or vegetarian-friendly restaurants besides the ones I mentioned upthread (PSI and Terra), that'd be appreciated. I don't eat meat nor fish, so finding places to eat was a bit difficult last time, since Lisbon is clearly a fish-loving city.

I'm really into Fernando Pessoa so the stuff related to him was top of my list, and I enjoyed it a lot.

The modern art museum in Belem justified that trip in addition to the pasteis, too.

There was a great vegetarian/vegan pizzeria in Rua dos Remedios, Alfaman, very friendly Italian owners, I recommend it. Primarily for take-away. Also a proper Indian restaurant called Gandhi Palace in Rua dos Douradores, near Praca Figueira.

* Sintra (we didn't go there when we were in Lisbon with my gf, and I afterwards I regretted skipping it, so this time I definitely want to take the trip there)

definitely do this. it's full of tourists but as i said upthread, quinta da regaleira is amazing.

if you go to oceanário this vegetarian restaurant in parque das nações is great:

http://www.miss-saigon.pt/?lang=en

the canteen of the hindu temple is cool too:

http://www.comunidadehindu.org/cantina-chp/

it's in an otherwise boring neighbourhood and not very close to the center, maybe worth the trip if you have the time

this one is nice too:

https://www.facebook.com/BIO.RestauranteVegetariano/

oh and damas in rua voz do operário. if you're near the castle you will be m/l close to it

for classical try to see something at palácio foz if you have the chance: http://www.gmcs.pt/palaciofoz/pt/programacao-cultural

ty ilx all of the above duly noted for October

I kinda wanna move to lisbon, any ilxors hear abt great job opportunities let me know thx in advance

I was thinking going there too. Not to live.

coincidentally i was in lisbon, maryland yesterday ask me anything

ty ilx all of the above duly noted for October
― Daithi Bowsie (darraghmac), Tuesday, 3 May 2016 19:14 (five months ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

I you go to Belém, you should visit the Berardo museum of contemporary art, they have a cool collection and entrance is free:

http://en.museuberardo.pt

This outdoor flea market had people selling loads of useless crap, but also some cool items, like Portuguese softcore erotic magazines from the '70s or self-made designer shoes. Definitely worth a visit if flea markets are you're thing.

Oh yeah, and if you go to Sintra (which we did in April, and it was well worth it), don't just go to the sights you can reach by foot, also take a bus visit the Pena Palace on top of the mountain... It's one of the most amazing buldings I've ever seen, like straight out of a Disney movie!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pena_Palace

You don't need to take one of the tourist rides that they advertise downtown, there's a regular municipal bus that takes you up the mountain (while stopping at every major sight) and back down for 3 euros.

Quinta_da_Regaleira in Sintra is also an amazing place, but if you go there, don't just visit the main building, spare some time for the various weird and cool things around the palace area... My favourite of those was the secret underground tunnel leading to the bottom of the "Alchemist's Well", where you can then take the narrow spiral stairs way up. The dude who had all this things built for his palace must've been quite the character!

If you take the train to Sintra from Lisbon, be prepared to queue for the train tickets for a while! We went to the station around 10am on weekday, and we still had to wait abour 20 minutes before we got to the ticket machine. But the trains go there every 30 minutes or so, so it's not a big deal if you miss one.

Thanks T!

going for a week in a couple of weeks. if I want to try a francescinha, can I just find one in Lisbon, or must I go to Porto?

Interested in the answer here, will go there end of May as well. Had some Francescinhas in Porto two years ago, would not hesitate to call it a mindblowing experience.

You'll certainly find places that serve it but they're unlikely to be as good as the ones you can get in and around Porto. It's a specific Porto thing, and there being a Lisbon/Porto rivalry, plus general lack of interest for regional Portuguese cuisines in Lisbon...you can find better examples of francesinha in Stockwell.

The Gulbenkian currently has an exhibit on Almada Negreiros, a Portuguese visual artist, perfomer and poet who was super-important to Portuguese modernism and surrealism, to give a completley unrelated recommendation.

Thanks for the Negreiros reference, Daniel_Rf!

I've relocated to Lisbon, so if any ilxors fancy a pint (or just an imperial) in this beautiful city, feel free to ilxmail me

!!! congrats

what part of the city?

thanks! I'm in Arroios, close to the Alameda station - a very nice area imo

Planning for upcoming spring vacay in April, was in need of a warm-ish European city with a quaint old town center, and I think Lisbon is the answer, with an overnight trip to Sintra and possibly a 20-hour layover in Casablanca on the way?? It sounds unreal tbh.

Will I go to hell for using Air BnB for accommodations in the Alfama area? Are they displacing ppl from affordable housing/disfiguring the historic city?