Explore the best of Lisbon Portugal in two days! It is very easy to fall in love with the beautiful city of Lisbon! The gorgeous architecture and winding cobblestone streets make Lisbon an amazing city to explore.

Here is my guide to exploring Lisbon in 2 exciting days along with some helpful tips and tricks to help navigate this city. Enjoy the best of Lisbon!

The Best of Lisbon: Tips & Tricks for Exploring

1. The city is extremely hilly! Prepare to be walking up and down hills and steps. Even a quick 10 minute walk can feel like a cardio workout, so be prepared for the hills!

2. The streets are SLIPPERY. This surprised me the most as I had previously read regarding the hills, but I had no clue how slippery the cobblestone streets were. Wear shoes with good grip to avoid sliding around on the streets like I did!

3. Ubers & Taxis are widely accessible. If the hills ever become too much, it is very quick to call a taxi or Uber. FYI: Any official taxi will take credit card and have a meter showing the fare.

4. English is extremely common in the city. We did not run into any language barriers as English was spoken by almost all the restaurant and hotel staff.

5. Lisbon is a late & slow-paced city. Do not expect to find a coffee shop that opens before 9AM!

The Best of Lisbon: Where to Stay

We spent 3 nights in Lisbon and stayed at 2 different properties. Our first hotel 2 nights were at The Ivens, Marriott Autograph Collection.

The lobby was absolutely stunning and the staff were very friendly. We were greeted with champagne when we arrived and our bags were taken to our room for us!

The rooms were bright and very thoughtfully decorated. The bathroom was also beautiful.

The hotel was very centrally located and a short walk to many attractions.

For our second hotel, we spent 1 night at The Memmo Principe Real, Marriott Design Hotel. This hotel was located down a narrow alley which did make it more difficult to find, but once we located it, the hotel was gorgeous!

The staff were very attentive for our quick stay and we were also provided with a token to enjoy a complimentary welcome drink on the courtyard. The best feature of this hotel was the outdoor courtyard with a pool and stunning view of Lisbon!

The Best of Lisbon Day 1

To see the best of Lisbon on the first day, you are going to be visiting the main sights near Lisbon’s city center. Everything on this day 1 itinerary is walkable and does not require any public transportation (other than the Tram itself).

Castelo de S. Jorge (Castle of Saint George)

Castelo de S. Jorge, also known in English as the Castle of Saint George, is situated on the top of a hill near the city center of Lisbon. The castle was originally a defensive system to offer protection for the city. The castle date backs to the 2nd century B.C.

Tickets are required to visit the castle. Book your tickets in advance here. The tickets are valid for 90 days after purchase, so you do not need to select a specific date or time slot when booking. When we visited, there was a long line waiting to purchase tickets, which we were able to skip right past, since we already had ours!

You will want to allow 1-1.5 hours to explore the grounds. The views at the top of the castle are amazing!

Estatua de D. Joao I (Statue of King John I)

Take a stroll past the Statue of King John I. This is a very quick stop as we just snapped a photo, strolled through the city center, and continued on.

Santa Justa Lift

The Santa Justa Lift is an elevator in the center of Lisbon. The lift dates back to the 19th century and was constructed to help residents navigate the steep hills of the city. The top of the lift features a stunning view of Lisbon. We chose not to ride and pay for the lift, but just took pictures as we stopped by.

If you are interested in riding, tickets can be purchased at the ticket booth at the base of the lift. This is a popular tourist attraction, so the line to ride can be quite long (which you can see in my next picture). This is why we chose to just the view the elevator instead.

Praça do Comércio

The Praça do Comércio (Commerce Square) is a beautiful city square which faces the sea. The statue of King Jose I is the main focus of the square. The surrounding buildings have beautiful architecture to admire.

The square leads directly to a harbor where you can enjoy beautiful views of the sea and even get your feet wet!

Lisbon Cathedral

The Lisbon Cathedral is a Roman Catholic Cathedral and is the oldest church in the city. The cathedral was built in 1147 and has been renovated and restored multiple times due to surviving multiple earthquakes.

Tickets are required to enter. Currently adult tickets are 5 euros. The ticket includes a climb to the High Choir, a balcony between the bell towers, a visit to the Cathedral Treasury Museum, and a tour of the church’s naves and ambulatory. 

Check out their schedule for visit times here. Tickets can be bought at the ticket booth at the cathedral.

Tram 28

If you google any photos of Lisbon, you are bound to see the classic yellow Tram! This iconic tram is a staple for the best of Lisbon. The Tram takes a scenic route throughout Lisbon and is a great way to view popular sites without walking the hilly streets.

You can purchase a single ticket onboard the tram for 3 euros. If you plan on riding more than once, the 24-hour unlimited public transport ticket would be a better value. This ticket includes the tram, metro, buses, and even the Santa Justa Lift! The 24-hour unlimited ticket is 6.60 euros, but unfortunately can only be purchased from a metro station.

Stroll and Enjoy the City

The evening is the perfect time to wander through the city streets, do some shopping, and taste local wine. It is very easy to get wrapped up in a structured itinerary attempting to see all the main sights, but it is important to slow down and enjoy your time!

Lisbon is a foodie city so explore the streets and stop for a bite to eat or a glass of wine anywhere that catches your eye!

Make sure to check out House of Cork for beautifully made cork purses, accessories, and more.

The Best of Lisbon Day 2: Day Trip to Sintra

For day 2, we are going to be taking a day trip to Sintra. Lisbon itself is such a gorgeous city, but it is nearly impossible not to include a Sintra day trip in a “Best of Lisbon Itinerary.”

Sintra is a mountain town approximately 1 hour northwest of Lisbon. The region is very hilly, wooded, and filled with magical palaces. This is absolutely a must see when visiting Portugal!

You can either book a tour or travel to Sintra on your own. We chose to do a tour so we could relax on the trip and not worry about purchasing tickets or planning the day. We booked our tour with Portuguese for a Day through TripAdvisor.

We booked a small group tour so we were transported in a sprinter van with a group that had a max of 8 people. Our guide was very informative and personable. I loved how we were able to explore each location at our own pace vs other tours where the guide is with you the entire time.

When looking for a tour, keep the following in mind:

• Group size: Smaller group sizes are going to be slightly more expensive, but much more enjoyable. Also, sprinter vans have much more flexibility on where they can travel to vs large buses.
• The start time: Look for a tour that starts early. Our tour’s meeting time was at 8AM. Ideally, you want to be arriving in Sintra by 9AM.
• Independent exploration: I recommend booking a tour that offers a mix of guided tours and free time. It is great to have a guide available to answer questions, but you will want to be able to explore the grounds on your own as well.
• Tickets: Check if tickets to the attractions are included in the tour cost or if that will be an additional cost. Ideally you want a tour that handles purchasing tickets for you.
• Reviews: read multiple reviews carefully before booking!!

If you choose to travel to Sintra independently, I would not recommend driving. The parking is VERY limited. Our guide had to let us out of the car on our own multiple times because he could not find parking. You do not want to waste your precious time looking for parking!

Instead, take the train from Lisbon to Sintra. Trains run regularly from Lisbon’s Rossio train station and you can check train times here. You will need to put “Lisboa – Rossio” in the “From” box. Then, put “Sintra” in the “To” box. I would recommend taking an early train and arriving before 9AM as the town and attractions get crowded! The train ride is approximately 40 minutes.

Once you arrive in Sintra via train, the town is not walkable, so you will need to take buses to each attraction. If you want to avoid the headache of navigating trains & buses (especially if you are from the US and not used to public transportation like us) then booking a tour is definitely the most stress free option.

Also, Sintra is considered a “microclimate” so the climate is much different than Lisbon. It is often chillier and rainier, so bring a light jacket even in the summer.

Stop #1 Pena Palace

Pena Palace is one of the most popular attractions in Sintra, which is why you will want to start your day here to avoid crowds. The palace is perched on top of a hill and is brightly painted with eye-catching red & yellow colors.

To get up to the palace, you can either climb a steep hill or purchase a ticket for a tram that takes you to the entrance. Signs at the bottom of the hill advertise that the walk takes 30 minutes, but it took us about 10 minutes to walk up. If you are physically able to, I would skip the tram.

Once you reach the top of the hill, you will be greeted by the majestic & colorful palace!

The ticket (which you can purchase here) allows you to enter the grounds at any time. However, you do need to choose a time slot to enter the palace. You will need to arrive to the grounds at least 30 minutes before your scheduled entrance time to allow yourself enough time. Even with timed entry slots, the inside does still get crowded. The grounds open at 9AM and the first entrance time for the palace is 9:30AM.

The views from the top of the hill are amazing! Before or after your timed entrance, take this time to soak up the views.

Additional Pena Palace Info:

Book your ticket here before arriving. The tickets do sell out in advance.

The palace is open from 9AM-6:30PM daily. The last entrance time is at 5:30PM.

Allow approximately 2 hours for this visit.

Stop #2 Quinta da Regaleira

The Quinta da Regaleira is a private estate which has absolutely beautiful gardens and gothic buildings to explore. The palace is also known as “The Palace of Monteiro the Millionaire”, which is based on the nickname of its best known former owner, António Augusto Carvalho Monteiro. The palace was designed by the Italian architect Luigi Manini.

You are able to go into the 5-story house to explore, but my favorite part was wandering around the grounds. When exploring, you will find several towers, fountains, and grottoes. There is also a Cathedral you can enter as well.

One of the main sights is the Initiation Well which is a large spiral staircase that leads underground to a hidden tunnel. This is definitely the most popular site on the grounds as there was a very long line waiting to walk down the Well. We chose not to spend our limited time waiting in line. We were able to ask a worker at the exit if we could take a quick picture, which the worker was nice enough to let us do!

The hours change slightly with the seasons. Check their current hours here.

Tickets are required to visit (book here). Tickets are valid for 120 days after purchase so no specific date or timed entry is required. Book before you arrive to skip the line.

Stop #3 Lunch in the Town of Sintra

Head to the town of Sintra for lunch and some shopping. You can also wander around the town for some gorgeous scenery!

Stop #4 Cabo da Roca

Your final stop of the day will be Cabo da Roca, the western most point of continental Europe. The drive from Sintra to Cabo da Roca is approximately 30 minutes. The ride is very scenic and travels through the mountains. You can take the 403 bus from Sintra to Cabo de Roca if you are exploring on your own.

There is a small café, gift shop, and paid restrooms here as well.

After taking in the views, it is now time to head back to Lisbon for the night!

The Best of Lisbon: Restaurant Recommendations

Lisbon is a fantastic foodie city so there are so many restaurants to try! Below are some restaurants we tried in our short visit there.

Rocco

Rocco is connected to the Ivens Hotel and is an elevated dining experience. Their menu features fish, steak, pasta, and risotto. I ordered a pasta which was served table side in a cheese wheel! Rocco is on the pricier side, but we thoroughly enjoyed our meal. You will need to make a reservation in advance.

Faz Frio

Faz Frio is a lovely seafood restaurant. The interior is small, but they also have a small patio as well. We did not eat a full meal here, but we did stop for wine and fresh bread which were delicious.

Tapisco

Tapisco is a tapas restaurant which has received Michelin star ratings for multiple years in a row. This restaurant is small and busy so you will definitely want a reservation!

The Best of Lisbon: Final Thoughts

Lisbon is an absolutely beautiful city and is amazing to explore! Lisbon is known for it’s hilly cobblestone streets and excellent food scene.

If you only have 2 days in Lisbon, you can easily explore the best of Lisbon’s history and beauty. No matter how long you have to stay, you will absolutely make wonderful memories in Lisbon!

What would you include in your best of Lisbon travel plans??

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