Lisbon has something for everyone. For lovers of nature or urban life. The Portuguese capital will always be a good option if you have a few days off to travel and don’t want to spend tons of money.
In this article you will find my 3-day itinerary in Lisbon, using the Lisboa Card that is used for public transport and gives you free access to the most important attractions of the city!
Day 1: City Centre
A good option to start your trip is to take the famous and very useful Walking Tour. On this walk through the city center, you will learn the history of Lisbon, you will see old neighborhoods such as Alfama, Baixa and Chiado, as well as you will learn valuable information about food, nightlife and among others.
In addition, you will have the opportunity to see the city through the eyes of a local guide and ask him any questions you want. I recommend doing this 3-hour tour, which will take you to the essential places of this beautiful city.
After the tour, you will surely need to recharge your batteries, for this I recommend stopping at one of the many restaurants in the city and trying the typical “feijoada” or the famous fish “bacalao”, a Lisbon specialty.
I do not have any in particular preference on restaurants because I always had good experiences with food. I’ll just say that my favorite ones are old-looking restaurants outside touristy neighborhood.
If you have some extra time and energy, I would definitely recommend to take this 2,5 hour food tour and have a taste of what Lisbon has to offer.
Day 2: Sintra
Sintra is a charming old city, home to a variety of historical monuments, hiking trails, and beautiful palaces that once belonged to the Portuguese nobility.
To get there, you need to take a train at Rossio station, located in the center of Lisbon. The round ticket costs about 6 euros and there is a service every 20 minutes starting at 7 a.m.
Once there, you must go to the Pena Palace and its amazing 200-hectare park, full of huge trees, which seems to have no end. One of my best memories of Portugal was visiting the castle and getting lost among the trees of its majestic garden.
I recommend bringing your tickets in advance to avoid waiting in lines. Buy tickets for Pena Palace here.
Sintra is also a very good place to buy typical Portuguese cork crafts, you can find hats, wallets, cards, bookmarks and even shoes!
Day 3: Belem (Belen)
Very close to the center of Lisbon (15 minutes by bus) is the Belem district, home to the famous Belem Tower and other tourist attractions.
To give you a bit of context, from the ancient ports of Belem, all the great adventurers from Portugal and from other European nations set sail into the unknown.
Close to the Tower, you’ll find the Monument to the Discoveries, which was built to memoir all the men who left Europe during the Age of Discoveries.
Right in front of the monument, is the Jerónimos Monastery, which is an impressive building and church built in 1501 to commemorate the return of Vasco da Gama from the “Indies”.
To complete the trip, you must stop by to try the Pastéis de Belém, also known as Pastei de Nata, a delicious traditional Portuguese egg cake, originally from this area.
How to get around in Lisbon
The city has many slopes and high points, which is why it has many impressive viewpoints to discover, but they can also be exhausting for some people.
For a better experience, I recommend getting a Lisbon Card that allows you to occupy the entire public transport system, this includes buses, trams, funiculars and, it also gives you free access to the Torre de Belén, Dos Jerónimos Monastery, Lisbon Story Center, National Tile Museum and many other benefits.
With your Lisboa Card you can also take the famous Tram 28, which connects the Martim Moniz stations with Campo Ourique, crossing the narrow and picturesque streets of popular neighborhoods such as Graca, Alfama, Baixa and Estrela. You can not missthis!
Recommendations summary:
- Lisboa Card (Public Transportation and free access to main attractions)
- Walking tour through Lisbon Essentials
- Food Tour Lisbon
- Pena Palace Tickets, Sintra
natutraveler.com 
Amazing pictures! It looks so beautiful!
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