Lisbon, Sintra, Colares, Cascais

From March 31st to April 3rd 2023

Day 1

• We flew in from Malaga around 11am and within 30 minutes from landing we were already at our hotel.

• Arrived and checked into The Ritz Hotel by Four Seasons

• Took an uber down to the main area, Chiado, and grabbed lunch at Arkhe Restaurant, a vegetarian Michelin recommended restaurant. The food and wine did not disappoint. 

• After lunch we walked along the city to the water’s edge to the Praça do Comercio. Here people gather to relax, people watch, catch tuk tuk rides and take pictures in front of the arches and monuments. 

• We continued our walking tour through the Arco da Rue Augusta and along the streets and shops inside

• From there we walked to get cherry wine, a Portuguese afternoon tradition, from A Ginjinha. A small, closet-like storefront that only sells this 1 item for 1 euro each; near Palacio da Independencia

• We also tried the cherry wine at their competitor, which was just across the alleyway, Ginjinha Sea Rival (literally translates to “the rival”). They both tasted relatively the same :) 

• We popped into the old church nearby to take a look inside and were amazed at the beauty… mostly because it was decaying. Most catholic churches are upkept, but this one had paint chipping and pillars were missing chunks of stones. It felt antique and unique from other perfectly manicured Catholic Churches.

• We got in line to take the famous Tram 28 ride around the city, but the line was entirely too long. Eager tuk tuk drivers were happy to shuttle us around the city, using the same route as the tram goes. We hopped on for a 60 minute / 60 euro tuk tuk ride around the city. It was most likely more exciting than being packed onto the tram with a bunch of other tourists.

• The first stop and best view of Lisbon was from the top of São Vicente. Many people stop here, there were musicians playing music, people taking pictures, and others just relaxing. 

• The next stop was into the church Church of St. Anthony in Santa Maria Maior. Another incredibly scenic spot with plenty of tuk tuk’s parked outside the church waiting for tourists to go in and out of the church. 

• We concluded our tour with the driver here and walked to grab beers at a local spot called Outro Lado. It was definitely a funky beer bar, with many local beers on tap, an eclectic clientele, and people even taking the beers outside to drink them on the street steps. They played funky 70’s American music and the decor inside was colorful, wooden, stone and velvet. Come as you are. 

• We kept our city tour going with drinks at Toca da Raposa. The music wasn’t our favorite, but the interior was great and the cocktails were perfect, balanced, light, and unique to the bar itself. 

• Dinner that night was in Bairro Alto, a lively part of the city that can get rowdy at night. We ate at a Lisbon classic restaurant, known by many called Lisboa a Noite. The diners all felt like locals, the waiters knew their stuff, and the salt crusted fish was to die for. 

• We finished our marathon of a day off with drinks at Red Frog, a speakeasy-esque bar that’s well known amongst craft cocktail drinkers. 

Day 2

• We started the day off looking for lunch at the packed Time Out Market Lisboa. We got everything under the sun; from pizzas, to cabbage soups, to artichoke salad, to burgers, to lobster rolls, onion rings, cheese fries… and beers. 

• We shopped in the market across the street from the food hall and then walked to the ‘pink street’ (Rua Nova Do Carvalho) for a few #influencer pictures with the bright pink street and countless colorful umbrellas overhead. 

• From there, we ended up back in the same place as we were the day before (Lisbon can get small quickly), so we hired another tuk tuk to take us around to a part of the city we hadn’t seen yet; to the western side of Lisbon.

• After a 20 minute tuk tuk ride, we arrived at our first top at the Torre de Belem. This was a really neat place where you could sit, relax, people watch, drink wine, watch street performers, and awe at the beautiful tower made of stone. We hung around for a bit, had a glass of wine at a little wine cart called ‘Wine with a View’ (I think we’re now on their Facebook page) and moved on to our next tourist destination. 

• We arrived at the Padrão dos Descobrimentos and were blown away by its size, detail and commanding presence. The Monument to the Discoveries is dedicated to and highlights all the important explorers and navigators of Portugal’s rich history. We have Portugal to thank for a lot of the worlds early land discoveries and trade routes (Vasco de Gama (India), Colombus (USA), Magellan and Henry the Navigator). 

• Next our tuk tuk ride passed through the Jardim da Praça do Imperio at Mosteiro Jeronimos where Vasco de Gamma is actually buried.

• We chose to stop here for the pastries at Pasties de Belem, the most famous (and touristy) bakery in Lisbon. The line moves quickly. 

• We headed back to the hotel for a quick rest before dinner at Pateo 51 and then off to a soccer game supporting Clube Sporting at Jose Alvalade Stadium. Clube Sporting beat the opposing team, another Portuguese team from an island called Santa Maria 3-0, and we managed to see all 3 goals being scored before leaving the game for a nightcap. 

• We polished off the evening with drinks at Monkey Mash, the other well known bar in the Lisbon area that has more tropical and fruity style cocktails. 

Day 3

• We Palm Sunday off with a little bit of laundry at the laundromat before leaving at 10:30am for our day trip to Sintra and surrounding areas. 

• After a quick 30 minute car ride outside of Lisbon we found ourselves admiring the beauty of Sintra and inside the National Palace of Sintra. We walked through most of what the palace offered before walking into the city streets, winding our way around the bars and retail shops. The ladies found a cute store called Artnis that sells Portuguese linens and other unique kitchen designed. The area reminded us of what you might see in Bellagio at Lake Como. You don’t really need a plan for Sintra. Just walk around for about an hour. 

• The gentlemen stopped for a drink, meats, breads, olives and cheese at Cantinho Lord Byron.

• We got back in the car and stopped off at a cliffside village that has a large cross monument and red lighthouse standing at the top. Colares boasted beautiful ocean views, plunging cliffs, tourists hiking the bumping trails surrounding it. We’d love to come back and hike around the trails along the water when we have more time. 

• After about 15 minutes at Colares, we made our way to Cascais for lunch at a traditional Portuguese restaurant called Restaurant O Faroleiro. The restaurant was absolutely packed, waiters were running around from table to table, and we felt like we were at a family reunion of sorts with our little table in between large groups of parties with children. The city of Cascais which reminded us a lot of the Carmel/Pebble Beach area. We drank a few bottles of nice white wine recommended by the waiter called Dona Berta, coming from the Duoro region. 

• After about a 2 hour lunch, we made our way back to the hotel to call it a night before our trip the next day to Morocco. 

Day 4

• Flew to Morocco 

Next time we visit, we plan to check out:

• Spend more time on the coastal smaller cities like Cascais

• Nazare to see the waves

If you are looking for a guide in Portugal, George was great to us. He can be reached at +351 964 925 301 on WhatsApp.