One Day in Lisbon – The Perfect Itinerary for 24 hours in Lisbon.
Here’s my curated itinerary for the best things to do when you’ve got One Day in Lisbon. Lisbon, Portugal’s capital, is an ideal city for when you’ve only got one day. Compact, rammed with interesting things to do and see and close to the airport if you’ve got a layover.
Hotel
To get the most out of twenty-four hours in Lisbon, I stayed at the Hotel Convento do Salvador. Built on the site of a fourteenth century convent. The hotel is ideally situated in the heart of the historic Alfama district. This area was the only part of Lisbon to survive the catastrophic earthquake, tsunami and fire of 1755, which reshaped the entire city.
Other hotels I like in Lisbon are:
Radisson Blu – International chain convenient for the airport
Hotel Lisboa Plaza – Lovely family-run hotel just off the Avenida Liberdad.
Breakfast
First things first! To get the most out of one day in Lisbon, a proper breakfast is essential, and in Lisbon that means coffee and Pastel Del Nata, the ubiquitous custard tart.
Morning
Rossio Square
After refreshments, the day proper starts at Rossio Square, a 15 minute, mainly downhill walk. Rossio Square boasts two baroque fountains, a statue of King Peter (Pedro) IV, and Portugal’s national theatre. The square is a great example of the Portuguese fashion of tiled paving, azulejo. The square is finished in black and white mosaic tiles in the form of waves which symbolise the 1755 tsunami and are weirdly three dimensional, making them the curse of drunks and people with sea sickness.
Elevador de Santa Justa and Rossio Train Station
Lisbon is hilly, seriously hilly, but don’t worry, several lifts have been built to ferry people to the higher parts. Originally built for workers, the Elevador de Santa Justa is a wrought iron masterpiece. However, instead of queuing with the throngs, (twenty-four hours people and the clock is ticking), people in the know enter the beautiful neo-manueline Rossio train station. The escalators in the station will take you to the top of the Elevador, and there’s rarely a queue for the free ride back down to street level.
Largo do Carmo is the next stop on the One Day in Lisbon tour. The square is notable for two things in particular. Firstly, this is where in 1974 dictator Marcelo Caetano was besieged in his headquarters and persuaded to surrender power to General Spinola and the MFA (Portuguese Armed Forces) in the bloodless Carnation Revolution, probably the only revolution in history to use a Eurovision song contest entry as the trigger for an uprising.
The square is also the home to the Archaeological Museum housed in the Convento do Carmo. Most of the other religious buildings were rebuilt after the 1755 earthquake, but the Convento do Carmo was deliberately left derelict as a memorial. Today, it houses artifacts from all over Portugal, chronicling its history.
Alfama
From Largo do Carmo, the One Day in Lisbon itinerary will lead us back towards Alfama, Moorish in origin, it’s the only original area of the city and a rabbit warren of steep streets. The Chao do Loureiro and Castelo elevators will save aching legs and lead to a stunning view over the city. The ancient streets twist and turn down to the river Targus and offer the opportunity to sample two of Lisbon’s delicacies, Codfish cakes, delicious deep fried fishcakes made from mashed potatoes, flakes of salted cod, onion, parsley and eggs.
The other thing to try here is ginginha, a sweet liquor made from cherries. Visitors will find stalls offering this in two varieties (try both). The first is straight, in a little plastic cup (usually for one Euro) and the second, for a little more, comes in an edible chocolate cup and is deliciously reminiscent of that 80s classic Black Forest gateaux.
Lunch
Working downhill to the banks of the river Targus, the next stop on the One Day in Lisbon tour is the grandest square in the city. Surrounded on three sides by yellow painted buildings which were once a royal palace, it features a statue of King Joseph I and a triumphal arch, through which can be seen the statue of Pedro IV at the start point of the One Day in Lisbon tour.
The square was witness to the planning of many of Portugal’s great seaborne explorations and was designed as a triumphal welcoming point to the city.
The square is surrounded by a number of nice restaurants, perfect to sit, people watch and sample some of Portugal’s signature dishes, such as Freshly grilled sardines, Pica Pica ‘woodpecker’ beef (cubes of meat in sauce with sauteed potatoes) or Arroz De Marisco (think paella but with much more sauce)
Afternoon
Belem
The Commercial square is the ideal place to grab an Uber to the next stop on the One Day in Lisbon tour, Belem. The journey will follow the river past seemingly endless night clubs and restaurants. This area holds three monuments worthy of someone spending only one day in Lisbon.
Tower of Belem
The Tower of Belem was built in the 15th century to help defend the Targus from attack, and also to represent Portugal’s power as a maritime nation. It was where ships left from and where they arrived home to. A UNESCO world heritage site, the Tower of Belem was built from a local white limestone and extravagantly decorated with plant and maritime motifs typical of the Manueline style (remember Rossio station?). Having said all this, its beauty is very much on the outside so, with only One Day in Lisbon, keep going to the next site, the Monument to the Discoveries.
The Monument to the Discoveries
A little further up the Targus, back towards Lisbon proper, The Monument to the Discoveries was built to commemorate the 500 th anniversary of Prince Henry the Navigator. Built in the shape of a caravel, the famous Portuguese ship design, Prince Henry stands on the prow, with numerous famous Portuguese explorers lined up behind him.
If time allows, steps or an escalator to the top of the monument gives great views across the river and also a compass and map of the world on the ground, given to Lisbon by South Africa.
The Jerónimos Monastery
The final site of the Belem Trinity is The Jerónimos Monastery. Built in the early 16th century from taxes imposed on the Portuguese fleets trading in India, it was given UNESCO World Heritage status at the same time as the Tower of Belem. The remains of Vasco de Gama, the first European to reach India by sea, a feat which gave Portugal a massive trading advantage.
The Monastery has also been the site for the ceremony of Portugal joining the EU and also the signing of the Treaty of Lisbon which reformed that organisation.
This is an incredibly popular site, so pre-booking of tickets is essential for someone with only one day in Lisbon.
Evening
Fado
Despite a full day’s sightseeing, the day is not over. It’s time for dinner and immersion in a uniquely Portuguese music form, Fado.
Fado is a traditional Lisbon style of music. Developed in the mid 19 th centuries, a Fado show usually comprises of a pair of guitarist, and a solo singer (usually, but not always female). Traditional themes of a hard life or loss of a loved one at sea are reflected in the mournful music.
The musicians and singers don’t use microphones, so silence from the audience is expected and often enforced. The best places to listen to Fado are in the Alfama district, the area the music sprung from. Try, Esquina de alfama on Rue de Sao Pedro.
Night
Pink Street
When the Fado show is over, it’s time to party. Get a cab over to Lisbon’s party central, Pink Street to close off One day in Lisbon in style. Rua Nova do Carvalho, to give it it’s proper, if slightly boring, name is the centre of Lisbon’s hectic nightlife. In 2013, the pedestrianised area was painted hot pink and multi-coloured umbrellas are strung between the upper storeys of the bars, and revellers come here to party till dawn. That will take you through the curfew for One day in Lisbon, but no one will tell.
If this is a step too far, perhaps returning to the hotel for a nightcap of vintage port is the perfect end to One Day in Lisbon.
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