We originally planned a quick weekend visit to Lisbon for a concert, but due to a little mishap in Paris, we ended up extending our stay to a week and after less than a day in the city, we extended our visit for 2 weeks more. In the 3 weeks we spent in Lisbon, we were constantly exploring new areas and finding more and more things to love about the city, Portuguese people, and Portugal as a country. 

During our first few days there, we attended their PRIDE celebration and had an absolute blast. For their celebration, they had DJ’s starting from 4pm and going all the way until 4am. While we didn’t last the full 12 hours, we danced and drank sangria on the Praça do Comércio for a few hours. Praça do Comércio is a gorgeous, public, waterfront plaza lined with restaurants, beautiful yellow buildings, and a prominant archway that’s hard to ignore. 

Lisbon is incredibly full of life. From it’s colorful, tile-covered buildings to its food, to its location; there are so many things that make Lisbon a memorable and seductive city. This beauty is especially prevalent in the older parts of the city, Alfama and Barrio Alto. Lisbon is one of the oldest cities in the world with a human presence dating back to 8th century BC, and the castle at the top of Lisbon dates back to 200 BC. That’s something that we as Americans can barely begin to grasp. Alfama and Barrio Alto are built on hills and living there is not for the faint of heart. I imagine the winding roads and steep climbs keep the residents young. There is such care and love put into these homes to maintain their beautiful tile walls and balconies adorned with flowers. The streets and sidewalks of Lisbon are a stunning white and black tile that required an incredible attention to detail, and the fact that all the roads are like this is completely mind blowing. 

We took advantage of our 3 weeks and really made ourselves at home in the city. We spent our days doing what we would normally do if we were at home - going to the gym, doing a bit of work, and making sure to go for a walk to see different parts of the city every day. In one of our first days there, we stumbled upon a cafe that we ended up visiting at least 3 or 4 times. Stanislav Cafe is a small cafe that’s beautifully decorated and serves healthy and interesting foods. A perfect stop for vegetarians and carnivores, we would have eaten there everyday if we could. We were pleasantly surprised by the amount of healthy eating options available in Lisbon. Traditionally a meat-heavy country, they have done an excellent job of introducing new food “trends” and behaviors to accommodate visitors (and even locals). A few others we really liked were Eight, Zenith, and Manjerica.

We took a couple day trips while we were in Lisbon to Porto, Galapinhos Beach, and Sintra. Galapinhos is about 20 miles south of Lisbon and lies on a coast with several small, hidden beaches. The water is crystal clear, there’s no traffic, the beaches are not crowded, and the weather can’t be beat - it’s the perfect escape from a busy city. 

Sintra was also a memorable visit. It’s about an hour west of Lisbon and has a 3 castles in one small town. The most well-known is Palacio Nacional da Pena, a red, yellow, and blue tile covered castle that used to be a monastery before being bought for private use. It’s one of the most beautiful and memorable buildings I’ve ever seen. It’s surrounded by a impeccably-maintain gardens that have mazes built into it just for fun. If you plan to visit, there’s no need to go into the castle, just walking the grounds and seeing the outside is enough. 15 minute walk from Pena Palace and you reach the Moorish castle, built in the 10th century. The two castles provide a beautiful contrast and show the diversity of the region. It was well worth a day visit.

Last but not least, we have to mention the people in Portugal. They are kind, friendly, light-hearted and easy going. To go from Paris where people can be slightly less welcoming (though we never experienced the rudeness that people often mention) to Lisbon where people are accommodating in speaking English and seem to enjoy and show pride in their city and country, the difference was an unexpected surprise. We cant wait to go to Lisbon again. Even though we were only there for 3 weeks, we got to know the city quite a bit and felt like home - a welcoming feeling for people on the road.