Lisbon is a major air hub, with hundreds of flights dropping and loading passengers every single day. Travellers from London pass through here on their way south to Africa, east to parts of Europe, and west to the Americas. This year, it’s one of the most common stopovers for flights to Brazil for the Olympic Games. Instead of spending your stopover in the airport (Don’t get us wrong, it’s a great airport, but it’s just an airport) light out for eight hours on one of Europe’s most fascinating towns.
Unlike many stopover visits, this won’t be a mad scramble to cram in 101 sites to see. Lisbon is one of the Europe’s smallest capitals, allowing for a languid look at a few deeply interesting locals.
Getting there and back again
Lisbon’s airport is within the city proper, so transportation to and from is less expensive and takes less time than many other European cities. You can check bags at the airport and ride a taxi into town. Other forms of public transportation are not recommended. They’re safe, but slow and not necessarily reliable by British standards. When planning your expedition into Lisbon, assume customs and passport control will take you about 90 minutes, and arrive 2 hours before your flight departs.
Visit the Praça do Império
This is your do not miss sightseeing option for any time spent in Lisbon. It’s 20 minutes by car in light traffic and your best drop off is the Garden at its center. From there you could spend your entire layover visiting the surrounding buildings and museums between strolls along the riverfront. The National Coach Museum, Tower of Belem, Mariners’ Museum and Mostero de Jeronimos are all popular locations all within a couple of blocks of the Garden.
Lunch at the fish dock
Doca Piexe is one of the most famed and popular restaurants in Lisbon, and located five kilometers east of the Praca along the waterfront. This is fresh-out-of-the-water seafood and shellfish, cooked in the Portuguese style. Cod and clams are the local specialties, or you can choose any number of swimmers and crawlers from the fresh catch tanks to make a meal out of. Expect to pay 50 to 60 pounds for two, and give at least 90 minutes to the meal.
photo credit: @whatcaradoes
Play pirate in the Alfama
Another three kilometers east along the water will take you the labrynthine Alfama district, where you can wander twisting cobblestone streets that feel like part of the set from your favourite Pirates of the Carribean installment. Check out the ornate churches, snack in street markets that feel like they’re from another millenium, rest and cool off in a weatherbeaten tavern, and check out hidden treasures in tiny plazas and parks. You’ll want to give over at least two hours for full exploration, which absolutely must include finding the Castle of St. George. It’s a real castle with a moat and everything.
Rounding out your stay
An itinerary of those three locations as you stroll or hire a car to take you along the waterfront can easily fill a full eight hours, or the five and a half you’d have if your entire stopover was eight. If you’re there for longer, or one of these stops doesn’t suit you, pick from this list of lesser-known Lisbon marvels.
● The National Art Museum, where you’ll find work by the likes of Bosch and Zurbaran.
● Learn (almost) more than you wanted to about port with tastings at the Port Wine Institute, housed in an 18th century palace.
● Listen to Fado, the national music of Portugal, at one of the many fado clubs throughout the city. Sr. Fado and Sr. Vinho come highly recommended.
● Take the kids to the Lisbon Oceanarium, a surprisingly modern aquarium with exhibits based on different water ecosystems. You will see much more than the ocean life you might expect from a sleepy (sleepier) coastal capital. The zoo is also worth a look for families.
● Explore the ruins at Carmo Convent, a partially collapsed medieval neighborhood with a neighboring archaeology exhibit.
● Ride the Santa Justa Lift. Lisbon rests on two split elevations. The Santa Justa lift was built in 1902 to take passengers and cargo from the lower city to the upper city. It still operates for tourists, and offers one of the most interesting views of the waterfront.
● Grab a bite at the Time Out Market, an open-air food court with the feel of western food courts but the quality and variety of those found in Singapore or Malaysia.
Whether you’re going through Lisbon for this year’s Games in Brazil, or for travel elsewhere, that 8-hour stopover begins with booking your flights through Lisbon, and your hotels at your ultimate destination. Combine both, along with rental cars and some tours, with us today.
Check out our other 8-hour stopover guides:
