How to spend one day in Lisbon – and is it enough?
I’ll put it right out there – one day in Lisbon is 100% not enough.
If you have more time, I’d fully recommend spending a couple of days getting to know Portugal’s capital city. BUT if, like us, you’ve created (or been given) an itinerary that only includes 24 hours in Lisbon, you best be making the most of it. And THAT, I can help with.
Our Portugal road trip was planned out by the day, but when it came to actually exploring the cities, we played pretty fast and loose with limited plans – just a list of places we wanted to see. And things we wanted to eat, of course.
Ready for a crash course in planning a one day Lisbon itinerary? This is what we got up to…
Lisbon Essentials
Flights: Find cheap flights to Lisbon
Stay: Solar do Castelo – an eco-hotel set inside the courtyard of St. Jorge’s Castle.
Tour: Explore Lisbon’s key neighbourhoods on a guided walking tour, including a ride on an iconic Lisbon tram.
Activity: See Lisbon from the water with a two-hour sailing trip – drinks included!
Eat: Pastel de Nata everywhere; Lunch at Casa do Alantejo; Pizza at Mabiche.
Dinner in Lisbon
We arrived in Lisbon pretty late the day before, after spending a day in Aveiro and Obidos. Parking by our apartment was limited (and expensive as hell) so we parked up our little hire car in a more affordable spot on the outskirts, and took a quick taxi to the front door.
By the time we’d dragged our cases up three flights of stairs, there was little energy left to do much else, so we grabbed a bite to eat at Café do Rio, which was about a minute and a half’s walk away.
Café do Rio specialise in burgers, with a good selection of vegetarian and vegan options alongside the usual meaty fare. I ordered the Chickpea and Feta burger, and it came out looking very different to what I’d expect. Served without a bun, the double patty tower stack is such a unique take on the burger restaurant – and everything about it was utterly delicious.
Café do Rio
Rua da Alfândega 114, 1100-016
Two well-earned mojitos later, we headed back to the apartment for a big sleep, preparing to make the most of our day in Lisbon…
Pastel de Natas and a morning stroll
We woke up early(ish), all the better for a great night’s sleep. For breakfast, we treated ourselves to a classic Portuguese sweet treat – pastel de nata. The Portuguese custard tart is a Lisbon staple, and we tried ours at Nata LX, just across the road from our apartment. You can pick up a pastel de nata here for just €1, and they were as sweet and sticky as we’d expected. I only just managed to resist the urge to eat two…
Nata LX
Rua dos Bacalhoeiros 113, 1100-389
Learn to make your own Portugese treats with a Pastel de Nata baking class, or take a foodie walking tour of Lisbon to try more local delights.
Perked up on sugar, we walked our way slowly into the centre of old Lisbon, stopping at shops and to take in the hilly streets (and have a rest from walking said hilly streets). It felt both similar and different to Porto, where we’d spent a day earlier in the week.
The historical architecture could still be seen, but mixed in with more modern, cleaner facades. And, of course…we went tram-spotting!
A Walking tour of Central Lisbon
When I’m limited on time, I find one of the best ways to get a big dose of the city in a short burst is a walking tour. We ended up on a slightly earlier walking tour that we’d planned, and joined a Take Lisboa free tour. Our guide João was enthusiastic and charming, full of information about all the places we checked out.
Bairro Alto was the first stop on the tour, and João took us through the fast-changing history of the area. In Largo do Carmo, we were given tales of revolution and resistance; and we took in the impressive façade of Rossio Station.
Two and a half hours later, we came to a stop at Igreja de São Domingos, an iconic church that’s weathered both earthquakes and fire. Our heads filled with facts and stories, I felt like I’d gotten to know Lisbon a lot better that morning.
For a more relaxed approach, tour Lisbon’s hilly streets with less walking, on a private tuk tuk tour.
Lunch at Casa do Alantejo
On a recommendation from João, we navigated our way past the ‘table for two?’ restaurant hustlers to a great little tavern, Casa do Alantejo, which had no exterior fanfare. We walked up an unassuming flight of stairs and into what looked like the interior of a Moroccan riad, with high ceilings, tiled detail and flourishing foliage.
There are actually two places to eat here – a more upscale restaurant and a tavern. We chose the latter for the more relaxed vibe, and took a seat in the enclosed outdoor garden.
The tomato soup was possibly the best I’ve ever tasted. We’re not talking thick, creamy Heinz, but the real stuff. Served with an optional poached egg, the light tomato and pepper tastes were perfect for dipping bread in, as I savoured the bowl slowly.
Casa do Alantejo
R. das Portas de Santo Antão 58, 1150-062
After lunch, we took a brief detour to check on our car, using the Metro to get there and back into town.
LX Factory & Village Underground
With only a day in Lisbon, we knew we wouldn’t be able to see ALL the sights on offer, and as it was Conor’s birthday, we decided that rather than spend our days clamouring amongst the tourist sights, we’d have a chilled out afternoon enjoying Lisbon’s laid back atmosphere.
We actually stumbled upon Village Underground while checking out the Ponte 25 de Abril, Lisbon’s iconic suspension bridge. Having been to the original space in London, we decided to pop in and check out some of the street art, while enjoying a beer to escape the scorching sun.
Village Underground
Avenida da Índia, Edifício nº 23, 1300-299
Village Underground is also part of LX Factory, a former fabric production industrial site that now houses restaurants, shops and bars. The walls are covered in colourful murals and graffiti art, reminiscent of London’s Shoreditch streets. If you’re looking for something a little more alternative to add to your one day Lisbon itinerary, this is the spot.
There’s plenty to explore here, and we soaked up the atmosphere while eating ice cream from Lxeesecake – who had a cheesecake gelato that tasted JUST like the real thing.
LXeesecake
R. Rodrigues de Faria 103, 1300-501
Amoreiras 360: Panoramic Lisbon views
Because who doesn’t love a good view, right?
Lisbon viewpoint Amoreiras 360 can be found in the Amoreiras Shopping Centre, a little further inland from the old town areas and waterfront. We took a taxi there as we were a bit far from a convenient metro station, and spent a while wandering around the centre trying to find the information desk (which we then realised we’d walked straight past) to buy our tickets. Entry was €5 each, and we took the short elevator ride to the building’s roof.
The view from the top was pretty impressive, taking in some of Lisbon’s iconic sights from above – and made me appreciate that Lisbon stretches further than I’d thought when we’d been wandering its hilly old town streets. The viewpoint was also pretty quiet, and there was seating which gave us the chance to rest our feet and soak in the sights. The only thing that would improve this view would be a bar…
Amoreiras 360
Av. Eng. Duarte Pacheco n° 2037, 1070-103
Sunset at Praça do Comércio
As the sun was beginning to set, we made our way to Praça do Comércio. Despite it being just down the road from our apartment, we hadn’t checked it out yet.
This massive plaza is one of the most iconic sights in Lisbon, surrounded on three sides by grandiose buildings and facing towards the Tagus river. At sunset, the plaza was lively and full of early evening excitement. We avoided the busy tourist restaurants, and simply wandered around, taking in the huuuge Arco da Rua Augusta and the statue of King Jose I riding his horse.
I also found a stall where I was able to indulge in some of the Portuguese specialty, ginjinha liquer, served up in a chocolate shot glass.
We also treated ourselves to a moment of relief in ‘the sexiest toilet on earth’, a gimmicky public loo from Dulux where, for the princely sum of one Euro, you can choose a colourful toilet roll to wipe yourself with. Not sure how that’s particularly sexy, but eh. Better than most public toilets I’ve encountered.
One we’d done wandering the square, we found ourselves popping in for happy hour beers at Pestana CR7 Lisboa, the hotel owned by Christiano Ronaldo. Because…why not?
Pizza and Wine at Mabiche
To end our day in Lisbon, we chose a failsafe dinner option. Yep. It’s pizza. Mabiche is a Marseille pizzeria, and I had the ‘Collette’ – a classic thin base with tomato, rocket, cherry tomatoes, ricotta, olive oil. The toppings were plentiful on the perfectly crisp base, and the abundance of rocket basically made it feel like a healthy salad…
Mabiche Pizza Baixa
Rua da Conceição 51, 1100-151
Tired from all that walking (I forgot my fitbit but reckon we easily did double my daily step goal…), we pottered back over to our apartment for a relatively early bedtime. Lisbon has some great nightlife, so I’ve heard, but I’m more of a ‘dinner and drinks’ gal than a club-hopper.
For a more relaxed, sociable evening activity, you could take a Food and Wine Small Group Walking Tour to experience the Lisbon foodie scene with a small group of like-minded travellers.
The next morning, we left to continue our road trip down to Albufiera. Lisbon was a really lovely place to visit, although if I was going back, I’d definitely plan more than one day to explore!
One Day in Lisbon: City Guide
- Weather: Mild across the year, hot summer days and rain in the winter
- Language: Portuguese, but English is widely spoken
- Emergency number: 112
- Currency: Euro. Most places accept card payment, and ATMs are easy to come by
- Time Zone: GMT
Is one day in Lisbon enough?
I’d recommend spending at least two to three days in Lisbon, but if you only have one day, it’s better than none!
As mentioned at the beginning of the post, it’s definitely a struggle to spend just one day in Lisbon. I feel like we did it well, yet there were so many sights I didn’t get to see (including a day trip to Sintra, which looks gorgeous). Excuse for another visit? You bet.
Getting to Lisbon
By air
Flights from the UK, Europe, and further afield to Humberto Delgado Airport (aka Lisbon Airport) depart multiple times daily, across a wide range of airlines.
To get the metro from Lisbon airport to the city centre, you’ll need to take the red line to Alameda OR the blue line to São Sebastião, getting off at Baixa-Chiado. All being well, this takes around 35 minutes and will set you back just €1.80 (or €1.47 if you set up your Navigante card!).
The Aerobus Line 1 costs €4 one way, and takes around 45 minutes. An airport taxi costs around €20 (it’s metered) and takes about 20 minutes. You could also book a transfer in advance.
By train or bus
If you’re travelling to Lisbon within Portugal, train services run regularly to the city’s main train station.
- From Porto: around 3 hours, from €35
- From Faro: around 4 hours, from €48
Flixbus also operate inter-city coaches in Portugal.
Getting around Lisbon
Lisbon has a well connected metro and tram system that makes getting around the city easy.
A single ticket costs €1.80, and a day pass excluding trains costs €6.80 (if you want to add train travel, it’ll cost €10.55). As of 2024, you can also use contactless cards to pay.
As mentioned above, for a €0.50 deposit, you can get a Navigante card from a Metro ticket machine that you top up for travel. With your Navigante card, you can add credit to take advantage ‘zapping’ fares – with a metro single fare costing €1.47 and a tram journey for €1.35.
