Your Ultimate 3-Day Lisbon Itinerary

Lisbon was one of our stops on our 4-month European Adventure. We spent 3 days here at the beginning of April 2024.  We stayed in right near the Santa Justa Lift at Brown’s Boutique Hotel, which was wonderful, and we would recommend.  As such, our itinerary is based on using this location as a starting point each day. We have a map at the end of all of our suggestions.

This was our first time in Lisbon, so we wanted to make sure we hit the main attractions. We really fit a lot in our “explore Lisbon” day but didn’t quite hit everything. There is more to see than what we squeezed in! We’ll put suggestions at the end of things we didn’t get to but came up quite a bit in our research, as well as alternate day trip options.  If you want to check out where we ate during our 3 days, our gluten-free guide is here.  If you want to build your own itinerary and are just interested in what to see and do, want information about where to stay, or information about transportation, check out our city guide.

DETAILS

DAY 0:

Arrival day! We arrived via the airport and chose to take a Bolt (like Uber) to our hotel. While you can take public transport, a transfer is required if you’re staying right downtown, so we recommend a taxi or rideshare.  Once you’re checked in, get your bearings by wandering around the Baixa and Chiado neighbourhoods. You’re sure to find somewhere to eat here, as there are many restaurants.  If you have time tonight, stop by a metro station to buy a day pass to use tomorrow while you explore the city (it will get you on the funiculars and tram).

DAY 1:

Today you’ll be exploring Lisbon! Start by walking towards Praca dos Restauradores, and pass through Praca do Rossio on your way.  These are two main plazas in the city, with Praca do Rossio having super cool tiling and it is one of the liveliest squares in Lisbon. At Restauradores you’ll find lots of designer shopping, restaurants, and such to explore.  Right nearby Restauradores, make your way to Gloria Funicular and take it up the hill to Miradouro de Sao Pedro de Alcantara.  You’ll be treated to a beautiful view of the city, experience live music, and you can grab a snack or drink at one of the many food vendors.

Time to explore some neighbourhoods!  From the miradouro, make your way through the Bairro Alto neighbourhood as you walk towards Cais do Sodre neighbourhood to see Pink Street (aka Rua Nova do Carvalho). Pink Street will be busy and bustling but is worth a quick stop at least.  Next, head over to Time Out Market.  If you’re arriving after 1:00pm, the vendors will likely be closed, so if this is important to you, put Time Out Market earlier in the day or on another day in the morning.  Otherwise, just take in the noisy, busy nature of the market and grab some lunch on the restaurant side of the market if it’s about that time.

Once you’re done at the market, make your way to Praca do Comercio to catch Tram 28. Hop on Tram 28 in the Campo de Ourique direction (west).  Ride the tram all the way to the end, then get off, and get back in line to ride it the opposite direction (to Martim Moniz).  Yes, this will take a bit of your day (one way is 1hr), but the ride is so worth it.  Most people don’t get on to head west like this, and many people don’t ride it right to the end, so you’re likely to get a seat for the whole journey. Get off the tram and the east terminus stop, Martim Moniz.

Walk back towards Baixa neighbourhood to the Santa Justa Lift.  You’ll get a spectacular view of Lisbon, and it is included in your public transport day pass. You might have to wait in line though – we arrived at 6:45pm and waited over 40 minutes.  At the top of the lift, you can pass through the Carmo Convent. If you’re interested, you can purchase tickets to go inside. Otherwise, you can simply walk around the outside.  You’ll be in the Chiado neighbourhood now, so it is a great place to find some dinner or head back to your accommodations for a rest before you head out for dinner.

DAY 2:

Today is a day trip to Sintra! Our main stop in Sintra was the National Palace of Pena and Pena Park.  To get here, you can take the train or hail a rideshare. We opted for a Bolt (like Uber), as they could drop us off right at the Pena Park entrance.  You need to book tickets in advance, and we highly suggest booking the first slot of the day to beat the group tours.  Make sure you arrive at the park entrance 30 minutes ahead of time, as it takes that long to walk to the palace.  We spent about 3 hours total at the palace and the park.  The whole park is beautiful, almost like an enchanted forest. 

Once we finished at Pena Park, we walked the 25 minutes downhill into Sintra.  It’s lots of stairs and can be slippery, so wear good shoes.  You can take a bus or tuktuk if you don’t want to walk.  We spend a bit of time in Sintra, before taking the train back to Lisbon.  There are two other attractions in Sintra that we didn’t get to: Quinta da Regaleira and the Palace of Monserrate. We had heard wonderful things about Quinta da Regaleira, but didn’t book tickets early enough, so we missed out.  If you can manage to make it to Pena Palace and one of these other attractions, while it would be a long day, many reviews and blogs say it is well worth it.

DAY 3:

Today you’ll be heading out to Belem.  Take the tram 15E from the terminus stop (Praca da Figueira). While it stops frequently, it also fills up very quickly and it’s a 30-minute ride out to Belem.  Get off at Lg Princess’s stop to walk to the Tower of Belem. If you’d like to go up the tower, it is 6 euro per person, but waiting in a long line is likely. Once you’re done wandering the park and seeing the tower, walk along the water towards the Jeronimos Monastery. You’ll pass the massive Padrao dos Descobrimentos monument (ie. Monument of the Discoveries), as well as a beautiful park, along the way.  If you want to go into the monastery, we highly suggest getting tickets in advance, as they do sell out.  Again, be prepared to wait in long lineups! Exlpore Belem a bit if you’d like, including a visit to the original pastel de nata bakery, Pasteis de Belem.

Take the tram or walk (about 30min) to LX Factory.  This is a hot spot for locals, with local artisans and tons of food vendors. There are so many murals and art installations, it is really neat to walk around and explore.  Grab some food here if you haven’t had lunch yet! Once you’re done with LX Factory, take the tram back to the city center and get off at Praca do Comercio. Explore the area, with its shops and restaurants, and marvel at the Arco da Rua Augusta. 

Today has been another long day, so for us it was time for a nap and then dinner. However, if you’ve got more energy, you can continue to explore! Perhaps the Alfama neighbourhood and Castelo de St. Jorge?  Or hit up a museum, such as the National Tile Museum.

MAP of Things to Do in Lisbon

HOW TO USE THE MAP: Click on the Wanderlog logo in the bottom right corner to open the full-size map up in a new tab. There, you can choose to just look at one type of activity at a time or see all the activities on the map at once (click the 3 squares in the top right to choose). You can also export the map to Google Maps, share the map with others, or save the map.