Checking out the capital - Lisbon, Portugal

Just like Porto, make sure to bring your walking shoes!

The quick train ride from Porto to Lisbon includes a scenic route along the ocean coast and passes through some rural villages, wineries, orchards filled with orange and lemon trees. I recommend a train over a bus or plane when making this trip.

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Praça do Comércio - located in the center of Lisbon near the water, this square is always buzzing. Grab a drink or snack and head to the shore to enjoy some live music while watching the sunset.

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Lisbon has many elevated viewpoints, making them the perfect spots to lookout at the city -

Castelo de S. Jorge - worth the entrance fee! The castle is a treasure in itself and the view over the city is beautiful. There were also many peacocks wandering the grounds, which was an added bonus.

Miradouro da Graca (Sophia de Mello Breyner Andresen) - This lookout is next to a cafe and church. It's an ideal rest spot before heading up to Mirador de la Señora del Monte.

Mirador de la Señora del Monte - The views combined with the live music were worth the steep hike up hill.

On the western side of Lisbon, lies an area called Belem. I hopped on the 15E tram, got off at the Largo Da Princesa stop and walked down towards the Tagus River.

The first stop was to The Tower of Belem, next I walked east to the Padrão dos Descobrimentos (Monument of Discovery), then north through Praça do Império Garden, to Jerónimos Monastery. Then I headed to Pastéis de Belém* to grab a warm tart. Before returning back to the city center, I found a restaurant hidden in an alley - Taberna Dos Ferreiros, and enjoyed some cod ceviche + pork ribs.

*Fun fact: Pastéis de Belém originated in the 1800's in the monastery and the name "Pastéis de Belém" can only be used in Belem. In all other parts of Portugal the tart is called a "Pastéis de Nata".

On my way back to the center of Lisbon, I got off at the Calvário tram stop and walked over to the LX Factory. This industrial area was transformed into a hip district with many restaurants, local shops, a cool book store and of course has plenty of live music!

Lisbon's Night Live can't be explained through photos. The bars are located in Bairro Alto District and the clubs are along Pink Street. The streets are alive from 9pm - 3am (5am on weekends) each night and are filled with locals + tourists of all ages. There's a huge variety of music and no matter your taste you'll be sure to find the perfect spot. (and yes the middle photo is of a bunch of bras hanging above the street, I guess you could say it adds some colour and decor to the street!)

If you're looking for a traditional cultural experience, be sure to stop at a Fado music concert. I enjoyed an evening at a local bar listening to Fado, a type of music routed in mournful tunes, with women dressed in all black, singing about grief, loss and fate.

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Sintra, Portugal - I decided to do a day trip, so I took a 35 mins car ride from Lisbon to a nearby town called Sintra with some beautiful castles and gardens. My first stop was Palacio Nacional de Pena. This castle was built in 1854, overlooking the town and is surrounded by a luscious 200 hectare park.

Just north of Palacio Peña, there’s another palace - Quinta da Regaleira. In addition to the main palace, the grounds include many smaller castles, lookout points and a deep well. I walked down the well and found a small waterfall on the other side.

My third stop was to the most western part of Europe - Cabo da Roca. Here you can spot huge waves crashing into the cliffs. I honestly could have sat here all day admiring the natural beauty of the coast.

Final note on Lisbon - In addition to Lisbon’s Bario Alto bar district, the city also has many rooftop patios. Park is located at the top of a parking garage and not so easy to find. After walking up the garage stairs you find yourself at the top with a lovely view of the city.

Obrigada* Lisbon! You’ve been wonderful, I’ll be back to Portugal in a few weeks. Off to Spain!

*P.S. “obrigada” means thank you. I even managed to pick up a few words over the last 2 weeks. Although I must say Portugal has been easy as a foreigner, since many people speak English and majority of everything I’ve read also had English translation.

I had to share some of my favourite tiles from around Lisbon :)