mini travel guide: lisbon, portugal
the best things I ate, shopped and saw, plus my new favorite way to find and book boutique hotels (that saves $$$$!)
If y’all know anything about me, you probably know I love to travel.
And more than just travel, I love to *document*. For the majority of trips I have taken in my adult life there have been *plans* and itineraries and objectives. I am here to see things and do things and *check* *shit* *off* *the *list* (and of course, documenting it all beautifully).
At its best, this has resulted in some truly wonderful travel experiences where I am present and peaceful, like our pre-baby trip to Paris last year, or the literally once in a lifetime trek to summit Mt. Kilimanjaro - a literal mountain top experience.
But, at its worst, it’s something that results in me behaving like a slightly unhinged drill sergeant, harping on about the itinerary, unable to enjoy the experience right in front of me because I’m so focused on checking everything off the list: on our trip to Japan in 2018, I had such lack of chill about the itinerary as to make entire sections of the trip fairly high stress for absolutely no reason other that the crushing weight of my own expectations.
This is not a unique-to-me experience: nearly 58% of travelers report that social media negatively impacts their experience traveling, whether it be from unrealistic expectations or the perceived pressure to document everything. (so much so that the pressure to be “seen” traveling influences gen-z to overspend).
How conceptualizing that you will be sharing your experience before you experience it changes your experience is, quite honestly, something I'm still unpacking after almost eight years writing, photographing, and documenting my travels in various ways for the internet - an examination for another time, perhaps.
My recent trip to Lisbon, Portugal (ugh we get itttttt you were in Europe!) was delightfully refreshing in some ways, because for the first time in a long time, I was traveling for a reason that wasn’t personal or content based. I was there, paid by my actual job, to do my actual work. Despite the exciting locale, it was decidedly *not* a vacation, and the leisure and exploration I did manage to eek out was much more “wander off in a general direction and see what we see” than the expansive itineraries I tend to pull together when left to my own devices.
In addition to making my pre-trip prep much easier (the main objective was literally just ensuring I was able to dress myself ), It also honestly made my personal experience of the exploration elements of the trip a lot more peaceful: I had almost no preconceived notions of what visiting the city “should” look like, and so my experience had pretty much nothing to be compared to besides a few pretty photos of tiled buildings I had pinned on pinterest back in the day . I was excited about what I was able to see, without any major feelings of FOMO.
In addition to being an extremely peaceful travel experience, all things considered, it also makes my (internet) job a lot easier as well: I did not do nearly the amount of research I normally do, and therefore today I do not have a beautifully thought out, perfectly configured itinerary to share. I am not an expert here! I spent most of my time at work! So instead, I’m giving myself the freedom to simply share the quick hits list of the things I loved in Lisbon, rather than the travel dissertations (non-derogatory) I usually share.
In this post you can expect:
the mini-travel guide hits list:
the restaurants, cafes, and coffee shops I loved
the best of the shopping & tourism I found on my wandering
where we stayed (and my number one new favorite way to find and book boutique hotels)
Plus the infamous google map I share with all my travel posts to help you kickstart your own adventure!
Back to our regularly scheduled adventures after this one! that’s it, love you!
Xx,
curious about the other worthwhile wandering travel guides?? check out a few of my faves!
I’ll be honest with you, I really felt like I didn’t do or see much until I sat down to document this mini guide for you and realized just *how many* places I actually went - makes sense when I consider this was literally a week long trip, and that I was able to take advantage of even long work days to find some really great spots to eat even when I didn’t really see much else.
I also think that visiting Lisbon this way (rather than purely as a tourist) helped me a get a sense of the rhythm and the energy of the city in a way I don’t usually: I had a few days of sleeping in and meandering around the tourist areas, but I also went to grocery stores, got up and commuted, got a sense of the traffic and the rush hour and the experience of day to day life.
I found the city itself to be extremely interesting (in the way that very old European cities are to Americans whose idea of “old” buildings are their 100 year old homes, rather than… 1200 year old buildings). Lisbon seems to have effortlessly woven together the old world and the new, the broad sweeping avenue of haute couture shopping areas just steps from my modern hotel and from the narrow, ceramic tiled sidewalks of back streets that climb precariously past Roman ruins to a medieval castle.
The buildings, many with Pombaline architecture style and neoclassical elements, are reminiscent of Paris (and Charleston and New Orleans, in the US) made bright and colorful, often clad in famous Portuguese tile. The result is a charming, cheerful city that feels modern and ancient all at once. I thoroughly enjoyed my time in Lisbon, short and weirdly punctuated by meetings as it was!
dinners:
Coppola - a sourdough pizza and natural wine bar with absolutely stellar vibes. Food was delicious - pizza was chewy and with perfectly seasoned sauce, the seasonal salad I had was fresh and springy, and the wine we had (a chilled red) was fantastic for the extremely reasonable price.
Encanto - a one Michelin star restaurant that focuses exclusively on vegetarian cooking, offering a 12 course tasting menu in addition to biodynamic wines and craft cocktails. Encanto has a warm, contemporary setting, with creative, nuanced and locally sourced dishes. My work bestie (also a mostly plant-based lady) and I made reservations to celebrate the end of our major work obligations for the trip and we heartily enjoyed the experience. Service was top notch, as was the gin and tonic made with Portuguese brand Sharish Gin. This is a can’t miss for me - would absolutely recommend!
Barrio do Avillez- As with Encanto, Barrio do Avillez is another Jose Avillez restaurant offering a few different concepts in the same space. Part food hall, part restaurant, all celebration of different types of Portuguese cuisine. We enjoyed the more traditional food at Pateo, and the cocktails and charcuterie at the mini bar.
Honest Greens- Listen, I told y’all this was a work trip, and sometimes that means getting home from a full day of work at 9:45 PM and needing to find real food to eat. Honest Greens was right next to our hotel and it was *excellent* - reminded me a lot of Tender Greens (from my days in southern California) with some phenomenal vegetarian options and great flavor. Was so good I went back multiple times - girls gotta do what a girl’s gotta do!
cafes
Comoba- A cafe offering coffee, matcha and food in the Bica neighborhood. Energy is great, and so was the food and coffee - I grabbed an espresso tonic and the vegetarian sandwich and was positively delighted. The low chairs aren’t particularly comfortable, but I managed to spend a short afternoon editing an earlybird issue while I waited for it to start raining and it was extremely pleasant.
The Mill - a small, welcoming breakfast restaurant that has truly excellent coffee and Australian-style cafe brunch. I had a great cold brew (one of the only true cold brews I found during my week in Lisbon) and a breakfast sandwich with an unexpectedly great caramelized onion chile jam.
Caffè di Marzano Vermuteria- A New York Italian all-day cafe we wandered into for lunch on our last day. Service was a bit slow (we got in right around the rush) but the food was great. Highly recommend the waffles.
Dear Breakfast - Dear Breakfast takes the job seriously, offering really wonderful Australian style cafe food. In my jet-lagged visit I went *basic*: avocado toast (comes two ways: smashed and sliced, which I personally appreciated!), a whole milk cappuccino, and “baby pancakes”, that came served with nutella and ice cream. *I mean* jet lag, cured.
Pastelaria Bairro Alto Hotel - We stopped into the cafe within the Barrio Alto Hotel to get out of the rain and walked out with the best pasteis de nata that I had the whole time I was in Portugal (I tried a few, and until I had this one, I did not understand the hype. Now: consider me influenced). The hotel’s restaurant, Bahr, has incredible views - we tried to get a table but were unable to, so definitely recommend getting a reservation!
Quiosque das Portas do Sol- this is less of a cafe than a wonderful little corner kiosk, but it is one with a brilliant view, and a perfect spot to stop for a mid-morning espresso and pastry break.
coffee:
The Folks - The Folks has a few locations, and they technically are also cafes with breakfast and brunch food, but I only stopped in for a ~speciality coffee~. Had a perfect v60 pour over – a much appreciated alternative to alllll the espresso served everywhere else.
The Coffee - I was extremely excited to visit The Coffee because in my limited research for this trip it had come up repeatedly in lists of the best coffee in Portugal. The Coffee roasts their own Brazilian beans, but prepares, brews and serves them with techniques and styles from Japan. I stopped in during one of my few days of exploring and grabbed a gingery espresso tonic - it was juicy, refreshing, and one that I will certainly be trying to recreate at home.
Fabrica Coffee Roasters - speciality coffee roasters with a few locations around Lisbon, I had a great iced latte my first day in, and the baked goods looked excellent.
Next Memory Atelier - a small, stunning boutique perfume shop that makes handmade perfumes, candles and other fragrance items with materials from and inspired by Portugal. I already shared about the grey bergamot solid perfume I picked up, and also can’t say enough about the dark tomato over leaf diffuser oil, a wonderfully earthy scent that
A Vida Portuguesa - an absolutely lovely selection of Portuguese designed food, beauty and home decor products. I did the majority of my small gift shopping to pick up keepsakes for friends and coworkers. There’s an excellent selection of Portuguese tinned fish, gin, sea salt and almonds, some truly beautiful cabbage ware ceramics (in the spirit of Bordallo Pinheiro), and a great selection of soaps and lotions.
XVIII - Azulejo & Faiança - one of my favorite happy accidental finds of the trip: a classic hand painted tile shop launched in 2018 to recover and preserve the old traditions of fully handcrafted tiles and potteries. The shop itself is gorgeous and full of natural light, but the thing that took my breath away was the artisans painting away while you explore. The shop ships, and I’m planning to get updated house numbers for our home.
The Feeting Room - a concept store in Chiado, highlighting local brands and emerging Portuguese designers. In addition to clothes, there are a ton of accessories, home decor, stationarity and jewelry. The shop also has a coffee shop inside, featuring local SO Coffee Roasters.
Claus Porto - a vintage soap and fragrance brand originally founded in Porto in 1887, still making soaps, lotions and fragrances with scents inspired by Portugal. The shops themselves are gorgeous, as are the packages that have a decidedly art-deco flair to them. The scents are complex and unique – I was personally drawn to “voga”, an acacia tuberose, and “banho”, a citrus verbena.
Grandao - yet another (Brazilian) fragrance house. Packaging is stunning, and it took a lot of self control to avoid lugging one of the giant candles home with me.
Castelo de. S. Jorge - a medieval castle situated at the top of one of Lisbon's many hills. The castle and its surrounding areas are well preserved, and provide stunning views of Lisbon and the bay. Keep and eye out for the peacocks that make their home on the grounds! We spent a morning wandering around Alfama before and after checking out the castle. Protip: there is a long line of people waiting to purchase tickets, so I highly recommend buying them online in advance!
National Tile Museum - one of the most immediately recognizable things about Portugal are the azulejos, or traditional ceramic tiles that frequently cover the front of colorful buildings. Adapted from Islamic and Moorish traditions, the tiles frequently feature bright colors (especially blue and white inspired by chinoiserie), and elaborate, intricate patterns or storytelling elements in overlapping tiles (the history is fascinating: learn more here!) I absolutely loved this museum, with its mix of old traditional tiles and modern art tiles from Portuguese artists - absolutely worth the trip.
The Lisbon Funiculars - the classic bright yellow funiculars that have starred in endless instagram posts are practical and charming, if a bit touristy in a very Wes Anderson way. The one in Bica has the best views, in my opinion!
Praça do Comércio - a giant waterside plaza with a historic arch, lined with cafes and shops. I didn’t spend much time here, but was very cool to see!
for paid subscribers below: sharing where we stayed, my new favorite (and free!) way to find and book hotels that got us a major deal and VIP upgrades, and of course the best part of any travel guide: *the* google map!
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