Our Lisbon Travel Diary Day One: Walking Tours, Wet Weather and Bus Trips to Nowhere

Lisbon is the perfect destination for a city break. The Portuguese capital is filled with steep winding streets, magnificent architecture, the smell of cinnamon and the distinctive sound of melancholic fado.  It has a shabby chic aesthetic, all faded colours and ramshackle trams. There are romantic viewpoints – miradouros – where you gaze out over the pastel facades and terracotta rooftops. As first-time visitors to Lisbon, we couldn’t wait to explore the city in all it’s springtime glory. Except our weather was far from spring like. We had heavy winds and torrential downpours. Watching local news over breakfast, we looked on as reporters spoke of tornados and floods. It’s true that we are extremely unlucky with weather. Countries with drought conditions beg us to visit. So we had to abandon certain plans. This was our “slightly” amended Lisbon Day One itinerary. To be followed in case of weather emergency only.

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A Walking Tour Intro to Lisbon

Our evening arrival hadn’t given us anything more than a mere glimpse of the city so we looked forward to our first day exploring Lisbon. The weather apps still threatened wind and rain so we popped on our waterproofs and headed out for the day. With a sliver of blue sky above we stroll to Praça do Comércio under the Arco da Rua Augusta. I get my first glimpse of vintage tram and fumble my phone to take a video. I will take approximately 74 videos of trams over the next two days. Slightly obsessed, moi?

Want more facts and less chatter? Check out my guide to 13 Of The Best Things To See and Do In Lisbon

The sky may be blue in one direction, but looking towards Alfama, grey clouds are gathering. We have booked spaces on a 10am free walking tour with Sandemans so we make our way uphill to Largo de Camões in Chiado. We just have time to grab a (pricey) coffee from the kiosk before introducing ourselves to our guide Nuno.

We’ve always found a free walking tour a great introduction to a city. We’ve taken tours in Dublin, Cologne, Vienna and Rotterdam to name a few; the concept is that you’re shown around the city by a local and then tip the guide at the end. Nuno – an actor when he’s not herding tourists around town – was a great guide, giving lots of great tips and recommending his personal Lisbon favourites – as well as telling us what to avoid. Piña coladas sold in pineapples mainly. He apologises for the weather.

In two hours, we get to hear about the Great Earthquake of 1755, the writers and artists that are integral to Portuguese culture and the great explorers. We visit Bertrand Livraria, the world’s oldest bookstore and visit Igreja de São Roque, with its ostentatious gilded interior and magnificent ceiling painting by Francisco Venegas, a master of trompe-l’œil.

As the forecast rain finally arrives we gaze over rooftops at Miradouro de Sao Pedro de Alcantara from under anorak hoods and an umbrella. And we huddle together to keep dry as Nuno tells us all about the Carnation Revolution and the amazing scenes which occurred on the very spot we were standing at Largo do Carmo. I can’t help thinking that weather like this would have dispersed the insurrectionists even quicker than a carnation in the barrel of a gun.

We end the tour at Praça do Comércio, where we had started our morning. The blue skies have gone and huge puddles are forming. The rain is horizontal. Umbrellas are futile. We thank Nuno, who is still apologising profusely about the weather, and slip him €20. We’re not far from our hotel so we return to dry off for half an hour whilst we reassess our afternoon plans.

LX Factory becomes our shelter

The afternoon’s plan was originally to head to Belém, for pasteis de nata and waterfront strolls. Instead we decide to go to LX Factory to grab some lunch and wait for the rain to pass. From there, depending on the weather, we may continue on to Belém mid-afternoon. We pop to Baixa-Chiado metro station to pick up a reloadable Navegante card and load it with a 24 hour travel ticket.

The Navegante Card is a quick and easy way to pay for public transport in Lisbon. The electronic smart card can be preloaded with pay-per-ride credit (aka “zapping”), or with a day ticket for €6,80. A 1 day public transportation ticket can be used for unlimited journeys on Carris (trams, buses and lifts) and Metro networks, for 24 hours from the first validation.

The Navegante transit card can be purchased at any metro station kiosk or ticket machine. It costs €0.50 for your initial card. We found the machine extremely easy to use, to purchase the card, load with a 24-hour ticket and reload each individual card the next day. If you prefer to pre-load with credit, each “zapped” ride will be €1,81, regardless of transport mode.

We catch our first tram from Praça do Comércio, the more modern #15 towards Belém. Every time the tram doors open at each stop, the rain seems to be getting heavier. And by the time we alight at Calvário traffic is moving slowly though ankle deep puddles. We need to find shelter. Fast.

Too wet to assess our options, we pile into the first eatery we spy, which turns out to be Cantina LX. Everyone else appears to have the same idea. We’re turfed back out into the rain. We have much more success at the succinctly named Beers. A short wait and we’re shown to a partially outdoors table, thankfully undercover. We order drinks (beer, naturally) and a selection of small plates: padron peppers, codfish salad and the star of the show, a sizzling chorizo grilled at the table. Excellent for warming chilly hands. And singeing Mr Fletche’s eyebrows. We consider whether to move on elsewhere. And then we order more beers. Mr Fletche receives a message from our Street Art Tour Guide, politely suggesting that we cancel our tour the next morning. Our itinerary is falling apart around our ears.

Eventually we decide on a plan. We’re going to the National Tile Museum, one of the most highly recommended attractions in Lisbon. We need to get Bus 742, and it’ll take about 45 minutes to get there. It’s 4pm. I get distracted by the street art. And by the bookstores. Then we walk the wrong direction to the bus stop. Then we return to LX Factory for a toilet break. Finally, at around 4:45pm we’re on the bus. A very slow moving bus, making its way through floods and Lisbon’s rush hour traffic.

“What time does the Tile Museum close?”

“6pm”

“Plenty of time then”

“Is there a final admission time?”

“5:30pm”

Checks watch. It’s 5:10pm. And Google is telling us it’s 23 minutes away. We’re on a bus to nowhere. Not nowhere, but definitely somewhere close to the fringes of Lisbon city centre. The rain has thankfully stopped so we jump off the bus at the next available stop and consult the map.

An off-the-tourist-trail accidental walking tour

We’re somewhere just beyond Parque Eduardo VII. We ignore the handy Lisbon underground system which would whisk us back to Baixa-Chiado in 10 minutes. Instead, we decide to walk. Walking through the park would have been very pleasant, with beautiful views. However, we end up walking parallel to the park, through back streets with overflowing bins, graffiti which is most definitely not on the “street art” end of graffiti and a homeless person’s encampment. What’s a little stroll around Lisbon without seeing it’s gritty side eh?

After about 30 minutes and 2km of walking – in a light drizzle but nothing like the earlier deluge – we’re back to civilization. I spot one of Lisbon’s funiculars. We haven’t had the opportunity to ride one yet, and to be honest, we’ll just be happy to sit down for a couple of minutes. Naturally, this one – Elevador do Lavra – takes us away from where we’re actually headed. What’s a few more steps onto our journey?

We wind our way through yet more back streets – not for us the adjacent Avenue da Liberdade with it’s leafy boulevard and elegant shops. Eventually we emerge at a bustling square, handily placed for A Ginjinha – a historic Lisbon vendor where your drink options are ginjinha with cherry or ginjinha without cherry. The gentleman serving looks like he comes with the antique fixtures and fittings. Don’t expect warm customer service, but the cherry liqueur will definitely give you a warm and fuzzy feeling inside.

Finally, we’re back at Be Poet hotel which gives us the opportunity to peel off our damp clothes and attempt to dry our soggy shoes with the ineffective hairdryer. With fresh dry garb we head out for an evening in Lisbon. Borrowing a giant umbrella from the hotel reception as we leave. Just in case.

Thoroughly exploring the Lisbon Transport System

I’d made a list of traditional Portuguese restaurants for our evening meals. But having eaten a little later than planned, accompanied by a couple of beers and a ginjinha, a heavier meal is not on the cards. Typically, one of the restaurants I’d earmarked – famed for having a long queue outside – was almost empty. Maybe everyone had eaten their body weight in snacks whilst sheltering from the rain. Instead of food, we end up sampling green wine at the Portuguese Wine Bar. Disappointingly, green wine is not green in colour.

We stroll through Bairro Alto, retracing some of our footsteps from the morning’s walking tour. Gaudy bars try to entice us in with shots and two for one offers. It’s a surprising side to Lisbon, pulsating with nightlife more akin to Blackpool. The weather has certainly been more Lancashire than Lisbon. We find ourselves back at Largo de Camões. The famous No 28 vintage train is just pulling up to a stop. In a familiar theme of today, we hop on, with no plan.

It’s not the most comfortable of rides, but at least we have a seat. It’s night time and the windows are foggy so there’s not really much to see, although we do get our first glimpses of the Alfama district. Our street art tour may be cancelled but we’re still intending to explore the area ourselves the next morning, weather permitting. We travel all the way to the end of the line at Praça Martim Moniz. I’m not sure where we are to be honest – we seem to have travelled a long way. We decide to test out the Lisbon Metro system for the first time. I’m hungry now. And I know exactly where the Green Metro Line will take us.

(Readers, a quick Google Map later and I realise we were just a 10 minute walk from where we had started our evening. Lisbon can be VERY confusing at times.)

Food and Fado

Lisbon’s famous Time Out Market is just steps from the Cais do Sodré station. At 9:15 on a Wednesday night it is heaving. Where there are empty spaces at the communal tables, a bag or a coat is on the stool, a makeshift reserved sign. We eye up our food options as we sweep the perimeter – there’s almost too much choice. Do I want seafood and shellfish? Pizza? A steak sandwich? Or a traditional Portuguese dish? Or do I just go straight to the doughnuts, cookies and pasteis de nata? No-one appears to be moving so we begin to consider which foods might be best eaten standing up.

After half a dozen circuits we spot a couple preparing to leave. Are they? Or are they just going to the bar? Or for more food? We’ve been burned by this before. They’re putting on coats. This is a good sign. We hover as close as we politely can, slipping onto the vacant stools they have barely left behind. I dispatch Mr Fletche to food-gathering duties. We continue the small plate theme of the day, with codfish croquettes and sardines from the Michelin-starred Vincent Farges.

We don’t linger too long once our dishes are cleared. People are already circling, eyeing up our empty plates and glasses, ready to jump into our spot as soon as we look like moving. I sympathise. We gather up coats and umbrellas and head back out into the Lisbon night. I’m ready to end the evening with a song.

It’s thankfully dry so we decide to walk rather than jump back on the metro. Naturally, this means we start off in completely the wrong direction, and then we end up walking up an extremely steep hill. Its only when we walk past the Bica funicular, sleeping for the night, that I realise why its so steep. We haven’t found the famous Lisbon hills too bad so far but this one’s a thigh workout and lung-buster. No wonder they stuck a convenient funicular here.

We weave round the streets of Bairro Alto for a while. I have a destination in mind. Mr Fletche doggedly goes along with it, trusting that there will be a drink and a sit-down at the end. We turn onto the lively Rua Diário de Notícias, with international flags fluttering overhead. Mr Fletche looks longingly at the bars opposite, seating people immediately with a promise of fado for the price of a drink, as we join the not insignificant queue outside Tasco do Chico. This is the place to be for fado on a Wednesday night. Everyone seems to agree.

With fado sets every 30 minutes, the queue moves quickly. They arrange newcomers in an efficient fashion – first you’re sent to the tiny bar at the back of the room, and then staff direct you to the next available seats. Time Out Market should consider a similar system. We are seated at a table with a Brazilian woman visiting solo, and a Portuguese man who shyly admits he’s an amateur fadista. He’s soon sharing YouTube videos with us of his performances. The room goes dark and silence falls. It turns out the doorman/queue-wrangler is also our singer for the evening. What follows is an emotionally charged performance, filled with the sorrow and longing which typifies fado music. We nurse an excellent house red wine before heading back out into the night.

Baixa to Chiado (and vice-versa) tip: Use the Baixa-Chado Metro Station and its escalators as a short-cut to travel between the two neighbourhoods – especially handy when its raining. Beats standing in line for the Santa Justa Lift.

It’s been an exhausting day. We’ve dragged water-logged clothes around with us, and we have both used our full supply of dry socks on Day One. We’ve walked 25.5k steps, a total of 10.5 miles and climbed 52 floors. Tomorrow’s weather is not looking promising. We will head to Alfama early doors, and see what happens from there.

Read on for Day 2 of our Lisbon Travel Diaries!