3 days in Lisbon: itinerary

Lisbon rewards a short, fixed plan. The city is compact but hilly, and the two mistakes first-timers make are trying to see Belém and Sintra on the same day, and walking Alfama in the afternoon heat.

A workable three-day shape: Day 1 Baixa, Chiado and Bairro Alto on foot; Day 2 Belém in the morning and Alfama plus a sunset miradouro in the evening; Day 3 Sintra or Cascais as a day trip. If you land late on Day 1, swap the city walk to the morning and take the tram or metro instead.

Book Sintra's Pena Palace and Moorish Castle tickets online the day before if you are going in high season; queues at the gate are the main time sink. Everything else in this plan can be done without reservations.

Lisbon's monuments mostly run on fixed daily hours, with last entry about 30–60 minutes before closing. Museums commonly close one day a week — often Monday — so check the specific site before you build a day around it.

Transport is the cheapest part of the trip. Buy a rechargeable Viva Viagem card at a metro station and load single trips or a 24-hour pass; the card itself carries a small refundable deposit. The 2026 estimate for a single metro or tram trip is in the low euro range, and the 24-hour pass costs a few times that. Fares change, so confirm at the machine.

Food splits cleanly: a pastel de nata and coffee at a counter is a couple of euros; a sit-down lunch in Baixa is roughly 12–20 EUR per person; dinner with wine in Bairro Alto or Alfama runs 20–35 EUR. Tipping is not expected but rounding up is normal.

Lisbon Airport (LIS) sits about 7 km from the centre. The metro red line connects the airport to Alameda and the Baixa core in roughly 20–25 minutes; a taxi or ride-hailing car takes 15–25 minutes outside peak traffic. Allow more on weekday mornings.

If you are flying from the US, most direct services land in the morning, which suits a same-day city walk. From the UK, Ireland and Canada, expect a mix of direct and one-stop routings; morning arrivals are the ones that let you use Day 1 fully.

Trains from Porto arrive at Oriente or Santa Apolónia on the Alfa Pendular. Sintra trains leave from Rossio in the centre and Oriente in the east; Cascais trains leave from Cais do Sodré. All are suburban services, no reservation needed.

Walk early. Alfama, the castle and the miradouros are far more pleasant before 10am, and the light is better for photos. Save the flat Baixa and Chiado for the hot middle of the day, when the shade and shops help.

Wear shoes with grip. Lisbon's calçada portuguesa — the patterned stone pavements — is slippery when wet and polished smooth in places. This matters most on the castle hill and in Bairro Alto after rain.

Keep an eye on bags on tram 28 and in crowded Baixa streets; pickpocketing on that route is a known issue. Use a zipped bag and do not keep a phone in a back pocket.

If you only have three days, do not add both Sintra and Cascais. Sintra is the bigger experience and takes a full day; Cascais is the easier, flatter half-day if you are tired.