Lisbon itinerary: 1, 2 and 3 days

Pick by how much you are willing to walk and whether Sintra is on your list. The table below is the short version; the day-by-day detail follows.

Start in Baixa, the flat grid rebuilt after the 1755 earthquake. Walk Praça do Comércio, then up through Chiado for coffee. Continue on foot into Alfama, the old quarter below the castle: narrow lanes, laundry, and the Sé cathedral on the way. Climb to São Jorge Castle or, cheaper, to Miradouro de Santa Luzia for the same rooftops.

After lunch, take tram 15 or the metro to Belém. See Jerónimos Monastery and Belém Tower from outside if time is short; both are closed on Mondays and both sell timed tickets. Finish with a pastel de nata near the monastery and the river at sunset.

If you have only one evening, eat in Alfama or Mouraria and listen for fado drifting out of a doorway. A proper fado house show is a separate booking and usually starts around 20:00–21:00.

Day one as above, but slow down in Alfama and add the castle if the queue is short. Day two gives Belém the time it needs: Jerónimos Monastery inside, the Belém Tower, the Monument to the Discoveries and the MAAT riverside walk. The National Coach Museum is next door if you want a second indoor stop.

In the afternoon, cross to the other side of the city. LX Factory under the bridge is good for browsing and coffee; Time Out Market near Cais do Sodré is the easy dinner if you cannot decide. Both are busy at weekends.

For a viewpoint evening, Miradouro da Graça and Miradouro da Senhora do Monte are quieter than Santa Luzia and face the castle. Take the Elevador da Glória or the Bica funicular for the climb; both are covered by the Viva Viagem card.

Keep days one and two, then choose one of three day three options.

Sintra: train from Rossio, about 40 minutes. Pena Palace and Quinta da Regaleira both use timed tickets and the walk up from the station is steep. Go on a weekday if you can; weekends and August are crowded. This is the option most first-timers pick.

Cascais: train from Cais do Sodré along the coast, about 40 minutes. A beach town with a fish market and a flat seafront walk to Estoril if you want more distance. Easier and cheaper than Sintra.

Stay in Lisbon: the National Tile Museum, the flea market at Campo de Santa Clara (Tuesdays and Saturdays), and a long lunch in Príncipe Real. Good if you have already seen the big sights or the weather is wet.

Lisbon is one of the cheaper Western European capitals. Transport is the small cost; monuments and fado shows are the big ones. All figures below are 2026 estimates and should be checked before booking.

A single metro, tram or bus trip is around €1.80–2.00 on a Viva Viagem card. A 24-hour pass costs more but pays off if you take four or more rides in a day. The airport metro or Aerobus into the centre is a few euros. Trains to Sintra and Cascais are suburban fares, cheap, and run frequently.

Museum and monument tickets vary: Jerónimos Monastery and Belém Tower are the priciest, the Tile Museum and Coach Museum are mid-range, and most viewpoints and churches are free. A fado dinner show is the single biggest optional spend, often €40–60 with a set menu.

Wear shoes with grip. Lisbon's calçada portuguesa is beautiful and slippery when wet, and the hills are constant. Plan one uphill and one downhill stretch per day rather than zig-zagging.

Buy the Viva Viagem card at a metro station machine and top it up as needed. Trams 15 and 28 are the tourist lines and pickpocket hotspots; keep bags in front of you and avoid boarding at the packed end near the door.

Book Jerónimos, Belém Tower and Sintra palaces online a day or two ahead in high season. Mondays close several Belém monuments, so do not put Belém on your first day if you arrive on a Sunday night.

Eat lunch late, around 13:00–14:30, when kitchens are at their best. Dinner before 19:30 is early by local standards and many restaurants open at 19:00–19:30. Tipping is modest: round up or leave 5–10%.