Lisbon: A Digest

Four days in Lisbon. A long weekend of food and Fado to fix you up and find your way around a new city sounds delightful, surely?

Where To Stay and What To Know

What do you want to do in Lisbon? Oeiras and Carcavelos are the places to be if you want a beach holiday, with the sand and the ocean within easy reach of those. If you prefer an Old Town, Alfama is not a bad shout as it’s full of  pastelarias and Fado clubs and is a pleasant walk from the main square (Praça do Comércio).

Lisbon is a bitch to walk and drive. It’s a very hilly city, with stairs carved into the rock face and uneven cobbles and tiles, some of which even have holes in. You will want to wear flats. Ubers are cheap, but Uber Eats will not be easy to contend with if you want a quiet night in the hotel.

This is a late city – even our hotel didn’t really begin until 8:30am, and it is more common for people to dine at 11pm than 6 or 8pm. It’s also not really a ‘dine and dash’ kind of a place – prix fix has not made it to these shores, and even when we went to a local eatery that was all but closed we shocked them by finishing our meal, paying, and leaving within an hour – you’re supposed to hang out, drink wine, have a cigarette, all of that. Grocery stores in the old town were less than ideal – more placed to buy wine and crisps than cheap meals or snacks, so plan for late-night tapas and hearty bar snacks rather than quick or quiet refuelling.

Souvenir shops were also open very late – you can buy azulejo (tiles) and cork bags at any time of the day or night, Super Bock t-shirts, and the same dual-language books from every bookshop. There are a lot of independent stores, too, so make sure you have enough luggage space for a handmade toy from Era Uma Vez Um Sonho (Once Upon A Dream) or some yarn from Retrosaria Rosa Pomar (Rosa Pomar’s Haberdashery)

We travelled hand-luggage only, so my souvenirs were limited, but I still managed to pick up:

• Two tiny Pu-Ehr tea cakes from an adorable and well-stocked tea shop
• … a tote bag and tea strainer, also from Companhia Portugueza do Chá
• One of the poetry books from Livraria Bertrand (pro tip – they keep a stamp behind the counter, ask them to stamp your book with their logo)
• Some origami paper patterned like azulejo and a CD of the Breakfast At Tiffany’s soundtrack from Ler Devagar bookshop (and associated jazz record store)
• A book on Belém Tower from Tinta Nos Nervos bookshop
• A notebook from Livraria Buchholz

What To See And Do

Lisbon is a city for moseying around and sitting down a bit. Try seeing the Cathedral then wandering the backstreets of Alfama before pausing for a cake at Alfama Dolce (where the owner emphatically told us that she tries everything every day, and if it’s not good enough it doesn’t go out, and was so appalled we hadn’t tried pastel de nata she forced us to eat a free one and wouldn’t let us pay for it). Try taking breakfast at Confeitaria Nacional before getting on to Elétrico 28 (the historic yellow trams) or Ascensor Glória (the funicular). Try having a siesta at the hotel to ensure you have enough time in the evening for a Fado cafe. Don’t forget some of the quiet museums of the town – we enjoyed the Museu Geológico and Jardim Botânico Tropical, which don’t make it onto a lot of holiday recommendations.

On This Topic:

• I have a similar digest for Porto, in case you fancy an all-out Portuguese holiday.
• I missed The Interpretive Centre of the History of Codfish (arriving when the shop was open but the museum was closed) and felt like I’d let the Grimsby Fishing Heritage Museum down.
• I would definitely recommend our hotel – it was worth it for the light through those stained glass windows alone, but the staff were truly excellent and I am always magnetically compelled to enjoy a tea salon.

To-Do:

• Read Carnegie books
• Book dentists
• Talk. To. Your. Friends!!!

Today’s Culture:

• There’s a new flavour of rice cracker available in Tesco – lemongrass! Healthy and suitable for nut-free workplaces.
• Lucy Dacus new album, time stops for her in my house.
• Finally getting around to reading the June Bates poetry that’s set the internet aflame.