Lisbon is an amazing historic European destination. It makes a great short stop along a whirlwind European tour, a must visit for a Portugal vacation or the perfect romantic weekend destination. With temperatures that are warmer and sunnier than most European cities, tourists flock to Lisbon at all times of the year and you can too! We have the information to plan the perfect quick stop in Lisbon for first time visitors. This 2 day Lisbon itinerary includes walks in all of the most popular tourist districts, a visit to Belém and a sampling of Lisbon food and entertainment. We also have options for extending your stay. Keep reading for information that will help you plan the perfect Lisbon itinerary for you.
Is Two In Lisbon Days Enough?
Two days in Lisbon is the perfect amount of time for a first time visitor. You will not be able to visit all of the museums or attractions in two days. However, you’ll be able to explore all of the tourist neighborhoods, sample a few historic charms, eat several pastéis de nata and determine what will be on your Lisbon itinerary for your second visit.
Two days does not include any day trips to the areas outside of Lisbon proper. So if you want to take a day trip from Lisbon, you’ll need to add another day in the city. We would highly suggest adding a day trip to Sintra as we enjoyed Sintra more than Lisbon.
Where To Stay In Lisbon
There are so many different neighborhoods in Lisbon that make great base camps for visitors we wrote this whole post about it. If you’d like to read all about the different neighborhoods and choose the best one for you read all about that here. However, if you want our quick recommendations, this is the place we stayed. It’s super budget friendly, centrally located, clean and well-managed. We highly recommend it as it was the best valued place we stayed in all of Portugal.
Lisbon Itinerary
We’ll break down our Lisbon itinerary below by time of day. However, note that those are the times we experienced when we followed this itinerary. They are dependent on how much time you spend in attractions and how long you have to wait for things like sit down food or in entrance lines so don’t take them too literally. However, I know when I’m reading travel itineraries, I find these times helpful so we’ve passed our timeline on to you for reference so you can better organize a realistic Lisbon itinerary for you.
How to use this map: The map above has all of the attractions mentioned in this post. Click on each attraction to learn more about it. If you’d like to save this map, click on the square “View Larger Map” icon. This will open the map in your Google account (make sure you’re signed in). You can reference it in your account or you can create a copy to make your own edits.
Day 1 In Lisbon – Baxia, Chiado and Bairro Alto
This day makes a giant loop. While we’ve picked a starting point and ending point based on where we stayed, you could change that depending on where you are staying so that you start and end nearest your hotel.
Alternately, you could opt to start your day with a walking tour of Lisbon. A walking tour will likely take you to some, if not all, of these destinations.
Santa Justa Lift – 9:30 AM
Visiting the Santa Justa Lift early in the morning will mean you’ll have fewer crowds to contend with to use the lift and get onto the viewing platform. This lift is a popular means of transportation, as it carriers you up a steep hill, as well as a tourist attraction with great views of the city. Even if you don’t want to ride the lift, take a look at it from the top and bottom. It’s an architectural feat from the bottom and a great viewing area from the top.
Carmo Convent – 10 AM
Next, visit the Carmo Convent. The Convent of Our Lady of Mount Carmel was constructed in 1423. However, the roof was completely destroyed in the 1755 earthquake that devastated Lisbon. Instead of reconstructing the roof, it remains open to the elements as a reminder of the power of the earthquake.
Inside the parts of the convent that still have a roof, there is an archaeological museum. The museum is a bit all over the place with archeological finds from Portugal to Peru.
Church of Saint Roch – 11 AM
Next, visit Igreja de São Roque. This church was the most beautiful church we visited. Inside the main church, there are small intricately decorated chapels. These were beautiful and fun to look at. There is also a museum that you can enter for a small fee with lots of religious art. We went to the museum but we wouldn’t recommend it unless you’re into art.
Lunch – 12 PM
Grab an early lunch in the Barrio Alto area. There are lots of cute places in this area that are highly rated. We’ve marked a few on the map above.
Miradouro de São Pedro de Alcântara & Barrio Alto – 1:30 PM
Wander the streets of the Barrio Alto area as you make your way to the Miradouro do São Pedro de Alcântara. This park areas has the best views of Lisbon, in our opinion. It’s also a great area to sit around and enjoy people watching. There are often street performers here playing live music for you to enjoy.
Restauradores Square and Av. da Liberdade – 2 PM
Next, wanter the Avenue da Liberdade. This is a tree lined street with lots of high end shops and restaurants. While we don’t shop on vacations, cause we can do that at home, we did enjoy wandering the beautiful street and enjoying Restauradores Square and people watching. There’s a lovely park area in the central median of the street.
Rossio Square – 2:30 PM
Continue walking downhill towards Rossio Square. Rossio Square has lots of cafes if you’re interested in an afternoon snack. There are also lots of tourist shops here if you’re interested in shopping for souvenirs. Even if you aren’t interested in either, it’s still a pretty town square worth a stroll.
Church of Saint Nicholas – 3 PM
If you’re interested in more churches, you can take a quick look inside Igreja de São Nicolau. This church was destroyed in the 1755 earthquake and was redone in a more modern style with pastel colors and paintings on the ceiling. Honestly, we didn’t find it very impressive but it was also free so it was worth the 5 minute stop.
R. Augusta & Arch – 3:30 PM
Walk along the Rua Augusta, a popular shopping street for tourists with loads of good snacking options from pasteís de nata to ginjinha, a cherry liqueur. Enjoy a slow stroll for window shopping and snacking as you make your way down the hill.
At the bottom of the hill, you’ll find the Arco da Rua Augusta. This beautifully photogenic arch does allow, for an extra entrance fee, an opportunity for you to climb to the top for extra views of the street and square. However, we chose not to do this as there are plenty of free views of Lisbon. Additionally, if you want to do this, make sure to give yourself a little extra time here as the lines can be long.
Praça do Comércio – 4 PM
After walking through the Arco da Rua Augusta, you’ll enter Praça do Comércio. This large square has beautiful yellow European style building surrounding the square. It was completely rebuilt after the 1755 earthquake destroyed the area. Enjoy a stroll around the square. We found the square to be really pretty but the shops and restaurants to be overpriced and/or touristy.
Riverside Walk – 4:30 PM
Next, walk west along the Tagus River. This river makes up the southern border of Lisbon and there are lots of nice sights from the river walk, including the Ponte 25 de Abril, a bridge closely resembling the Golden Gate bridge in San Francisco.
Pink Street – 5 PM
Head north once again at the Jardim de Roque Gameiro. As you make your way back uphill to the starting point of the day, make a quick stop at Pink street for a photograph with the colorful umbrellas hanging overhead. If you want to extend your day, this is also a great spot for an early drink.
Day 2 In Lisbon – Belém and Alfama
Start your morning bright and early by taking public transit to Belém. Aim to arrive at the Jerónimos Monastery by 9:30 AM. There is a good public transit line regularly running from the more touristy areas where you’re likely staying. Use the arrive by feature on Google Maps to plan your morning departure time so you’ll arrive on time.
Pastéis de Belém – 9:30 AM
Before hopping into the line to enter the Jerónimos Monastery, stop at Pastéis de Belém for a box of take away Pastéis de Nata. These make for a great early morning snack and a great way to while away the time you’ll likely spend in line waiting to enter the monastery. These pastel de nata are some of the best in Portugal – the recipe has been a secret passed down by the monks of Jeronimos Monastery.
Pro tip: Pastéis de Belém has two entrances. One for take away pastel de nata only and one for entering the original cafe, which serves other treats and drinks. The take away line is often non-existent if you think the shop line is too long.
Jerónimos Monastery – 9:45
Next, make your way to Jerónimos Monastery. This was one of our favorite things to do in Lisbon, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and one of the 7 Wonders of Portugal (a group of iconic sights in Portugal as voted on by residents). The Monastery was commissioned in 1501 and completed 100 years later. The detail work carved into the stone is amazingly impressive!
To enter the monastery, you’ll want to purchase your tickets online ahead of time. The tickets are general admission and will get you entrance any time during the date you select. Also, several places mention that buying tickets online helps you to “skip the line”. However, there are two lines to get in to Jerónimos Monastery. First, the line across the street from the monastery to buy the tickets. Buying tickets online allows you to skip this line. Next, there is the line to enter the monastery. This line is long all day long so expect to wait 30 minutes in it, there is no skipping it. On the plus side, the line ensures that you slowly walk along the exterior of the monastery, which was actually beautiful and we wouldn’t have noticed some of the detail if it wasn’t for the long line.
Once inside, you’ll make your way along a route of the interior of the monastery, including the famous cloister.
After you exit, head into the adjoining church next door, which includes the intricate tomb of Vasco da Gama. This does not require a ticket and the line is generally much shorter.
Belém Tower – 11:45 AM
Next, walk across the street to the park for full views of Jerónimos Monastery. Then walk across another street to the Monument of Discoveries. This statue along the riverside commemorates key figures in the Age of Discovery. You can pay to enter the monument and visit the viewpoint on the top if you are interested.
Next, visit Belém Tower, another UNESCO World Heritage Site and another of Portugal’s 7 Wonders of Portugal. You can pay to enter the tower, visit the inside and climb the tower. However, the line is always really long and it was really slow moving when we were there. Alternatively, you can photograph the outside of the tower for free without waiting in any line.
Next, take public transit from Belém to the Time Out Market. It should take about 30 minutes to get there.
Lunch – 12:30
Wander through the Time Out Market and grab lunch. There are lots of small vendors in this large marketplace to choose from. We’ve included this in our Lisbon itinerary because it does give you the opportunity to try lots of different types of food. However, this was not for us – it was entirely too busy and overcrowded and didn’t scream relaxing vacation lunch spot to us.
Sé Cathedral – 2 PM
Take a quick peak inside the Lisbon Cathedral. For a small entrance fee, you can explore the beautifully decorated church and the treasury with religious relics.
Next, start your walk uphill. Maybe you’ll spot the most popular tram, Tram 28, running up and down the hill packed with tourists. You can attempt to catch a ride, however, we found that most trams were full and waiting for one with room took more time than walking.
Miradouro das Portas do Sol & Miradouro de Santa Luzia – 3:00 PM
As you make your way up the hill, don’t forget to stop at two of the best viewpoints in Lisbon. The Miradouro das Portas do Sol and Miradouro de Santa Luzia are just around the block from each other. One faces the river while the other faces the red roofs of eastern Lisbon. Both are worth a quick stop to enjoy the views.
Continue uphill to the Castelo de São Jorge.
Castelo de São Jorge – 3:30 PM
Make sure you purchase your tickets ahead of time for the Castelo de São Jorge (or have a phone with data so you can purchase it at the gate). While they don’t often sell out, they do often have an enormous line to get tickets at the gate. If you have tickets, you can skip the ticket office and go straight to the gate where they will let you enter.
Once in the castle, explore the castle walls and enjoy the views of Lisbon from here. Don’t forget to stop in the museum to check out historic artifacts unearthed at the Castle. Fun fact: the castle was built and added on to for centuries by multiple different religious and ethnic groups so there is a lot of history to glimpse here.
Make sure to catch at free guided tour of the oldest part of the castle when you are there. The Discovering the Castle tour was one of our favorite things we did in Lisbon and it was super informative. You can find a schedule of included talks for the day on their website. When we were there in the fall, the last talk was at 4 PM so we went straight there once in the castle.
Dinner and Fado – 6:30 or later
Finally, plan to eat dinner at a restaurant with a fado show included. Fado is a traditional soulful music style that includes signing and guitars. Many restaurants in Alfama (the neighborhood this day ends in) include a fado show with dinner. If you’d prefer, Barrio Alto also has a lot of fado shows at restaurants. We went to dinner at Retiro Dos Sentidos in Barrio Alto as it was closer to our hotel.
Want To Adjust The Lisbon Itinerary
If you have extra time, the first thing we recommend is taking an amazing day trip to Sintra to see the castles in the hills. It was one of our favorite things we did in all of Portugal but it does take a full day to see everything that Sintra has to offer.
With even more extra time you could visit more museums and exhibits that Lisbon has to offer. We would suggest adding in the Coach museum and the LX Facory in the Belém area and a visit to the Monastery of São Vicente de Fora, near Alfama.
If you have less time, you can actually get to everything on this itinerary in a single day, you just won’t be able to go into any attractions. However, that is not what we would recommend. Instead we’d stick to our day 2 itinerary which includes most of our favorite stops on the Lisbon itinerary, including Jerónimos Monastery and Castelo de São Jorge. This is an unpopular opinion and most people would recommend the day 1 Lisbon itinerary as the crucial itinerary for first time visitors. However, we liked our second day better as we were able to delve more in depth into Lisbon history and culture on that day.
We hope this has helped you plan your own perfect Lisbon itinerary. If you have any questions or comments, please leave them below. Additionally, check out our other Portugal posts here.
