One of the joys about living in London is the ability to pop over to any number of European destinations for just a weekend. A lot of people have asked me how I managed to cram so much into a weekend, so for my Lisbon trip I thought I’d write up a Lisbon weekend travel guide.
Lisbon was a city which I’d heard good things about, and this Portuguese city not disappoint. The city has an amazing nightlife about it. Stylish and modern bars share laneways with hole in the wall places that look like they’ve been there for 50 years, with the same guy serving drinks for 50 years! The streets and laneways are full of people street drinking (you can just buy a drink from a bar and walk outside), yet there isn’t any trouble going on and everyone is having a good time. There is a mutual respect that is lacking in many cities – respect for the owners of the venues and respect for your fellow night owls.
The young people on nights out were really friendly and everyone kept telling us that we had to come back during the summer, when it’s supposed to be even more fun. I also bumped into quite a few Brazilians. Because of the historical links between the two countries, there are quite a few Brazilians that come to Portugal to study and work, in the same way that there are lots of Australians doing their stints in England.
I had a great time in Lisbon, and can’t wait to go back. The whole city has a really funky, ”cool” vibe, and new mixes with old seamlessly.
I was really impressed by the street art scene in Lisbon. There is a lot of good and interesting street art around.
The Santa Justa Lift was built between 1900 and 1902, and was designed by Raul Ponsard, and apprentice of Gustave Eiffel. It is 45 meters tall and there are amazing views of the city to be had from the top.
There is quite an extensive tram network in Lisbon. Some of them look quite run down. On a night out I was posing in front of one for a photo, assuming that it was out of order… until the driver honked his horn and started the engine!
Random stuff like this – alfresco just set up on some stairs along a narrow walkway, occurs all over the place.
Belem is a riverside district of Lisbon and there can be found the best egg tarts ever. Pasteis de Belem has a reputation for being the best, but after trying them I was amazed at just how much better they are than any of the others I had tried in the city.
The Belem Tower is a UNESCO World Heritage site, due to its important during the ”Age of Discoveries”, when Portugal was a colonising power. It served as both a gateway to Lisbon, and as a defensive tower and was completed in 1521.
The 25th of April Bridge is probably quite familiar to most of you. This is because it was built by the American Bridge Company, and is based on the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, completion being in 1966.
