Lisbon event weekends: what to do between sessions

Seven hills, trams and miradouros above the Tagus, with Sintra's palaces and Atlantic beaches 40 minutes away.

Events we cover in Lisbon

Arriving

Lisbon airport (LIS) is 7 km north, the closest major airport to a capital in Europe. The red metro line reaches the centre in 20 minutes; an Uber costs 10 to 15 euros.

Where to stay

Three hotels we would book

• Budget: Lisbon Destination Hostel
• Mid-range: Hotel Mundial
• Splurge: Four Seasons Hotel Ritz Lisbon

Event weekends sell out early and prices rise as the date gets closer: book a cancellable room as soon as you know you are going.

Tours

Where to eat

• Time Out Market Food hall with stalls from top chefs
• Cervejaria Ramiro Seafood hall famous for garlic prawns
• Pastéis de Belém The original custard tarts since 1837
• Taberna da Rua das Flores Small tavern, no bookings
• A Cevicheria Ceviche under a giant octopus
• O Trevo Bifana pork sandwiches
• Manteigaria Custard tarts fresh from the oven

With kids

• Oceanário de Lisboa.
• Pavilhão do Conhecimento science centre.
• Tram 28 ride (go early to avoid queues).

Rainy-day backups

• Gulbenkian Museum.
• National Tile Museum.
• MAAT.

Free things to do

• Miradouro da Senhora do Monte and Santa Luzia viewpoints.
• Walk the riverfront from Cais do Sodré to Belém.
• LX Factory on Sundays.

Getting around

• Metro, trams and the Santa Justa lift run on the Viva Viagem card or contactless.
• Estádio da Luz (Colégio Militar metro) and Alvalade (Campo Grande metro) are both on the metro.
• Uber and Bolt are cheap in Lisbon, Porto and the Algarve.
• CP Alfa Pendular trains connect Lisbon, Porto and Faro.