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Lisbon Itinerary - Opinions needed


columbusnj
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I’ll be in Lisbon next September and will probably arrive at the hotel around noon – flying in from Newark, NJ. I plan to sightsee in Lisbon on Day I (same day as I arrive). On Day 2 (the only full day), I plan to go to Sintra. On day 3, we need to be at the dock no later than 12:30 so we’ll only have a few hours in the morning.

 

For Day 1, I originally wanted to go to Belem to just see the Monastery and the Monument of Discoveries, then go to the Alfama district to walk around, have dinner, and go the castle. I am now thinking this is too aggressive since we won’t be starting the day until around noon, and I want to just enjoy the day, soak up Lisbon and not rush it. So I’m rethinking my plans for Day 1 and comtemplating two options, which I’d love to get feedback from people who have visited Lisbon in the past.

 

Option 1 is to make a choice between Belem and Castle and not do both. I plan on going to the Alfama district either way, to walk around and have dinner.

 

Option 2 is to do Alfama District including the Castle on Day 1. Then on Day 3, go to Monastery in the morning and then go straight to ship from there. I’d hire a taxi for the morning so the taxi could wait with our luggage. The Monastery doesn’t open until 10am so would 2 hours be enough time.

 

Any thoughts?

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I’ll be in Lisbon next September and will probably arrive at the hotel around noon – flying in from Newark, NJ. I plan to sightsee in Lisbon on Day I (same day as I arrive). On Day 2 (the only full day), I plan to go to Sintra. On day 3, we need to be at the dock no later than 12:30 so we’ll only have a few hours in the morning.

 

For Day 1, I originally wanted to go to Belem to just see the Monastery and the Monument of Discoveries, then go to the Alfama district to walk around, have dinner, and go the castle. I am now thinking this is too aggressive since we won’t be starting the day until around noon, and I want to just enjoy the day, soak up Lisbon and not rush it. So I’m rethinking my plans for Day 1 and comtemplating two options, which I’d love to get feedback from people who have visited Lisbon in the past.

 

Option 1 is to make a choice between Belem and Castle and not do both. I plan on going to the Alfama district either way, to walk around and have dinner.

 

Option 2 is to do Alfama District including the Castle on Day 1. Then on Day 3, go to Monastery in the morning and then go straight to ship from there. I’d hire a taxi for the morning so the taxi could wait with our luggage. The Monastery doesn’t open until 10am so would 2 hours be enough time.

 

Any thoughts?

Of those I think option 2 is best, assuming you are bright-eyed and bushy-tailed enough after the flight to do Alfama and the Castle :D If not I suppose you could make up for what you didn't do then on day 2, pinching an hour or so from the Sintra day.

 

On day 3 if you get to Belem at around 9.15 you can easily do the Monument of Discoveries before going to the Monastery, as it is just a ride up in a lift and quick look at the view from the top. Also, you'll have plenty of time to go the that Pasteis shop if you want. I didn't go inside but imagine 2 hours is plenty to have a good look - and in any case it'll have to be :)

 

This was my (single) day there using the all-day travel ticket. All the best, Tony

 

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We were in Lisbon for two days before a cruise in May, spending the first day in Lisbon and the second in Belem before boarding the ship. I think your Option 1 would work if you had a full day, but might be tough if you start at noon. Lisbon's attractions get really crowded, and the best advice I can give is to get places as early as possible! My blog posts may help give you an idea of what is realistic to do in a day:

 

http://www.themodernpostcard.com/lisbon-day-1-tale-three-neighborhoods-tuk-tuk-ride/

http://www.themodernpostcard.com/lisbon-day-2-beautiful-belem-land-explorers/

 

We absolutely loved Lisbon!

Mary

Travel Blog: http://www.themodernpostcard.com

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Lisbon - http://www.europe-private-tours.com/ What a fabulous day with Christina, who was like family. She took us to the Lisbon she knows and we didn’t see one single tourist all day, We had lunch and dinner at local places…. There was a lovely local couple at lunch, a man and his aunt, and I just fell in love with them. They were so gracious and he spoke English and visited at length with me and his aunt just smiled and kissed me on both cheeks when we left!! At dinner, all the Oceania tour bus drivers came in after their tours ended to have dinner!! Again… not to be missed, if you want to be more local than tourist.

 

Dinah

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For Day 1, I originally wanted to go to Belem to just see the Monastery and the Monument of Discoveries, then go to the Alfama district to walk around, have dinner, and go the castle.

 

At this time (October 2016) The Monument of Discoveries is completely covered by scaffolding. You won't be able to see enough of the sculptures to enjoy it. Do not include this as a destination.

 

In Alfama, try to schedule your dinner at one of the restaurants that also feature fado singing. We just got back from Lisbon and we had two enjoyable evenings at O Faia (Bairro Alto) and Sr. Fado (Alfama). Excellent fado singing coupled with excellent food.

Edited by Pet Nit Noy
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We just returned from Portugal and I would definitely recommend going to Belem to view the Monastery and church, enjoy some Pasteis de Belem at the bakery and perhaps one of the other museums (we toured the Carriage Museum). Be sure your day there is NOT on a Monday as everything is closed! There can be large crowds in Belem and you should plan for extra time there.

 

Hopefully the Monument of Discoveries will not be covered with scaffolding by next year.

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  • 1 month later...

Can I just throw something else in? Have you considered a Segway tour? We have done 2 with Miguel at http://www.lisbonsegwaytours.pt/index.php/tour-description

 

One last Christmas was the 'super tour' (nearly 4 hours) which took us all over Alfama and the old town and castle...definately the way to see this very hilly city! This September we did the Belem tour which took us riverside under the suspension bridge past the monument to Belem tower...a better tour if you want to get some speed up on the cycleways! We've done segways all over the world and Miguel's is definately in our top 2.

 

 

Simon

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