Can I see Lisbon in 1 day?

[bristolrugbyfan]

Hi All

We have just returned from our first ever cruise aboard Independence of the Seas and had an extremely memorable day in Lisbon with We Hate Tourism tours. I had visited Lisbon once before but wanted to be able to spend some time in Sintra, which is why we chose an independent company rather than opting for a ship excursion and we were not disappointed! The cost was around the same but much better value for money. We started off by exploring Belem (and were treated to some wonderful Pasties de Belem), then onto Cascais and Sintra (plenty of time to explore both). Due to the wonderful weather, our guide also included a stop at Cabo de Roca and then back to explore the City, Bairro Alto etc. Our guide was enthusastic, knowledgable, fun and loved his city. They met us at the ship and dropped us back at the port.

The other must do, if you have the opportunity, is get up early (around 6am) to enjoy the sunrise over 25 April Bridge on the approach into the port - well worth the early start! :D

[calliopecruiser]

Lisbon is a fabulous city, and I'd encourage you to spend an extra couple of days there if you can. Even though taxis might be faster, my recommendation would be to get a transit day pass and walk/tram/metro around the city to really get a feel for the place. Belem was wonderful, by the way. I'll be going back next year and spending 3 or 4 days there after my transatlantic cruise.

[Grannycb]

We did a ship's tour around Lisbon a few years ago. This time we are heading out on our own to see some of the things other passengers raved about and some of the drive by places that looked interesting. That's the trouble with bus tours. They don't stop when you want them to. I found this guide on the internet and thought it looked interesting. http://promptguides.com/lisbon/guides/one_day_guide.htm I can't vouch for how good it is, but can say it goes to many of the places we want to see.

 

Make sure you are on deck when sailing into port. The views are very nice.

[fdnycruiser]

We booked a private car with Alex at Top Ten Tours last Nov on our 1 day cruise stop to Lisbon - and it was less expensive than what the ship charged for 2 people. I don't know if that is still the case, but it was worth every penny - even if its a few dollars more. He picked us up at the terminal and we were off - while all the buses were still loading up. We went to Sintra and did a city tour of Lisbon, and I guarantee we had more time to sightsee than the bus people. He is educated, very knowledgable, speaks fluent english, and knows how to get around so you don't waste time sitting in traffic - and there is ALOT of traffic. He will also customize the trip to whatever duration and destinations you want. This trip was the best thing we did on our cruise and we recommend him to all our friends who go there. If you can get 4 people, it will be even more reasonable. Check out their website: http://www.toptentours.eu.

 

Thank you for your very helpful post. We used top ten tours and Alex on this past Monday and weren't disappointed !!! We were only in Lisbon for a day and went to Fatima,and the surrounding countryside. We were met at 0815 and got back around 6 pm. We got to see A LOT of Portugal,which was very beautiful I may add. Aside from being fluent in English Alex was very knowledgable and accomodating. I only wish that we had another day to see Lisbon. If we hadn't been so tired,Alex wanted to show us some of Lisbon that evening. Beautiful country,beautiful city ! Lewes Beach,thank you again for your recommendation.At least we were able to maximize our only day there.BTW, we arrived on Seabourn, and toptentours was MUCH cheaper than the ships tour. I hope this post is of help to anyone visiting Portugal.

[Kate-AHF]

fdnycruiser, thank you for that review. TopTenTours looks like the perfect solution to our first day in Lisbon.

[surreyfamily]

We have also just spent the day with Alex from Toptentours in Lisbon . He was great. His English is excellent and his knowledge of the history of Portugal is extensive. He tailormade the day for us ( 2 adults, 2 older children and a 12 year old) and recommended places to visit which turned out to be perfect for us. We packed a lot into 6 hours and it was very comfortable andf excellent value for money. We would highly recommend him.

 

Get Alix to take you to Sintra first; make sure you visit the cake shop he recommends and ask him about Regaleira -which was great to wander round.

Much better and more personalised than the ships tour.

[pearliemae]

Thank you for your very helpful post. We used top ten tours and Alex on this past Monday and weren't disappointed !!! We were only in Lisbon for a day and went to Fatima,and the surrounding countryside. We were met at 0815 and got back around 6 pm. We got to see A LOT of Portugal,which was very beautiful I may add. Aside from being fluent in English Alex was very knowledgable and accomodating. I only wish that we had another day to see Lisbon. If we hadn't been so tired,Alex wanted to show us some of Lisbon that evening. Beautiful country,beautiful city ! Lewes Beach,thank you again for your recommendation.At least we were able to maximize our only day there.BTW, we arrived on Seabourn, and toptentours was MUCH cheaper than the ships tour. I hope this post is of help to anyone visiting Portugal.

 

We stayed for several days in Lisbon precruise and were recommended to Top Ten tours by a friend. We contacted Alex and he set us a couple days of excursions. We were more than satisfied, he suggested several places to see that we had no knowledge of and really made our stay in Lisbon the highlight of our trip. He is very informed on his beloved country and speaks English well. He also knows some great places to eat. Alex knows how to prioritize sightseeing time, how to avoid heavy traffic and go to places at times they are least crowded. There is a lot to see in Lisbon and the surrounding areas are well worth seeing. He can do a nice overview in a day's time, but if you can spend more days pre or postcruise, it is extremely worthwhile. We appreciated his services and personality so much that we have already booked with him for our fall portstop in Lisbon. Did I mention that he knows some fantastic dining spots, for sweets, a snack or a full meal?

You can email him and get everything arranged in advance. Have a great cruise and enjoy Portugal, it is a beautiful country.

[RZ06]

We have also just spent the day with Alex from Toptentours in Lisbon . He was great. His English is excellent and his knowledge of the history of Portugal is extensive. He tailormade the day for us ( 2 adults, 2 older children and a 12 year old) and recommended places to visit which turned out to be perfect for us. We packed a lot into 6 hours and it was very comfortable andf excellent value for money. We would highly recommend him.

 

Get Alix to take you to Sintra first; make sure you visit the cake shop he recommends and ask him about Regaleira -which was great to wander round.

Much better and more personalised than the ships tour.

 

We also spent 2 days with Alex seeing Lisbon and Sintra. He is wonderful.

He made sure that we had such a great time during our tour, was very knowledgeable about the area, and really fun person to be with. We are very happy we found him and will recommend his services to our friends. You can contact him or Maria at lisbon@toptentours.eu .

[Lulubelle74]

Another vote for top ten tours. We were just in Lisbon for the day at the tail end of our cruise and booked Alex to see Sintra and Cascais and we were not disappointed. Top Ten Tours compared to the ship and the competition were very reasonably priced, and they will tailor your itinery to suit you. Alex was waiting for us as we disembarked. He is very personable, flexible, fluent in English and passionate about his country, we learned a lot from him and really enjoyed our tour. It was one of the highlights of our cruise