How to spend a perfect day in Lisbon

Unfortunately, Lisbon is not part of my professional travel repertoire, so I am rarely there. But when I do, this city flashes me every time. And I always feel like I’m in a second home. I like Portugal at all, maybe that’s also due to my early childhood imprinting.

So that I could pick up at least a little Portuguese, my Brazilian mother always sent me to “supplementary native-language classes” when I was in elementary school. It sounds important, but it was just hot air. I was the only girl among eight Portuguese boys, because the program was actually aimed at families of guest workers from Portugal. Brazilians? There weren’t any in our big city back then. And so, once a week in the afternoon, I’d take the bus and train all the way across town so I could spend an hour watching the boys mess around, otherwise I didn’t understand a word and tried to cover it up by consistently refusing to speak and resorting to a heart-wrenching, wide-eyed puppy dog look. Because our grandmotherly teacher spoke Portuguese from Portugal, which I understood even less with my meager language skills. At the end of each school semester, though, I’d get a nice “B” (for the big, round eyes, not for the Portuguese—but that didn’t show up on the report card) and a big hug from our teacher for sticking it out.

Lisbon’s 28: Nostalgia in the Alfama

Decades later, I’m standing in a crowded tram, wondering why on earth I had to put myself through this. Small, cramped spaces packed with strangers just aren’t my thing. It’s just an occupational hazard. It rumbles and jolts, creaks and clatters. With unexpected gusto, the miniature tram races through the streets of Alfama, up hill and down dale, and with every rapid acceleration, I find my nose buried in the armpit of yet another stranger hanging from one of the handrails dangling from the ceiling: At 1.60 meters tall in sneakers, I’m not exactly at an advantage on crowded public transportation. But a ride on Line 28 is a must when you’re in Lisbon anyway. That’s what the hundred other tourists I’m crammed into the tram with are thinking, too—all on the hunt for that genuine, authentic Lisbon vibe.

Vamos passear! Vamos para a Feira da Ladra!

I guarantee none of the locals ride this line anymore. The 28 is basically like the No. 100 bus here in Berlin—for just a little money, you get a ride to the best sights and a whole lot of local color thrown in for free. But while in Berlin the bus driver’s scolding for whatever reason is also free, our driver is brimming with Portuguese joie de vivre: “Come on in, everyone, hop on, let’s go for a ride—it’s such a great day today! Head over to the flea market! And take lots of photos of the tram—come on up close!” he calls out to the tourists standing on every corner to snap that classic Lisbon shot, proudly posing behind his tram steering wheel for every photo. A tram in a narrow street, a tram in front of the Sé Cathedral, a tram coming around the corner, a tram at the Miradouro. You can’t visit Lisbon without taking a photo of a tram. But these indestructible, nostalgic trams are simply one-of-a-kind.

You can find all my tips on Portugal on the Portugal Blog

If you’re in Alfama on Tuesdays or Saturdays, be sure to stop by the Feira da Ladra, a flea market with some Lisbon kitsch souvenirs – but also some really nice junk.

Lx Factory in Lisbon: nostalgia for hipsters

The Lx Factory, an old factory site, is the counterpart to the historic Alfama – this is hipster Lisbon. And somehow a bit like all the other hipster places in the world. Hipster Cafe. Hipster restaurants. Hipster stores. Beards. Street Art. Worth seeing: the Ler Devagar bookstore. A bit out of the city center, but easy to reach by bus and train (a day pass for only 6€ or so is a good idea in Lisbon anyway, just for the spectacular streetcar rides through the old town).

I have to say, though: I wasn’t really blown away by the Lx Factory—maybe it was just because I was there at noon; it might be even more interesting in the evening. Or maybe I’m just tired of the same old hipster shops all over the world. Or: It just doesn’t really feel much like Lisbon—or at least not like what I associate with Lisbon: that magnificent charm of a once-grand city, surrounded by sun and water and still brimming with history. Old factory or not—Lisbon simply has so much more to offer.