Lisbon Itinerary for One Month

Looking to find the best things to do when in Lisbon? Here is our Lisbon itinerary for one month. Use this itinerary for one month or just a couple of weeks. This depends on how quickly you’d like to travel. Also, if you’re in Portugal and you have the time, you should check out Lagos. You can find information about our adventure in Lagos here.

Week One

Find a free walking tour on one of your first days in Lisbon. This will help you get a general idea of the sites and give you some wonderful information about the history of the city. Therefore, we suggest this free walking tour. We had a wonderful guide, Gabriel, and learned a lot.

Get lost in the streets of the Alfama. Walking around the Alfama is like walking in a maze. There is so much to see and explore! If you come across an old woman selling ginjinha with a chocolate cup out of her doorway, do it! Usually these only cost about 1 euro each and helps out a local. Ginjinha, a Portuguese liquor, is made by infusing ginja berries in alcohol. It’s delicious and with a chocolate cups, tastes like a chocolate covered cherry!

Visit Lisbon Cathedral, Carmo Convent, and the Church of St. Dominic. These are all amazing historical sites. Carmo Convent is a medieval convent that was ruined in the earthquake of 1755. The roof of the convent collapsed and only the facade remains intact.

In addition, the Church of St. Dominic is important for being the site of the Portuguese inquisition, which started around 1540 and resulted in the burning on 1,175 people. The church was almost completely destroyed in the earthquake of 1755. After being rebuilt, the church was then devastated by a fire 1959. The signs of the fire were kept as a tribute to those burned during the inquisition upon its reopening in 1994.

The Lisbon Cathedral is one of the most iconic sites in Lisbon. It is the oldest church in the city and is located in the city center. Though we, unfortunately, never got to go inside but we would recommend doing so if you are able.

Take a trip to Belém. No Lisbon itinerary is complete without a visit to Belém. Therefore, take the bus or train to Belém to enjoy all the sites there. This will most likely require multiple days if you want to see everything. Make sure to see Jerónimos Monastery (about 10 Euros per person), the Tower of Belém (we were told it was not worth it to pay to go inside), and eat a pastel de Belém at Pastéis de Belém.

Week Two

Check out of the view from Castelo de S. Jorge. Though not the original castle that stood in its place, Castelo de S. Jorge provides a wonderful view of the city of Lisbon. Tickets cost about 10 Euros per adult. However, we recommend buying them ahead of time to avoid the ticket line (though you will still have to wait in line to get in).

Visit Avenidas Novas Neighborhood. This area of Lisbon is typically much flatter than the central city of Lisbon. It also provides wonderful parks and sites. Spend the day walking around the area, visiting the Marques de Pombal statue, enjoying a walk through Parque Eduardo VII, and indulging on the “World’s Best Chocolate Cake” at O Melhor Bolo De Chocolate Do Mundo or the other best chocolate cake at Landeau in El Corte Inglés mall.

Enjoy the day at the zoo. Founded in 1884, the Lisbon zoo houses more than 300 species of animal. Located in the Sete Rios area, tickets run around 26 Euros per adult.

Go museum hopping. There are a ton of museums to visit in Lisbon. We, unfortunately, did not get to see them all, but would recommend spending your time exploring at least a few. Though some of the ones we did enjoy were Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga, Museu Calouste Gulbenkian, and Hospital de Bonecas (or doll hospital). The one we wished we had visited the most was Museu Nacional do Azulejo.

Week Three

Go. To. Sintra. It is absolutely essential for a one month Lisbon itinerary, to visit Sintra. Without a doubt, Sintra is wonderful and amazing. So, we can’t stress enough that you should go and visit. Everything there is like it’s out of a fairy-tale. There are many places to see in Sintra. We recommend spending more than one day there if possible. To get there from Lisbon, you can take the train straight there from Reboleira.

In Sintra, the top site is Pena Palace. Get there early!! We got there around 10 AM. By that time, there was a little bit of a line to get in but once we left, the line was crazy! Nearby is also the Castle of the Moors. You can buy tickets for both sites. Also, highly recommended are Quinta da Regaleira and the National Palace of Sintra.

While in Sintra, stop at Casa Piriquita or Casa Piriquita II for Travesseiros de Sintra (a pastry filled with ground cinnamon and almond, though we got the chocolate filled ones).

Visit Basílica da Estrela. A baroque style cathedral that houses Queen Maria I’s tomb. The ornate interior is incredible, but their highlight is going up to the roof. There was a small fee to climb to the top (I believe about 2 Euros per person) but the views are incredible! You, also, get to see the inside of the dome and a view of the cathedral interior from above. Once done at the Basilica, take a walk around the surrounding area.

Week Four

Visit Cascais and go to the beach. Your Lisbon itinerary wouldn’t be complete without a beach visit. So, enjoy some beautiful weather and spend the day at the beach. Cascais is an easy train ride from Lisbon. Most likely you will have to take the Metro to Santos and then the train to Cascais, but it’s pretty straight forward.

Take a bus (or car) trip to Obidos. With a one month itinerary in Lisbon, there is plenty of time for a day trip to Obidos. Obidos, a medieval walled town, has been around since the Moorish era. It is a small town so only takes about a day to explore.

However, If you are lucky enough to be there around end of July to the beginning of August, they usually have a medieval festival. To get there, you can drive if you have a car or take a Flixbus from Lisbon’s Oriente station.

Must Have Foods

Your Lisbon itinerary would not be complete without food. In no particular order, we highly recommend trying some of these fabulous foods in Lisbon. As neither of us are big seafood fans, we’ve kept those places off the list. However, Portugal is known for their seafood, specifically sardines and bacalhau (cod). So we would suggest trying them.

1. Pastel de Nata. Our favorite places were Fabrica de Nata and Manteigaria. And of course, go to Belém for Pastéis de Belém.
2. Bifana. Highly recommended are As Bifanas do Afonso and Amigo António
3. Ginjinha. Though our recommendation would be to walk the Alfama and get a ginjinha from a local, some other popular places include A Ginjinha and Ginjinha Sem Rival.
4. Travesseiros de Sintra. Finding the best ones means going to Sintra and heading to Casa Piriquita or Casa Piriquita II.
5. Amazing chocolate cake. Either at O Melhor Bolo De Chocolate Do Mundo or Landeau.
6. The Time Out Market. For a variety of things, this is the place to go.
7. For delicious brunch. Nicolau Lisboa is a delicious breakfast and brunch place located in the heart of the city.