Weekend in Lisbon

I can smell the tarts before we’re inside. My mouth waters as the scents of cinnamon and powdered sugar drift into the street. The walk to Belem has been worth it, and now I’m ready for my reward: the renowned Pasteis de Belem. I’ve come all the way to Portugal to taste them, and no weekend in Lisbon would be complete without one. Or ten.

Which is funny, because on my last trip to Lisbon I missed out. Nine years have elapsed since, and I haven’t stopped chastising myself.

But that’s partly why I’ve traveled back this time. Not only do I want to see how much the city has changed, but also experience the things I didn’t get to last time.

Friday Night

I’m here with a friend for a girls’ weekend in Lisbon, and we arrive on Friday night. After checking into a lovely room at Portugal Boutique Hotel, we start our visit the way we do best: with food.

We walk into Bairro Alto to have dinner at a restaurant called Cantinho do Avillez.

It’s come highly recommended by several friends, and we enjoy an evening of great wine and good food as the city’s nightlife gets going around us.

Saturday

The next day we have similar luck with morning coffee and croissants in the hip interior of Fabrica Coffee Roasters.

The caffeine fuels our walk to the Time Out Market, a huge covered market with more food stalls and fresh vegetable stands than we could possibly get to in one trip.

It’s an impressive feat, and we’re even more excited when we hear rumors that they’re opening in London in the future.

From the Time Out Market we continue our weekend in Lisbon by meandering along the waterfront to the LX Factory, another place that’s opened since my last visit to Lisbon.

This reinvented industrial space is full of stylish boutiques, cafes, and restaurants.

We pop into a few shops before having lunch at A Praca. It’s a Portuguese restaurant with local vegetable and seafood dishes served in an eclectic dining room.

After lunch we stroll along a street bursting with colorful tiled facades and busy with Lisbon’s famous trams. It leads us to Belem, where the smell of the aforementioned tarts lures us into the iconic Pasteis de Belem cafe.

Signs in its labyrinth of rooms guide us to an open table, where we reward ourselves with tarts after a long walk.

The Pasteis de Belem are every bit as gooey and flaky as I’ve heard, and as my mouth savors the sweetness my mind forgives my stomach for missing out last time. It’s a true highlight of my weekend in Lisbon.

When we finish, we walk around the famous Mosteiro dos Jeronimos monastery, through the gardens, and to the waterfront monument celebrating Portugal’s historic explorers.

Afterwards we hop on Tram 15, which takes us back along the route we walked and into the city center.

Our weekend in Lisbon continues with an ascent to the Castelo de Sao Jorge, the hilltop castle overlooking the city.

As the sun sets, we ramble through the streets and up and down Lisbon’s staircases, eventually settling in for wine and cheese at a restaurant called Gosta do Castelo.

Later we stumble upon The Food Temple, where a vegan dinner packs more flavor into a set menu than I’ve tasted in a long time. It ends the evening on a high note, and we’re happy to have seen and done so much in Lisbon in one day.

Sunday

The next morning we have breakfast at Portugal Boutique Hotel, then continue our weekend in Lisbon by heading back to Bairro Alto to walk around and explore the side streets.

We absorb colorful houses in alleys and sweeping views on hillsides before taking the iconic Tram 28 to the area near the castle.

Again we’re rewarded with stunning views over the tiled rooftops as we walk through the Graca area. Afterwards we head for lunch with a view at a restaurant called Chapito.

From there our weekend in Lisbon continues as we head down the hill to the Se cathedral before wandering into the sprawling Praca do Comercio square, through the pedestrianized streets of Baixa, and up the wide manicured gardens of the Avenida da Liberdade.

We end on a sweet note with a trip to Manteigaria Fabrica de Pasteis de Nata in Bairro Alto. We’re here to try their famous pasteis de nata, the rest of Portugal’s answer to Belem’s famous tart.

They go down a treat, but we still prefer their cousins to the west. It’s hard to beat the original.