Lisbon and around

Shaque attack

Howdy folks,

Just wondering if any of my fellow boardsies have been out to Lisbon and the towns around it before?

I am heading with my gf and the general plan at the moment is to stay in Lisbon for the weekend and then divide up the rest of the week between Sintra and other places like Cascais and Estoril.

If anyone has any fav spots around there/things worth doing I would be most obliged.

Cheers,

CiaraH

Im planning the same trip so would really welcome any responses too :-)

MOH

Hills. That's the main thing I remember about Lisbon. Lots of hills.

Nice city to walk around, although ended up getting the Metro a fair bit as it was reliable and fairly cheap.


Did a day trip out to Sintra, nice castle there but the town was pretty small, not sure I'd spend more than a night there.

Apart from that just did one of the usual hop on/off tourist buses around Lisbon, probably quickest if you want to see everything - though if you get the red ones, beware that there's two separate routes which overlap at one point, we ended up getting back onto the wrong one and missing half of what we wanted to see.

Most of the nightlife was up around the Bairro Alto area, a few pedestrianised streets full of bars that was thronged at night, but had a very safe feel about it.

CHealy

Make sure you get the old tram up the old town, its absolutely amazing some of the angles and the steepness of some of the hills these things can take. Theres places where the tram goes through alleys and there must be only 2 inches space either side, fancinating journey I thought.

Other than that i thought Lisbon was pretty small but will be good for a nice weekend away.

sarkozy

The Lisbon area is known for its 'moscatel', a sweet wine that seems to have originated there. In visiting Cascais and Estoril (mneh), visit some vinyards. Sintra is chocolatebox weirdness but worth a visit. Some of the local coastal towns have excellent markets and seafront places to chow down.

There's also a cool old castle fort and beautiful mountains.

pawrick

Went over for a few days about 2 years ago for a festival (feast of Saint Anthony - it's like carnival with pop up restaurants, bars and music everywhere, a great time to visit). Got the train to Cascais for a day on the beach, nice spot but a day was enough as I'm not a beach person. Tram to the castle as another poster pointed out is a good idea, don't lean on the door too much as it's not the most secure! Lovely city a bit run down looking in parts but I felt perfectly safe to wander all over it by foot. I also did the bus tour, it wasn't really worth it imo. The Monument to discoveries has a really good view from the top and for that and the photo ops I thought it was good.

Try the local pastry shops as they love their sweet pastries over there and the tiny shops where you can buy a shot of cherry liquor seem to be a local thing too. Also grilled sardines is a favorite with locals.

I didn't do a lot of touristy stuff while there as the festival sorta took over my trip without that going on I think a weekend is enough time to be there.

AngryLips

Yes I did both Sintra and Cascais and both are worth doing, though I would limit it to a day trip for each at most. Cascais has good seafood and a decent beach, you'll also find plenty of Irish here and an Irish pub. Sintra has an old abandoned castle at the peak that's deffo worth it for panoramic views of the surrounding countryside and it also has plenty of mansions with gardens you can tour. If I had to choose between the two I'd go with Sintra though Cascais is better if you plan to stay the night.

If you want a proper beach experience I'd recommend Costa da Caparica (you might see this beach as you're flying into Lisbon because it's huge and hugs quite a stretch of the coastline). Even though I only did a day trip there it would have been nice to have had a night as well. Apparently in the summer season there's a decent enough beach nightlife. The beach is so long that there's actually a small toy train that takes you up and down the length of it. The only problem with this place is that you'll have to get a bus out that way (the last stop) and generally I find busses abroad confusing. We got a taxi out and caught the bus back as it worked out easier but more expensive.

snowey07

theres a deadly place in Sintra just outside the town. Its a house with amazing gardens , so wierd and unusual. I also went to the castle on the mountain, it was amazing!

you can also head out to the coast (no cascais) we didnt go but it looked faboulous , big cliffs and all that

Ace2007

i'm thinking of going to portugal in the autumn and staying in Cascais for a week - using it as a base, what are people's thought on this, stayin at the grande real villa italia,

I see above that people talk about hills, is cascais a hilly place, would it be suitable for the elderly?