Best things to do in Lisbon

If you only have a couple of days, do three things: walk Alfama up to the castle and the viewpoints, spend half a day in Belém for the monastery and a warm pastel de nata, and see the city from the river at sunset. Everything else is a bonus.

Option	Usual length	Best for
Guided walk through Alfama and Mouraria	2 to 3 hours	Your first morning, to get your bearings	Check prices on GetYourGuide
Tuk-tuk tour of the hills and viewpoints	1 to 2 hours	Anyone who would rather not climb	Check prices on GetYourGuide
Live fado show	About 1 hour, longer with dinner	An evening in Alfama or Bairro Alto	Check prices on GetYourGuide
Everything else bookable in Lisbon	Varies	Browsing by date	Check prices on Viator

Plan by area, not by list

Lisbon is small but steep. The mistake most first-time visitors make is zigzagging across the hills to tick off a ranking. Group your days by area instead and you will see more and climb less.

Alfama, the castle and the viewpoints

Alfama is the oldest part of the city: a knot of lanes, stairways and washing lines on the hill below São Jorge Castle. There is no route to follow. Start at the Sé (the cathedral), drift uphill, and stop at the viewpoints as you reach them.

Miradouro de Santa Luzia and Portas do Sol sit next to each other and look over the rooftops to the river.
Miradouro da Senhora do Monte is the highest of the central viewpoints and the best one at sunset.
São Jorge Castle is worth it for the walls and the view more than for what is inside.

Tram 28 runs through here and is as charming as it looks, but it is also packed for most of the day and a known spot for pickpockets. Ride it early in the morning, or board at the Campo de Ourique end where it starts empty.

Belém

Belém is about 6 km west of the centre along the river. Take tram 15E or the train from Cais do Sodré. Give it half a day.

Jerónimos Monastery is the one sight in Lisbon where a ticket bought ahead clearly saves time. The church next door is a separate, free queue.
Belém Tower is best seen from outside. The interior is small, and the tower has been closed for conservation work, so check whether it has reopened before you plan around it.
Padrão dos Descobrimentos and the riverside walk between the monuments cost nothing.
Pastéis de Belém has been baking custard tarts since 1837. The takeaway queue moves fast, and there is usually room to sit inside if you walk through to the back rooms.

Most national monuments and museums are closed on Mondays. Do Belém on another day.

Baixa, Chiado and Bairro Alto

This is the flat, rebuilt centre and the two hills beside it. Walk from Praça do Comércio up Rua Augusta, then climb to Chiado. The Santa Justa lift nearly always has a long queue. You can reach its upper level on foot from Largo do Carmo, behind the roofless Carmo Convent, and skip the wait.

If you have more time

National Tile Museum (Museu Nacional do Azulejo): the story of the blue and white tiles you see everywhere, in a former convent east of the centre.
Oceanário de Lisboa in Parque das Nações: one of Europe’s largest aquariums and the best bet with children or on a rainy day.
LX Factory: shops, cafés and a good bookshop in an old industrial complex under the bridge.
The ferry to Cacilhas: a ten-minute river crossing from Cais do Sodré for the price of a public transport ticket.

Practical notes

Wear shoes with grip. The polished limestone pavements are slippery, especially when wet.
Buy a reloadable navegante occasional card (older guides call it Viva Viagem) at any metro station and load it with credit. It works on the metro, buses, trams, funiculars and ferries.
For Sintra, see our guide to getting from Lisbon to Sintra. For a ready-made plan, see Lisbon in 3 days.