Easter Weekend in Lisbon

The hubby and I took a trip to Lisbon for the Easter break!

Personally I think three days in the city is enough and I think you should also travel during the summer months when it is warm as wandering the streets and checking out the al fresco dining options are always better in the heat!

We flew with British Airways from London Heathrow direct to Lisbon and took a 15mins taxi to our hotel (10-20 EUR), The Sheraton, Lisboa where rooms start at 125 EUR per night. Another great tip with Starwood Hotels is you can collect SPG points and earn yourself free future stays or upgrades!

For our first afternoon we checked out the Time Out Mercado da Ribeira. This place was amazing and literally had every type of food you could imagine from sushi to chicken and steak with every flavour sorbet you can think of! We opted for steak sandwiches with Parmesan and rocket washed down with a large glass of rose. 

We then took the train to the tourist area of Belem where we wandered and saw the sights before taking a nap in the park by the river!

For dinner we checked out As Salgadeiras in the Chiado area of Lisbon. The food was exquisite, we started with codfish Carpaccio and garlic prawns and followed by large jumbo shrimp with rice and mango and the hubby had lamb chops with a mint sauce. 

On Easter Sunday itself we decided to take a King of the Hills Tour with the company We Hate Tourism. I have to say the tour was excellent, we tried traditional Portuguese tarts and the famous liquor Ginjinhas as well as bounced around in our ex-army truck up and down the seven hills of Lisbon taking in the breath taking views and different neighbourhoods.

For lunch we were recommended by our guide to try Pharmacia, a tapas and cocktail restaurant with incredible views and outside seating in the sunshine! Everything is designed to share, we had a scallop linguine and sweet potato and smoked salmon canapés. Everything was “pharmacy” themed including the bill being presented in a urine sample bottle!

The afternoon was spent wandering around the neighbourhoods in the sunshine before a quick refresh for dinner. In the evening we went to La Paparrucha, a steak restaurant in the Bairro Alto region. The food was delicious and the views from the terrace over Lisbon were incredible, it was such a lovely way to spend the evening and watch darkness creep in over the city.

For our final day we took a trip to Sintra, trains run from Lisbon Rossio every 15mins and take 39mins. From the station take the tourist bus 434 to all of the major attractions. The town is very picturesque and the sights are interesting and thought provoking.

Please definitely visit Lisbon; it’s a beautiful, clean and calm capital city with excellent food and wine at a very reasonable price! Everything is walkable and when the sun is shining you just can’t beat a weekend in the Portuguese capital.