Lisbon, Portugal
We stopped over in Lisbon for a few days to spend New Year’s Eve on our way back from Maldives (via Dubai). The city is easy to navigate and the trams are a wonderful way to see all parts of the city.
We stayed at a hotel near Rossio Square and the train station - Avenida Palace.
The tram lines were close y and there were plenty of shops around us and it was a short walk to the waterfront. The Santa Justa Lift was few steps away- it is an elevator, or lift, in the civil parish of Santa Justa, in the historical city of Lisbon, Portugal. Situated at the end of Rua de Santa Justa, it connects the lower streets of the Baixa with the higher Largo do Carmo.
Take Tram 15 to see the Belém Tower, or the "Tower of St Vincent", is a fortified tower located in the civil parish of Santa Maria de Belém in the municipality of Lisbon, Portugal. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site because of the significant role it played in the Portuguese maritime discoveries of the era of the Age of Discoveries. The tower was commissioned by King John II to be part of a defense system at the mouth of the Tagus river and a ceremonial gateway to Lisbon. Also walking distance from here is Jerónimos Monastery or Hieronymites Monastery, is a former monastery of the Order of Saint Jerome near the Tagus river in the parish of Belém, in the Lisbon Municipality, Portugal; it was secularized on 28 December 1833 by state decree and its ownership transferred to the charitable institution, Real Casa Pia de Lisboa, has the tomb of Vasco daGama and is a UNESCO world heritage site.
Tram 28 is a must for all visitors – it is long loop around Lisbon and takes you through most of the city sights. Take this to go up to Sao Jorge Castle first and then ride it back through the rest of the city.
When you reach the castle there is wonderful terrace where we soaked in the afternoon sun over a couple of beers with a panoramic view of the city.
The tram links São Jorge Castle and Bairro Alto, crossing various picturesque neighborhoods for 6.2 miles, including Graça, Mouraria, Alfama, Baixa, Chiado, Madragoa and Bairro Alto. Thousands of tourists take this tram every day.
Here are some places to eat at:
Time Out Lisbon – great place to try a variety of food – it has many stalls where you order and pick up your food and there are plenty of tables to sit at. We went a couple of times and each time, we tried different foods and plenty of wine!
Cervejaria Ramiro – great place to have seafood – must have a reservation or go around 5pm if you plan to walk in. The prawns are a must to order – absolutely delicious.
Bythewine: https://www.bythewine.pt/ great place for an evening meal, nice charcutierie and wine, the atmosphere is very pleasant and the décor is made up of all wine bottles.
We spent New Year’s Eve in the main square the fireworks at midnight was fabulous.
The next day we took the train to visit Sintra which is a beautiful town about an hour away by train. We took the ‘hop-on hop-off’ bus ride and the loop round the town takes a few hours .We did get off in the main square for lunch and there are quite a few nice options to eat at. The bus takes you to the western most tip in Europe overlooking the ocean and if you have time you can get off and walk around – there is a nice lighthouse here and the sunsets are very pretty.