Hills & Tiles: A 4-Day Lisbon Itinerary with Sintra | Travileer

Q: Where should I stay in Lisbon, Portugal?

Memmo Alfama in Alfama. Alfama is the neighbourhood people come to Lisbon for, and this is the hotel that sits inside it with a view instead of on its edge.

Four days of viewpoints, custard tarts and yellow trams, with a day in Sintra for the palaces.

Lisbon is built on seven hills, and the best things in it are the views from the top of them and the food at the bottom. This plan gives Belém its own morning, Alfama its own afternoon, a full day to Sintra's palaces, and the last day to the riverside and the neighbourhoods where the city eats. The metro is under two euros, Cascais is a two-and-a-half-euro train, and a custard tart from the original bakery is one euro thirty.

Trip details

Destination: Lisbon, Portugal
Duration: 4 days
Budget: moderate ($700 - $1,100)
Best season: April - June or September - October
Best for: Couples, first-time Portugal visitors, walkers who like a view
Interests: viewpoints, food, history, architecture, day trips, seafood

Day-by-day itinerary

Day 1: Belém and the Age of Discovery

the monastery, the tower and the tart that started it all

09:00 — Pastéis de Belém · Pastéis de Belém, Belém
The bakery that has made the original custard tart since 1837, to a recipe from the monastery next door. Eat two warm, with cinnamon, at the counter; the queue for takeaway moves faster than it looks.
Tip: Tram 15 or the train from Cais do Sodré to Belém, about 20 minutes.
10:00 — Jerónimos Monastery · Jerónimos Monastery, Belém
The Manueline masterpiece built on the profits of the spice route, where Vasco da Gama is buried. The church is free; the two-storey cloister, the reason to come, is 18 euros in 2026 and sells out on summer mornings.
Tip: Book the cloister online the day before. Closed Mondays.
12:00 — Padrão dos Descobrimentos and the riverfront walk · Padrão dos Descobrimentos, Belém
The Monument to the Discoveries stands on the riverbank like a ship's prow, with Henry the Navigator at the front. Walk the promenade west along the Tagus to the tower; it takes fifteen minutes.
13:00 — Belém Tower · Belém Tower, Belém
The fortified tower that saw the caravels off. The exterior and the riverside setting are the point; the interior is a narrow climb and can be skipped if the queue is long.
15:30 — LX Factory · LX Factory, Alcântara
A former textile works under the 25 de Abril bridge, now bookshops, studios, rooftop bars and one of the city's best-known bookshops, Ler Devagar. A late lunch or an early drink here breaks the walk back.
19:30 — Dinner at Time Out Market · Time Out Market Lisboa, Cais do Sodré
The Mercado da Ribeira's food hall, where the city's best-known chefs run counters side by side. Loud, busy and a good first night: order from three stalls and share.

Dining highlight: Pastéis de Belém — Pastel de nata, $1.40 each. Warm from the oven, dusted with cinnamon, eaten standing. The rest of the world's custard tarts are copies of this one.

Day 2: Alfama and the castle

the oldest quarter, three viewpoints and fado after dark

09:30 — Castelo de São Jorge · Castelo de São Jorge, Alfama
The Moorish castle on the highest hill, with ramparts you can walk and a view across every red roof to the river. Go at opening before the coaches; the peacocks in the gardens are residents.
Tip: The 28 tram passes below the castle but is packed by mid-morning; a taxi up the hill is cheap and saves the climb.
11:30 — Miradouro de Santa Luzia · Miradouro de Santa Luzia, Alfama
The tiled terrace with the classic view over Alfama's rooftops to the river, bougainvillea over the pergola. Free, and the best-placed cafe table in the city is here.
12:30 — Lunch and a wander in Alfama · Alfama, Santa Maria Maior
The medieval quarter that survived the 1755 earthquake: stairways, washing lines, tiny tascas with a prato do dia for 8 to 12 euros. Get lost on purpose; every lane leads downhill to the river eventually.
15:30 — Museu Nacional do Azulejo · Museu Nacional do Azulejo, Xabregas
Five centuries of the painted tiles that cover the city, in a former convent east of Alfama, including a 23-metre panel of Lisbon before the earthquake. The convent chapel alone is worth the ticket.
20:00 — Fado in Alfama · Alfama, Santa Maria Maior
The music of longing was born in these streets. The small casas de fado serve dinner while singers work the room; the amateur nights are cheaper and often better. Budget 30 to 50 euros with dinner.
Tip: Book a day ahead. Silence during songs is expected; the room will tell you.

Dining highlight: An Alfama tasca — Portuguese home cooking, $9-13 set lunch. Grilled sardines, a glass of vinho verde and a view of a staircase. The prato do dia is the best deal in Western Europe.

Day 3: Sintra

palaces in the hills, a day trip by train

08:30 — Train from Rossio to Sintra · Sintra
Forty minutes from Rossio station to a town of palaces in a forested range that catches its own weather. Book palace tickets online before you go; the queues at the gates in summer are long.
09:30 — Quinta da Regaleira and the Initiation Well · Quinta da Regaleira, Sintra
A neo-Gothic estate of grottoes, towers and the Initiation Well, an inverted tower that spirals twenty-seven metres into the ground across nine landings. Entry is 20 euros in 2026. Walk down the well, not up.
Tip: Ten minutes on foot from the town centre. Arrive at opening; the well is a one-way spiral and backs up by eleven.
12:30 — Lunch in Sintra town · Sintra
The old town has travesseiros (almond pastries) from the Piriquita bakery and a dozen restaurants doing bacalhau. Eat well here; the palace cafes are expensive.
14:00 — Pena Palace · Sintra
The yellow-and-red Romantic palace on the ridge, the most visited monument in Portugal. Timed tickets are mandatory; the 434 bus loops from the station up to the gate. Afternoon slots are easier to get than mornings.
Tip: Crowds triple after eleven, which is why this plan does Regaleira first and Pena after lunch.
19:30 — Dinner in Bairro Alto · Bairro Alto, Misericórdia
Back in Lisbon, the grid of streets above Chiado fills after nine with small restaurants and bars that spill onto the cobbles. Petiscos, Portugal's small plates, and a bottle of Douro red.

Dining highlight: Petiscos in Bairro Alto — Portuguese small plates, $25-40. Clams in garlic, cured ham, grilled peppers, cheese from the mountains. Order too much.

Day 4: Baixa, Chiado and the coast

the rebuilt centre, a lift with a view, and Cascais by train

09:30 — Praça do Comércio · Praça do Comércio, Baixa
The great riverside square rebuilt after the 1755 earthquake, open to the Tagus on one side and the arch into the grid of Baixa on the other. Coffee under the arcades, then walk the straight streets north.
10:45 — Elevador de Santa Justa · Elevador de Santa Justa, Baixa
A 45-metre iron lift from 1902 connecting Baixa to the Carmo ruins above. The viewing platform at the top looks over the whole downtown grid to the castle.
Tip: The queue for the lift can be an hour; the platform is also reachable on foot from Largo do Carmo for a smaller fee.
12:30 — Train to Cascais · Cascais
The coastal line from Cais do Sodré runs along the river mouth to the old fishing town of Cascais in about forty minutes for 2.55 euros. Beaches, a fortress, seafood lunches and the Boca do Inferno cliffs a short walk west.
13:30 — Seafood lunch and the beaches of Cascais · Cascais
Grilled fish by the kilo on the harbour, then Praia da Rainha or Praia da Conceição for the afternoon. The promenade toward Estoril is a flat two-kilometre walk along the water.
19:00 — Last evening at Cais do Sodré · Cais do Sodré, Misericórdia
Back on the same train, straight into the bars of the Pink Street and the riverside kiosks by the station. A last ginjinha, the cherry liqueur, from a kiosk on the square.

Dining highlight: Harbour grill in Cascais — Grilled fish, $25-40. Sea bream or sardines, salt, olive oil, a lemon and the Atlantic. That is the whole recipe.

Where to stay

Memmo Alfama — Boutique, $180-300 per night, Alfama.

Alfama is the neighbourhood people come to Lisbon for, and this is the hotel that sits inside it with a view instead of on its edge.

A rooftop pool terrace looking over Alfama to the river
Inside the old quarter, five minutes from the castle
Quiet at night despite the location

Frequently asked questions

How many days do you need in Lisbon, Portugal?

We recommend 4 days to experience the best of Lisbon, Portugal.

When is the best time to visit Lisbon, Portugal?

The best season to visit Lisbon, Portugal is April - June or September - October.

What budget should I plan for Lisbon, Portugal?

This itinerary is designed for a moderate budget of approximately $700 - $1,100.

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