To get away from Manchester February rain and wind we decided to head to Lisbon! We previously visited the Portuguese capital, but it was 10 years ago and just for a couple of hours so me and my husband didn’t get the chance to explore it properly .
This time we rented an Airbnb in the Lisbon’s oldest quarter – Alfama, with 10 different outfit options and multiple lenses we were ready to conquer this amazing city
Lisbon is fast becoming one of Europe’s coolest cities, with its cheap rent, growing creative scene and hip restaurants, it’s Portugal’s answer to Berlin, and we knew we’ll have the best time there.
How to get there: You can fly direct from Manchester to Lisbon by TAP (Portuguese airlines), it took us just 2.5 hours
Where to stay : To live like a local we decided to get an Airbnb and it was a spot-on choice
What to explore : As our Airbnb was in the hip area of Alfama I would advise to get lost in the labyrinth of streets of this historical district . It’s the oldest area of Lisbon, and is a delightful maze of narrow cobbled streets and ancient houses with unique shops, funky cafe’s and mind blowing viewpoints.
Must see : Jeronimos Monastery, National Pantheon, Castelo de S. Jorge, Torre de Belem , Padrao dos Descobrimentos,
Where to eat : Locals have a major sweet tooth and there were plenty of bakeries and pastry shops around selling traditional heavy on cream, egg yolks and sugar pastries . The whole city is filled with charming chocolaterias and yummy-looking gallerias. Pastéis de Belém and Manteigaria’s pastel da batas should be on everyone’s list of must-visit cafes. Recently, the iconic French pastries La Durée have opened its cafe in a posh area of Lisbon – Avenida da Liberdade (right next to Gucci store) and it is definitely worth a visit too, you’ll be amazed by the luxury of the interior design and the selection of pastries and macaroons
We had a fantastic, relaxing time in Lisbon and will surely be back to explore more of Portugal! Next stops on our list are Porto and Madeira