Emily's grandmother, Manuela Mergulhao — Meema — grew up in Lisbon. These are her recommendations.
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Cascais — A Walk Away
Cascais Old Town & Harbour
A fifteen-minute walk west along the coast from Estoril. Narrow streets, the fishing harbour, and the Praia da Ribeira. Spend an afternoon getting lost in it.
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Cascais
Cidadela de Cascais
A 15th–17th century fortress overlooking the marina — once a royal summer residence, now a museum and arts centre. Walk down to the marina for a coffee after.
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Cascais
Farol de Santa Marta
The blue-and-white striped lighthouse, built 1868, with a small museum. The start of a nine-kilometer promenade that runs along the cliffs.
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Cascais
Casa & Farol da Guia
A cliffside complex of restaurants, shops, and a sunset bar next to the Farol da Guia lighthouse. Go for the view, stay for the açaí.
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Carcavelos · Cascais Line
Praia de Carcavelos
The biggest beach between Estoril and Lisbon — fifteen minutes east by train. Wide, sandy, full of surfers. The easiest beach day from the hotel.
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Belém · Lisbon
Mosteiro dos Jerónimos
The Manueline monastery, finished in 1601, where Vasco da Gama is buried. The single most impressive building in Lisbon. UNESCO World Heritage.
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Belém · Lisbon
Torre de Belém
The fortified tower on the river, built in 1519 to guard the entrance to Lisbon. The postcard view of the city.
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Belém · Lisbon
Pastéis de Belém
The bakery that invented the pastel de nata in 1837. There is the famous one, and there is everyone else. Worth the line.
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Belém · Lisbon
Museu Nacional dos Coches
The National Coach Museum holds one of the finest collections of royal carriages in the world. Worth the trip into Belém on its own.
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Alfama · Lisbon
Castelo de São Jorge
The Moorish hilltop castle overlooking the city. Go for the view of Lisbon spilling down to the river — best in late afternoon.
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Chiado · Lisbon
Livraria Bertrand
The oldest continuously operating bookstore in the world, opened in 1732. Browse the Portuguese classics and walk away with something with a stamp inside the cover.
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Rossio · Lisbon
Café Nicola
A nineteenth-century literary café in the heart of Rossio square. Order a bica at the marble counter and stand, the way it's done.
And — Meema insists — you must try the bacalhau (bah-cal-YAOW). It is dried, salted cod, soaked back to life before cooking. The Portuguese have prepared it for six centuries — funny, given that Portugal has no native cod waters of its own. The fish has been hauled back from Newfoundland and the North Atlantic since the 1300s, and there is a saying that there are 365 ways to cook it, one for every day of the year. The Portuguese call it fiel amigo — the faithful friend.
Both Families Recommend — Viator
Viator is an app and website (owned by TripAdvisor) for browsing and booking guided tours, day trips, skip-the-line tickets, food walks, and activities run by local operators — reviews, prices, and times all in one place.
Both of our families highly recommend it for traveling somewhere new and finding things to do. Have a look at what is on offer in Lisbon and the surrounding area before you go; you can fill an open afternoon in five minutes.
See all of these on the map.