Our unofficial guide
to Lisbon.

Maybe our second home due to our strong Portuguese roots, this list isn’t everything you should do in Lisbon but it’s a pretty good start.

Click the links on each list for more info.

Put together by Slash’s Sultan of Strategy, Master of Making Meaning, Baron of Business Design, Nuno Paiva, this guide is built for smiles and eating too much.
Enjoy.

Sintra

The old capital of Portugal is about 30 minutes drive/1 hour by train from Lisbon.
Think forests, gardens, castles, history, walking and lots of photo opportunities.

Where to go:
Pena Palace
Moors Castle

What to eat:
Piriquita: “travesseiros” and “queijadas” — small cakes made with Cheese and Almond.
Queijadas da Sapa: “Queijada” Factory and tea house with a nice view.

Alfama

A typical neighborhood of Lisbon with a lot of references to Fado (traditional Portuguese music) and many restaurants that have live Fado.

Where to go:
Stroll from Alfama to São Jorge Castle — you also can use the tram car #28 to São Jorge, but be careful with your wallet.
Alternatively, you can start in Cais do Sodré (near the river), walk alongside the river until Chafariz del Rei and then go into Alfama

What to Eat:
Santo António de Alfama: a restaurant with a modern interpretation of Portuguese food.
Chapitô: restaurant near São Jorge Castle with very nice view of Lisboa.

Bairro Alto and Chiado

Bairro Alto is an old neighborhood with an active nightlife. Start at lunch time and spend the afternoon.

Where to go:

You can walk from Bairro Alto to Principe Real which is one of the best sightseeing spots in Lisbon — Lisbon has 7 hills so you get these amazing views over the city

Alternatively you can walk down from Bairro Alto to Cais do Sodré and Mercado da Ribeira.

What to eat:

Mercado da Ribeira: an old market transformed with a gourmet food court.

Cantinho do Avilez: sophisticated restaurant with a Portuguese renowned chef

Sinal Vermelho: typical place

O Cabaças: typical place

Santini (Chiado): the best ice creams in the world. Our recommendation, the strawberry, mango, melon.

Hello Kristof: A cool coffee/magazine shop to sip on coffee and work or just enjoy people watching.

Principe Real

Principe Real is just above Bairro Alto and has been rediscovered in the last few years. It’s the new “star” of Lisbon

Where to go:

Embaixada: An old recovered building that now functions as a market from modern Portuguese products. The garden out back is perfect for a quick rest.

What to eat:

Local: The recently opened Local, with only 10 seats, all on the same table, and a surface of just 18 square metres, fits the pattern. Every night from Tuesday to Saturday, it offers two dinner slots (8pm-10pm and 10pm-midnight) and the kitchen is run by a team of three chefs, currently managed by Manel Limo.

Less by Miguel Castro y Silva: A gourmet food restaurant inside Embaixada.

ZeroZero: An amazing wood-fired pizzeria, with a restaurant that has a large terrace that draws crowds on sunny days and hot nights. Near the entrance, there’s a little deli area with products you can take home.

LX Factory in Alcantara

An old industrial warehouse near the river that was recently renovated and is now a design and innovation hub with a bunch of “trendy” companies, bookstores, original stores and cool restaurants.

What to eat:

CantinaLX: Eat outdoors under the tree.

Rio Maravilha: Has a sightseeing space on the 4th floor and it’s ideal for an appetizer followed by a dinner inside.

Landeau: Best chocolate cake in the world.

Belém

Belém is a laid-back area on the Tagus River, known for its seafood restaurants and houses decorated with colorful tiles.

Where to go:

Padrão dos Descobrimentos: A monument honoring the Portuguese Discoveries of the 16th century.

Mosteiro de Belém: Old monastery that was built with the gold that was brought from Brazil in the Discoveries.

Torre de Belém: Watch tower near the river also from the time of the Discoveries

Centro Cultural de Belém: Modern cultural center with expositions, concerts and events — it also holds the contemporary art exhibition called Colecção Berardo

MAAT — Museum of Art, Architecture and Technology