On this post I will highlight the places we visited and the best things to see and best things to do in Lisbon – Day 3.
We woke up to a very rainy, dark day. We packed up and checked out of the hotel Residencial Florescente, but asked them to keep our suitcases as we still wanted to visit a few places in Lisbon. There was nothing we could do about the weather and after breakfast bought 2 umbrellas in a shop near the hotel and, off we went to continue with our explorations.
On the way to catch the tram we stopped at “Igreja de São Domingos”, as it was very close to the hotel. This is a Catholic Church near the National Theatre and classified as a National Monument. It was dedicated in 1241 and was the biggest church of Lisbon at the time. It was damaged by an earthquake in 1531 and almost destroyed in another earthquake in 1755. The rebuilding was only completed in 1807. In 1959, it was almost completely destroyed again, by a fire this time. The church was restored, but they chose to leave signs of the event by not restoring the pillars that were scorched by the fire.
We took the Tram 15A again in the direction of Belém as the plan today was to visit “Experiência Pilar 7”. This is a visit to the “Ponte 25 de Abril” where you will learn about the history of the bridge and its construction. It was inspired by “The Golden Bridge” and it was built by the same American company. It is an interactive and immersive experience to discover the architectural complexity of this construction. There is also a terrace made of glass affording views of the river Tagus and Lisbon. The tickets are included in the Lisbon card, and you can book tickets HERE.
We walked from the nearest tram stop (a good five minutes away), under rain to “Experiência Pilar 7”, just to find out that the attraction was not open on that day because the lift was broken. We were told we could visit the viewing platform, but we would need to climb more than 900 steps to get there. So, we said: “Thanks, but no thanks!”.
We were close to MAAT (Museu de Arte e Arquitetura), so decided to walk there instead, as the rain had stopped by then. When we arrived at the museum it was also closed, even though their website listed the opening days as Wednesday to Sunday. Apparently, there was a private event happening on that day.
From there we walked back in the direction of the bridge and walked to LX Factory. This used to be an old textile factory, but nowadays it is a trend place accommodating shops, restaurants, cafés, and art studios, having become a very fashionable place. It was about 11 o’clock and many places were closed, restaurants were starting to open, and some shops were open. We walked around, all was wet because of the rain and there were not many people there on that morning. I suppose this is a nice place to go if it’s sunny, and perhaps a little bit later in the day. The place seems to be very busy in the evenings and during the weekend. We didn’t have the chance to experience LX Factory at its best, but in our next trip to Lisbon, I would like to visit it again. It seems to have a good vibe.
It was apparent that the day did not start very well and everything we tried to do on that morning in Lisbon was not working. So, from there we took the 15A tram back to town and got off at Cais do Sódre train station to take a train to Cascais, but before that, we walked to the Time Out Market nearby. It was already busy for lunch, but we didn’t want to eat there as we were not very hungry. We walked to the Pink Street for some photos as it was also nearby. After that we went to the train Station and took a train to Cascais. Tickets included on the Lisboa Card.
It took us about an hour to get there. When we arrived at the station, we took a taxi to “Boca do Inferno”. This is a very famous cliff in the form of an arch and about 20 minutes away from the town by car. It is very impressive, and I filmed a video of it and published on the Travelling Surveyor’s Instagram account. Check it out below.
After that we took the taxi back to Cascais Old Town. We stopped at a café for lunch and after, walked through the Old Town and to Praia da Rainha. It was not raining and although the day was a bit cloudy, the temperature was nice, and we enjoyed exploring Cascais. It looks like it is a nice place to spend a few days if you have the time on your trip to Portugal. In the end of the day, we took the train back to Lisbon and went to the hotel Residencial Florescente to pick up our suitcases.
If you have the time you can take a walking tour of Cascais, including lunch, and learn about the town’s history on this TOUR.
We walked to Rossio Station and took a train to Sintra, where we would spend the next 3 days.
Rossio Station is a beautiful building and a touristic attraction on itself. The exterior is built in a Manueline style from the 16th century, very typical Portuguese architecture of the time. It is particularly impressive at night when the lights illuminate the magnificent building.
The train journey to Sintra also took us about an hour and the tickets were included on the Lisbon card. We arrived there early evening and we found it very strange because there were no taxis at the station to take us to our hotel in the centre of town. It took us some time to find a Tuk-Tuk that was willing to take us to town. The station is not very far, about 10 to 15 minutes walking, but with suitcases and with the weather threatening to rain at any minute, we wanted to be dropped at the hotel for convenience.
You can book a 5 hour tour, visiting Sintra from Lisbon HERE, but Sintra has so much to see and do, I advise you to stay at least a couple of nights.
Sintra is a lovely town, but not the best to drive. It has only one main road that goes around in only one way, and you need to go all around the town every time you want to go to a different place. Parking is practically impossible in the town centre, and I don’t advise anyone to drive there. If you have a car, the best thing to do is to park somewhere and not to drive the car until you are ready to leave. It will make your life much easier. There are some attractions that are within walking distance in the centre of town and others can be reached by taking bus 434 and 435.
The Tuk-Tuk driver took us to our hotel, “Sintra Boutique Hotel”, in the centre of Sintra. The location was perfect, and the hotel very nice, with all the comforts expected of a 4-star hotel. We had booked a superior room with views over town. After check-in, we dropped the bags in the room and walked out almost immediately.
We went to “Tosca Saloia” restaurant for dinner. This restaurant is very close to the hotel and the Sintra National Palace and specialises in Portuguese tapas and dishes. It is an informal place and not very expensive, with seats inside and on the terrace outside, however the terrace was closed on that night because of the rain. We had the most delicious dinner there and the wine was divine. Excellent choice for our first night in Sintra.
After dinner we just walked back to the hotel and had a restful night, looking forward to the next day.
Below you will find a list of what to visit, where to stay and where to eat in Lisbon – Day 3. I classified each place as follows:
BOLD – Visited, tried and recommended
NOT BOLD – Not visited or tried, but planning to visit or try and heard very good reviews
RED – Visited and tried but do not recommend, avoid or be cautious
*** – Excellent
** – Good
* – OK
£££ – Expensive
££ – Fair and affordable
£ – Cheap
WHAT TO SEE IN LISBON – DAY 3
1 – Igreja de São Domingos – ***
2 – Experiência Pilar 7
3 – MAAT – Museum of Art and Architecture
4 – LX Factory – **
5 – Time Out Market – ***
6 – Pink Street – **
7 – Cascais – ***
8 – Boca do Inferno – ***
9 – Cascais Old Town – ***
WHERE TO STAY IN LISBON -DAY 3
1 – Pousada de Lisboa – 5* – £££
2 – Dos Reis by Beautique Hotels – 4* – ££
3 – Lisbon Lights Apartments – 3* – ££
4 – Bica Apartments – 3* – ££
WHERE TO EAT IN LISBON – DAY 3
1 – Faz Frio – ££
2 – Ofício Tasco Atípico – ££
3 – Restaurante Trica – £
4 – Casa Reîa – £££
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