Going to Lisbon was a last-minute destination that I booked, but ended up being one of my two favorite trips. I traveled around Lisbon with my friend Tessa, who I met in my program, and Tessa’s hometown friend Jenna. Another amazing part of being abroad - getting the opportunity to travel around an amazing new city with new friends!
My flight got changed due to the strikes in Paris (which was, unfortunately, not an uncommon occurrence), so I landed in Lisbon much earlier than my friends. I decided to take advantage of my extra time in the day by taking a walking tour of Lisbon. On family vacations, my parents would always ensure that we would take either a walking or biking tour. It was always great to start off a trip by learning more about the history and culture of the city we were in, it made the trip more enjoyable throughout.
When I arrived at our hostel (by public transportation, of course), they wouldn’t let me check into the room but let me drop my luggage off in a locked room. We stayed at the ‘We Hate F Tourists’ in Lisbon, and loved it! They greeted me with homemade iced tea upon arrival, gave loads of recommendations, and we also ended up booking a day-long tour with them; which was one of the most memorable experiences of the trip.
On my way over to the meeting point of my tour, I grabbed coffee and a Pastéis de Nata, which is a traditional Portuguese custard tart. The tour was great, it took us all over the city and our guide was a bank full of knowledge all about the culture & history. Although I went on the tour alone, I made new friends from both America and Europe. Not only did our guide take us around the city and teach us about its history, but she also brought us to local vendors to try traditional Portuguese treats!
When my friends arrived in Lisbon I walked back to the hostel, excited for our trip together to begin. I took them to this cute rooftop restaurant that I had spotted while on my tour, and I remember feeling so at peace and in awe of where I was. We got glasses of wine and small appetizers while watching the sun go down.
The next morning, we woke up and got breakfast at a cute spot by our hostel. We then spent most of our morning walking around the main areas of the city, exploring and shopping. There was a big food market that we had wanted to stop by, so we headed over. My treat of choice was gelato, and I got strawberry, lime, and basil flavors. To this day, it was the best gelato I’ve ever had.
We went back to our favorite rooftop spot for drinks before our next activity; a sunset boat tour! It was amazing to see Lisbon from the water, and our guide gave us glasses of wine and a cheeseboard to share. I remember the three of us talking about how truly grateful we were to be abroad, and how glad we were to be in Lisbon. It was an amazing reflective moment for us, and something that I’ll always remember.
After the boat tour, we got dinner at an Italian place near where the boat docked and we headed back to the hostel for a night out on the town! We ended up getting to the nightclub too early, and they sent us to a nearby carnival to kill time. It was one of the most random things, but we ended having such a fun time and even going on the ferris wheel!
The next morning we had a big day planned for us, a day trip to the palaces of Sintra, the westernmost point of Europe, and the beach. We booked this tour through our hostel, and would definitely recommend taking the time to visit these places while in Lisbon. The architecture of the palaces was so unique and intricate, it was a truly amazing place to visit. We got to explore the lush gardens filled with flowers, statues, and ponds. After visiting the grounds, we headed to Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in Europe. This spot was truly one of the most beautiful places I’ve visited, it felt as though I was in a movie. The last spot was the beach, where we got to relax and unwind. Tessa, Jenna and I were watching a group of friends & family have a picnic with wine, fresh fruit, and oysters; it was just totally picteresque.
For an evening activity, we went on a bar crawl with our hostel. It was a super fun way to end our trip, our ‘group leaders’ did an amazing job of bringing us all around to their favorite spots. They even started the night off by knocking on our doors to pour us cups of housemade sangria!
As I mentioned, Lisbon was in my top 2 favorite trips I took while abroad. The activities we did, the scenery, and people I met along the way are all a factor in this. I hope to visit Portugal again soon, and to explore more of the amazing country!