How to Spend 2 Beautiful Days in Lisbon, Portugal

Lisbon is thriving in culture, amazing food, beautiful buildings and friendly people. A 2-day trip to Lisbon is a very wise choice and in this itinerary we run you through everything you must see and do to have a true Portugese experience.

Language: Portugese

Population: 3,015,000

Currency: Euro €

Average price of a coffee: €1

When to visit Lisbon?

Lisbon, just like any other European city, is popular amongst tourists from all over the world all year round. If you're wanting to avoid tourists full-stop and don't mind the colder weather and some rain spells, then the winter season might be a good option for you. The weather between November and February is usually 15-18°C. Spring and Autumn make for some solid choices to visit too with temperatures 20-24°C. The popular months, June to September, temperatures hit up to 30°C. We visited in mid-September, the weather was beautiful and we only had one afternoon of rain.

If you arrived into Lisbon last night or early this morning then following this itinerary to a T is going to work perfectly for you in the intended order. If you don't arrive into Lisbon until later on your first day, consider swapping this day with tomorrow's day or what's better, stay in Lisbon for an extra day. There is plenty of culture to absorb up in Lisbon so feel free to spread this itinerary out a little across 3 days. We visited in September and we had a bit of miserable weather on one afternoon so we were stuck inside a bar drinking wine all afternoon instead. Bummer! So in fact, our trip was indeed spread over 2.5 days too.

Moving around Lisbon

This itinerary relies on walking and optionally, using a tour company with bikes. Lisbon is extremely hilly and steep. If you have limited mobility or the weather is too warm, consider using Bolt to move around the city or public transport. Bolt is incredibly cheap. Such that we used a taxi from one side of Lisbon to the other for less than €10.

Day 1 - Biking and Pastel de Natas

10:00 Cycling Tour

Start off your day by grabbing a coffee and a pastry in a local Lisbon café. This was such an enjoyable experience for us every morning as the staff are always so friendly and of course, the coffees and pastries were delicious. Don't expect to pay more than €1,50 for a coffee with milk.

Next up, we did an e-bike tour around the city. This was absolutely exceptional. As the city is so steep and the weather was warm, we opted for this tour to see Lisbon from a local's perspective. It also meant that we saved a lot of energy hiking up those big hills.

- The Tour -

If an e-bike tour does not sound like something you would enjoy, then explore Get Your Guide to see if another type of tour would. We recommend a tour on this day simply because it means you can connect with a local. The Lisbon people are so passionate about their country and city, particularly its history, and without a tour, you wouldn't know some of the valuable information you would if you had opted for one.

You can walk the tour by yourself, of course, and the points are on the map as well as below.

‎⁨Praça do Comércio⁩

The main square in Lisbon with magnificent buildings and a sea view.

Some pictures from the bike tour

Chafariz d'El-Rei

A unique hotel with gorgeous mosaics.

National Pantheon

A beautiful panetheon in the middle of Lisbon. With more time you can enter the rooftop for €4 and snap some pictures of the whole city.

Miradouro da Senhora do Monte

For the best views of the city.

Miradouro das Portas do Sol

Another awesome view of the city.

Church Nossa Senhora da Conceição Velha

Gorgeous theatre and church.

13:00 Stop for Lunch

You can find some really gorgeous restaurants in Lisbon, particularly in Alfama - the old town. Wander these streets and sit down for an authentic Portugese meal.

We recommend A Muralha Tasca Típica Lisboa.