One day in Lisbon

Day by day

1. Day 1: Jerónimos Monastery and Belém Tower

   Jerónimos Monastery, Belém Tower, MAAT and the Tejo Power Station and São Jorge Castle, then Fado evening in the evening.

   1. Morning

      Jerónimos Monastery

      The church itself can be visited free through a separate entrance; save the paid cloister for early morning before tour groups arrive. Allow 1.5 hours.

   2. Late morning

      Belém Tower

      The exterior and setting are the highlight; walk the riverside path from the Padrão dos Descobrimentos and decide on the interior when you see the queue. Allow 45 minutes–1 hour.

   3. Lunch

      Lunch: Custard tart

      Pastéis de Belém next to the Jerónimos Monastery, and specialist nata bakeries in Chiado and the Baixa that bake throughout the day.

   4. Afternoon

      MAAT and the Tejo Power Station

      Walk over the roof at sunset even if you skip the exhibitions, then continue along the river to Belém. Allow 1–2 hours.

   5. Late afternoon

      São Jorge Castle

      Go late afternoon for the light on the city, and take bus 737 or a taxi up if the climb through Alfama is too steep. Allow 1.5–2 hours.

   6. Evening

      Fado evening

      Smaller tascas with fado vadio (amateur fado) are cheaper and more intimate than dinner shows; stay quiet during performances.

Before you go

• Jerónimos Monastery: Ticket queues for the cloister are long in summer; buy online or with a Lisboa Card and arrive at opening time.
• Fado evening: Popular fado houses fill up at weekends; reserve a table for dinner a day or two ahead.

If it rains

• Swap in Calouste Gulbenkian Museum (Avenidas Novas): Bring a picnic for the garden, one of the calmest spaces in Lisbon, which is free to enter.
• Swap in Lisbon Oceanarium (Parque das Nações): Book online for a timed slot and combine it with the riverside cable car and the Pavilhão do Conhecimento science centre nearby.
• Swap in National Tile Museum (Xabregas): It is east of the centre and away from the metro; take a bus or taxi and stay for lunch in the museum café's tiled courtyard.

Where to stay for this itinerary

Pace and daylight

The sights in this plan add up to roughly 7–10 hours of visiting over one day, before meals and getting between them. Daylight runs from about 9.5 hours in December to 14.9 hours in June, so in winter start early and keep museums for the afternoon.

Getting between stops: Metro. Four colour-coded metro lines run until about 1am, linking the airport, Baixa-Chiado, Rossio, Avenida da Liberdade and Parque das Nações.

More or fewer days

• 2 days in Lisbon
• 3 days in Lisbon
• 4 days in Lisbon
• 5 days in Lisbon
• 7 days in Lisbon

Questions travellers ask