Lisbon, Portugal - March 2026

Spring Break has arrived, and Grant and I are spending it in Spain! Well… mostly. First, we had a one-day layover in Lisbon, Portugal, and we made the most of it!

We started by fighting off the jet lag the best way we knew how: walking around outside and exploring the neighborhoods. Our first stop was the ruins of the Carmo Convent, where we explored the remains of a church that was partially destroyed by a massive earthquake in 1755. The disaster was one of the most powerful earthquakes in European history and devastated much of Lisbon.

Many of the church’s stone columns and arches are still standing, but the ceiling is completely open to the sky, giving the space an eerie and beautiful feeling. Some of the back rooms survived the earthquake and now house a small museum. Inside we saw impressive architecture, artwork, artifacts, frescoes, ancient texts, and even two mummies! There was also a cool movie in a side room that used digital mapping projections to recreate the earthquake—but we kept nodding off (thanks, jet lag), so we didn’t stay long.

Next we walked through several neighborhoods. Downtown Lisbon is very walkable, though definitely hilly. We started at Praça da Figueira, a large outdoor square, and headed through the lively streets of Baixa, Lisbon’s historic downtown district that was rebuilt after the 1755 earthquake. The neighborhood is known for its orderly grid layout and beautiful tiled buildings.

We passed under the Arco da Rua Augusta, a massive triumphal arch built to commemorate the rebuilding of the city, and entered Praça do Comércio, a grand waterfront square surrounded by elegant government buildings. The plaza was full of musicians, a man making thousands of giant bubbles, and people from all over the world.

English is spoken widely here. We never had trouble communicating—menus were in English, and people spoke it easily. In fact, I feel like we heard more English than Portuguese! We also heard so many Americans it was sometimes easy to forget we were in Europe. 

Praça do Comércio sits right along the Tagus River, so next we walked along the riverfront promenade. Across the water we could see the enormous Cristo Rei statue (inspired by Rio de Janeiro’s Christ the Redeemer) and the 25 de Abril Bridge, a huge red suspension bridge that looks remarkably like the Golden Gate Bridge. That’s not a coincidence—it was built by the same American company that constructed the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge.

Finally we wandered through the streets of the Chiado neighborhood, admiring Lisbon’s colorful buildings. Blue, pink, yellow… Lisbon felt like a blend of Caribbean colors, Mediterranean tile roofs, and classic European cobblestone streets, giving it a vibrant and unique personality.

For dinner we ate at O Português Chiado and shared a spread of tapas. It’s a cozy little restaurant with a live guitar player and singer who performed softly throughout our meal, adding to the charming ambiance.

We ordered salted cod fritters (a classic Portuguese dish called pastéis de bacalhau), octopus salad, duck bon bons in peanut sauce, gratin polenta, and steak on toast with mustard. For dessert we had banana cake and “chocolate two ways”—brownie and mousse. Everything was delicious, and incredibly reasonable. Our whole meal came out to about $60 total—including non-alcoholic drinks, tax, tip, everything!

Our hotel in Lisbon was also incredibly cool. It was adventure-themed, with little design touches throughout that made it feel like you were on an African safari. They did nightly turndown service and, when we checked out, they gave us a scented satchel “to take the adventure home with us.” (Lavender! They had asked our scent preference in an email beforehand, and Grant thought it might be for a room air freshener.) There were also welcome candies in the room. Very fancy!

Our full day in Lisbon was cool and drizzly, but that didn’t stop us from making the most of our Lisboa Card. We took the tram to Belém, a historic district west of Lisbon that’s closely tied to Portugal’s Age of Exploration.

Our first stop was the Jerónimos Monastery, one of Portugal’s most famous landmarks. In the church we saw the tomb of Vasco da Gama, the explorer who successfully sailed from Europe to India in 1498 by rounding the southern tip of Africa. His voyage opened the first direct sea route between Europe and Asia.

The monastery itself dates to the early 1500s and was built to celebrate Portugal’s maritime successes. The monks who lived there belonged to the Order of Saint Jerome. Among their duties were praying for the king and offering spiritual guidance to sailors before they set off on long and dangerous voyages.

Portugal was a leader of Europe’s exploration of the world during the 15th and 16th centuries. Portuguese sailors mapped much of the African coastline, discovered the sea route around Africa to Asia, and explored parts of South America—including Brazil of course.

The monastery’s cloisters were stunning. At the center is a peaceful square courtyard surrounded by elaborately carved stone arches in the ornate “Manueline” style, which incorporates maritime symbols like ropes, shells, and sea creatures. Two levels of arcaded walkways surround the courtyard, where the monks once took quiet, meditative walks.

After visiting the monastery we walked to the Monument to the Discoveries, a massive sculpture honoring Portugal’s explorers. The monument looks like the prow of a ship, with statues of famous historical figures—including Prince Henry the Navigator—lined up as if they’re sailing into the unknown.

We took the elevator to the top of the 170-foot monument to look out over Lisbon, Belém, and the Tagus River, where many of these voyages began. The weather was cloudy and rainy so the views weren’t perfect, but it was still neat to see.

Nearby is Belém Tower, a famous fortress that once guarded the entrance to Lisbon’s harbor and symbolized Portugal’s maritime power. Unfortunately it was closed for refurbishment during our visit.

Since it was still raining and we had time to spare, we decided to pop into the Lisbon Maritime Museum. The museum covers Portugal’s naval history from the Age of Exploration through the modern navy.

We spent most of our time in the Exploration galleries, which were fascinating. We especially loved seeing early maps, model ships, and navigational instruments like astrolabes and sextants—the technology that made long-distance ocean travel possible.

Another interesting exhibit recreated the king and queen’s cabin from a royal yacht from the early 1900s. In the final gallery we saw several real historic vessels, including the Galeota Grande, an ornate royal barge used in ceremonial processions along the Tagus River, and the Bergantim Real, a beautifully restored 18th-century training ship once used to teach Portuguese naval cadets.

After the museum we took the tram back to downtown Lisbon and had lunch at a delicious healthy fast-food restaurant called Honest Greens. This chain is popular in Spain and was started by three founders—from the United States, France, and the Netherlands. Everything is fresh and packed with vegetables, nuts, grains, fruits, and different proteins. I wish we had something like this at home!

We spent the afternoon at Castelo de São Jorge, a hilltop castle overlooking Lisbon. It was a short but steep walk to reach it, but the views were absolutely worth it. From the towers and castle walls we could see rooftops, the river, and the entire city stretching out below us.

The castle itself dates back more than 1,000 years and was once a Moorish fortress before being captured by Portuguese forces in the 1100s during the Christian reconquest of the Iberian Peninsula.

Another highlight: the place was full of peacocks! They roam freely around the grounds and perch in the trees. Because we were there near sunset, they were especially active—and very vocal—calling to each other all over the castle.

For dinner we went to an amazing steakhouse called Sala de Corte. Ironically, it was right back by the waterfront next to the Honest Greens where we had eaten lunch!

This meal was incredible. We had beef tartare, baby lettuce with mustard vinaigrette, and a Portuguese-style asparagus and mushroom dish topped with thin crispy French fries (so good!). For our mains we shared tenderloin with béarnaise sauce and sirloin with chimichurri.

They also served a complimentary amuse-bouche of Korean-style steak tartare, which might have been the best thing we ate all night.

Dessert was called “Chocolate Beef”—a chocolate mousse surrounded by a shiny chocolate shell shaped like a steak. It was a clever visual joke that matched the restaurant’s theme, and it tasted amazing.

Our time in Lisbon was short but sweet, and we packed a lot into our quick stay.

Next stop: Madrid!