photo journal: lisbon street vibes

as i mentioned in this post – lisbon was almost an impossible city to not take photos in. every turn, every street held it's own unique beauty. some with such an old, almost run-down feel  [in the most beautiful way] – some with a completely new, young and rejuvenated vibe. the tiles, the tuk tuks, the cable cars. the people sipping espresso or wine on the cobblestoned streets at all hours of the day. or drinking beers and laughing in the alleys well into the night – there is truly an addictive energy surrounding this town to make you never want to leave.

here are some of our favorite photos from walking around the city to inspire your next visit .
 

2 lisbon day trips: sintra & praia de galapos

lisbon reminded us of SF in a lot of ways, one of which being that there is a ton to do right outside of the city in less than an hour. we didn't have a rental car, so we relied on public transit [which is great] and our airbnb host to take us places. we decided to spend a jam packed day outside of the city, exploring sintra to the north & a local beach to the south. you can easily spend weeks exploring this region, but i'm so glad we got to see a bit more of the natural beauty that lisbon is known for. 

SINTRA, things to know:

• it's about 45 minutes on public transit from the city
• it's beautiful. really beautiful. & picturesque. but unfortunately, also a huge tourist trap. they charge you to enter the castle [which we didn't do, we just walked around] & prices for food and coffee nearby go way up.
• it's very crowded, tons of buses on the small roads that makes the visit overwhelming. if you're planning on making the trip – i recommend eating before you go and arriving in the morning before all the masses arrive. 

later that afternoon we hopped in the car for a beach day to beat the scorching summer heat. according to eduardo, typical portuguese way is to have a relaxing morning and hit the beach around 1-3pm. he took us to his favorite spot about 30-40 minutes from the city, praia de galapos. it was the perfect little place to spend the afternoon. we sipped cheap beers, enjoyed swimming in the crisp clean water, and later had fresh fish with live music at a sea-shack restaurant. this is something we never would have found without a host like eduardo. #livethere

some other notable places we wanted to make it to but didn't:

• ericeira the entire town is painted white and is known to be portugal's surf hq (& yoga) with fresh seafood
• aldeia de mata pequena a rural village that you can stay in, half way between lisbon and ericeira, our good friends stayed here and say it's like stepping back in time
• cascais a popular beach for lisbon locals just south of lisbon, public transit takes you there in 35 minutes
   

exploring lisbon: a mini travel guide

oh, lisbon. oh, portugal. we were completely won over by this country and i'm so excited to start sharing some of our photos from this crazy cool city. when we arrived we immediately felt at home by our charming airbnb host, eduardo. i cannot get over the portugese people. so welcoming and so loving – and so excited to share their country with you. eduardo took us out for a "typical portuguese friday night" and we managed to party with him until 3am in the bairro alto district [followed by one of his favorite african dance clubs]. we were so exhausted, but apparently 2am is when things are really getting started in this town. 

our time in lisbon had such a mix of experiences which is what i loved most about this city. walking around, everything basically feels like some form of art. there is such charm in all of the cobblestone streets, cable cars, tiled walls, delicious food & wine [vinho verde!] and overall cool vibes. every turn held something different, and we couldn't stop admiring the pastel colored homes, detailed wooden doors and unique historical architecture. with their history dating back hundreds of years and the young energy in the city today, lisbon is a capital city that must not be missed. 

here are a bunch of favorite photos from around the city – eating, drinking and getting lost, and the full travel guide can be found here! 

CITY: lisbon, portugal
HOW WE GO THERE: train from porto, portugal [ just under 3 hours]
WHERE WE STAYED: airbnb private room [6 nights]
COST: $45 / night
 
EAT: mercado de la ribera ||  lx factory  || a “pastel de nata” @ pastéis de belém or manteigaria || taberna rua las flores || conseveira de lisboa [for canned fishies to go in the most beautiful packaging] ||
DRINK: copenhagen coffee company || o bom o mau e o vilao || park bar || pensão amor || a ginjinha
SLEEP: if you choose not to do airbnb || good morning hostel or LX boutique hotel seem like great options

 

^^ all over the city were the coolest little mini food trucks. some had snacks, some had fresh lemonade or orange juice, some even served beer on tap or cocktails 

[my purse is made by shelter co. and has been so perfect for this trip.]