Exploring Lisbon, Portugal in Only One Day

Fado. Pasteis. A glass of port. Lisbon has so much to see, do, hear and taste that it’s not an easy task to cram it all into one cruise day. But I tried.

Here’s what I decided to do in Lisbon with only one day in port. I always want to make the most of a port visit so it was really a good thing that the ship was docked until 11 P.M. Plenty of time to explore. Or so thought.

What I Discovered in Lisbon in One Day

Not directly on the ocean, Lisbon is several miles inland on the Tagus river. I planned ahead so that I could be outside on deck or my balcony for the cruise into beautiful Lisbon harbor.

Taking a Walking Tour

There are two cruise ports for Lisbon: Santa Apolonia and Alcantara. If I wanted to walk into the city center, I’d have to cross my fingers for Santa Apolonia.

Unfortunately, for this, my second visit to Lisbon, my ship docked at the Alcantara Cruise Terminal, about three miles to town. Luckily, I tagged along with several passengers from my ship. But when we all started to get lost, we broke up into two groups and hailed passing taxis. There was no way I’d walk it alone.

For the more adventurous, there is a local commuter train  nearby. I found that out later.

The ship handed out maps that showed the two ports plus walking guides. The orange dot on the right is the close-to-town terminal (the orange line points to downtown). You can get an idea how far away the other one (circle with orange line near the bridge) is from downtown.

On my first cruise to Lisbon, I walked from the Santa Apolonia terminal past the Al Fama district (more on that later) to the pedestrian shopping area, about 1.5 miles at the most. An easy walk and I felt safe.

Starting My Walking Tour

Here’s where I prefer to begin my walking tour…the historic Al Fama district, home to Fado, the woeful and mournful music sung as a solo, with string accompaniment. This unique music originated in Lisbon in the 1800s.

When walking from the Santa Apolonia terminal to the downtown pedestrian mall, it’s impossible to miss the Fado Museum.

Meandering through the narrow streets, I’m glad I remembered to look up! From mosaics of handmade tiles to flowerpots overflowing with colors, there’s so much to see that’s easily missed.

After walking past the Fado Museum towards the Al Fama district, I started to see people with shopping bags, others were sitting at small cafes along the narrow streets. I figured I was going in the right direction to Rua Augusta, sort of a downtown area.

A Taste of Lisbon

No visit to Lisbon is complete without tasting their most-famous sweet, a Pasteis de Belem. Trying whatever is the local special is one of my favorite things to do. Always leaves a memory.

Rich, warm custard nestled in a light-as-air puff pastry. The original bakery is located near the Belem Tower, but a few copycat bakeries make a fairly close rival.

A bag of fresh roasted chestnuts to munch on as I strolled around the area. Just like New York City, right? Only the price is different.

Here are a few more photos of Rua Augusta, the main shopping street in Lisbon. If I was brave enough, and I wasn’t, I could rent one of these little cars and take myself on a guided tour.

Listen to Fado in the Evening

I’ve been fascinated with Fado for years and luckily our ship wasn’t scheduled to leave until 11pm. That left plenty of time to return after a few hours window shopping and a few sips of locally-produced port, to taxi back to the ship, freshen up and return to the Al Fama for dinner and a Fado performance.

Here is my fondest memory of Lisbon; a night at a Fado restaurant. I found this place two years earlier and was determined to find it again.

Reservations made for 8pm. I convinced my new friends, Elizabeth and Walter, to come along.

First is your dinner. There were only two choices; a meat stew-type dish or a whole fish!

And finally at 9pm, the entertainment begins. The restaurant was packed. Seating is at small tables with new people to meet. At our table was a couple vacationing from northern France and another couple from Germany.

Staying Safe in Taxis at Night

Unfortunately, we couldn’t stay til things really got going after the first set. All aboard was at 10:30 latest and my friends and I didn’t know the taxi situation. Apparently neither did the taxi driver.

The driver pretended not to know English, even though we said the name of the terminal in fairly decent Portuguese. He still shook his head. Jumping out the taxi’s door, we said, “Não obrigado” (no, thank you) to the driver. His buddy across the street bolted after us, swearing in perfect English.

They  were demanding we pay them both 20 Euro even though the taxi didn’t move. Panicked, we ducked into another restaurant hoping to avoid confrontation. After a few minutes, we re-emerged, hailed another cab and all was good. Just a bit shaken up.

Takeaway lesson: confirm the destination and the taxi fare BEFORE getting in to a taxi at night in a strange city. Or you can opt for a ship’s Fado shore excursion and have no worries at all. But it won’t be in a tiny, local Fado place that you stumble upon.

When planning a cruise that includes Lisbon, my best advice is to pick a cruise ship that will be there until late at night, like my Holland America ship.

Be Outside for Sailaway from Lisbon

The only way to end an evening of freshly-caught seafood, regional wine and amazing music, is a Lisbon sailaway under the stars.

Some of the best things to do in Lisbon on a cruise day or two (if you’re lucky) is to just walk around and mix and mingle with the locals. Stop in a restaurant for a bite to eat, admire the beautiful handiwork on the buildings, and learn a few friendly phrases in Portuguese! Take it slow…there’s a lot to discover.