Lisbon, our first love: the perfect European break
Lisbon has and will always have a special meaning and bring a special feeling to us. Many reasons can explain that. First of all, David lived and worked there during one year thanks to a special french contract in a famous company and it was one of his best experience ever. I went on vacation there for few days with friends in 2018 while David was about to leave Portugal. We met on a special evening in a famous bar in Lisbon called Park Bar.
We literally both fell in love with the city. Two years later, we came back to this city where we met, and had a wonderful engagement day.
With this little knowledge of the city and the country, David (went two times to Lisbon for vacations, lived one year there too, and explored other Portuguese cities like Porto, Faro, Lagos, and Madeira Island) and I (went two times to Lisbon for vacations, and to Madeira Island) wanted to share a bunch of our best spots, best activities or things to do, and the best food you can have. We will focus on our favourite ones, as many famous tourists tips are given on hundreds of blogs articles about Lisbon.
Restaurants:
Atalho: It is, according to us and many Portuguese, one of the best meat restaurant in Lisbon. Their two main restaurants are in Principe real and in the Mercado Campo de Ourique. It is one of the softest meat we ever ate ! You can stick to your diet as they also offer salad and veggies, and you can also buy your meat as they are also a butcher shop.
Rodas: This restaurant is a typical local Portuguese restaurant. One of those who does not look fancy from the outside, but offering tasty and fresh food, for amazingly cheap prices. You will not find tourists in this one, while you will still be close to tourists areas.
Ponto Final: This amazing place is located on the other side of the river, in Cacilhas. Ponto Final is directly next to the river. We advise you to enjoy a sunset there, to book your table in advance, and to walk there right after your visit at the “Cristo Rei”. Many options are available there, so no needs to be worried about gluten or dairy !
Sentido do mar: One of the best sushi restaurant in Lisbon in our opinion. Next to the beach in Caparica, super fresh, tasty, original, and easy to match with your gluten free and dairy free diet.
Amelia: Amazing cute place to enjoy a delicious brunch, with healthy, gluten free options such as pancakes. You will find other gluten free, vegan, and vegetarian options in the restaurant “Nicolau”, which belongs to the same group.
Bars:
Park Bar: actually known as a tourists spot, you should visit the park bar when it is not crowded. You could enjoy a very unique sunset there, as it is a rooftop bar. This bar is located next to the Bairro Alto, on the top of a building, right next to a parking lot. And guess what, David and I met there, so…
Sky bar: Fancy rooftop bar located in Avenida de la Liberdade, on the top of the Tivoli Hotel. Speechless view !
Topo Martim Moniz: Sometimes basic known spots deserves to be respected. This bar gives you an amazing view on a part of the city, and is always a good place to meet friends.
Activities:
Sailing boat sunset: I said YES ! Indeed, we have been engaged on one of those sailing boats. “Où sortir à Lisbonne ?” (translated : Where to go out in Lisbon) is a company who shares cool events in Lisbon, tips, recommendations, and professional contacts. They organise some events too. As David lived in Lisbon, he already heard about them. So he knew that they are organising sunset boat tours to enjoy a wonderful view on the bridge. It is possible to book this boat for only two people, with a special proposal formula including your music selection, champaign and a private boat trip while enjoying the sunset. And you guessed pretty well… David chose that !
Zodiac tour - Sea Animals watching: Tremendous ! Amazing experience ! That’s all we can say. “Feather’s & scales” is a small local company organising very special boat tours. Headed by Vasco, a nice Portuguese, speaking many languages. We really recommend this trip, not known by tourists. From Belem, you will start a 4 hour (round about) sensational boat tour, with wildlife watching. Depending on the luck, the weather, and the tide, you will have the opportunity to watch dolphins, turtles, whales or even orcas, as close as possible, literally swimming and jumping next to the boat. With this clear ocean, this moment will be unbelievable, trust us ! Unlike some tourists boat tours, where you can watch dolphins only from far, this one is really a true experience, where you will be only 2 meters away from animals.
