GUIDE / PHOTOS

When: March

where we stayed, where we ate and what we did...

Celebrating three years together called for a laid back romantic getaway, we decided to explore the quirky capital of Portugal for four days. Everything about the hilly coastal city was delightful; the locals, the cobbled streets with the beautifully tiled houses, the pastries, the old trams and the wine.

[Warning: I mention wine a lot]

Stay - Casa C'Alma

Since finding this apartment on Instagram I became more and more drawn in to the fine interiors. Being reasonably priced and local to everything was a bonus. Just outside of the apartment was a cute little garden with trees and a little cafe, near by were restaurants and even a tinned sardine shop.

Our room was perfect and even though we went for the shared bathroom option it wasn't a problem. There's five rooms in this apartment and there is a light blue communal kitchen and a relaxing sitting area with a great selection of books/magazines. In the mornings Rafael (the host) puts together a lovely breakfast spread for all the guests, with lovely soft bread and different cheeses and meats. 

Eat - Cantina (LX Factory)

After walking a thousand miles (not literally) from Time Out to LX Factory and then around the cool antique shops inside LXF we were more than ready for some Portuguese wine and food. We went for two small dishes and I tried something I haven't tried before... rabbit on toast! It was surprisingly delicious. Of course we had garlic prawns too. The restaurant had such a great atmosphere and was decorated in such a quirky way. 

Eat - Bairro do Avillez

Before leaving Lisbon I wanted to head to this restaurant for a little bite to eat, the interior had a lot of character. There's two eating areas and a gift shop. We tried a few tapas style dishes from the menu. Such as the traditional soup, some croquettes, spicy cod lettuce wraps. 

Eat - Darwin's Cafe

Okay so we walked super far to get to this place and well it wasn't exactly what either of us was expecting... I actually let Rakesh chose the lunch spot and by the sound of the name I was expecting brunch foods. The decor was very sophisticated and adult and the menu too, I went for the traditional Portuguese risotto topped with a fried egg. Honestly would only recommend to people who love cheesy risotto.

Eat - Time Out Market

Obviously a food market is a place to over indulge, and at Time Out Market we did just that... as well as polishing off two bottles of wine. Started off with some Thai curry, then some croquettes, a beef sandwich and ending with some pastel de natas!

Eat - Tartine

Our first try of the glorious pastel de natas and we were not disappointed at all. Tartine was a cool little bakery hidden down a street near all the shops, perfect for a mid-shopping break or in our case a mid-wine break. 

Eat - Landeau

Me eating a slice of chocolate cake isn't something you'd usually see, but after hearing about this being the best chocolate cake I had to try it. It wasn't too sweet or too dry, it was actually the perfect slice of chocolate cake for me. Just right. Soft and bouncy and yes I obviously got it around my chops. (Rakesh didn't tell me until we almost got to our next destination, boyfriends aye.)

Eat - Pastéis de Belém

The famous pastel de nata bakery located in Belém, the bakery itself was very photogenic, with the blue and white tiles and different seating areas. There was a window where you can watch the glorious egg tarts being made too. 

Drink - Minadouno

We found this place by accident whilst looking for somewhere to eat at 10pm... that wasn't an easy task. After finding it that evening and having our first beer in Lisbon we decided to go back the next day for some lunch time sangria. You can see a great view of the city from here!

Drink - Graça do Vinho

On our way to the castle, obviously lost. We came across this cute little gem. We were the only people in there, we had some fizzy wine and Rakesh enjoyed some fresh oysters.

Drink - Park Bar

A view that I was really excited to see but there's not much to see at night time but the atmosphere was very relaxing so relaxing that I fell asleep whilst Rakesh was getting the drinks in... We enjoyed a cocktail and some sangria surrounded by plants.

Do - Ride a Tram

Obviously, you HAVE to do this in Lisbon... if you don't then did you even go to Lisbon? Such a fun experience, a little sketchy at times but fun.

Do - Castelo de São Jorge

It took us a whole day to get to this Castle... We saw it from a distance and just tried to work out the route ourselves, drinking wine along the way. It was such a fun day, stopping to take photographs and popping in and out of shops. We arrived at the Castle just before it closed, we got the dusk view and the night time view. 

Shop - A Vida Portuguesa

We didn't see many souvenir shops, we went in search for this one though. We had heard it was a must see and we understood why. The shelves neatly stocked, every product sold looked too pretty to even use and so many colours! Stuck for souvenirs then head here, a little something for everyone!